Hello everyone? I need to get a battery tender and I know most people recommend the ctek. Is there a particular model that would work best on both 430 and a Testarossa. I am normally very good at driving my car on a regular basis. However I have a feeling I won't be putting as many miles on the F430 with the arrival of the new TR. I also have an incoming 308 in a couple of weeks, so the 430 may not get a whole lot of use in the near future. Any recommendation on a particular one that can work on all three? or should I just get one for each one? Thanks
I have both multi 4.3 and 3300 by ctek. Both are good. They are not that expensive. I have one for each of my cars.
I have the same ctek 3300 that I've been using for about 5 years ... 2 years on my former 355, and now 3 years for my 430. It's always been connected all the time and both cars have always started right up. I would get either a 3300 or 4.3 for each of your cars.
CTEK 7002. It can handle AGM batteries. Lesser models can lead to AGM battery failure. If you have a 360 or 430, which mounts the battery in the passenger compartment, consider an AGM battery. Can't leak.
I used a Deltran Tender Plus, rock solid, cheap enough to use one per car. My Mclaren came with a CTEK, seems to do much better than the Ferrari OEM, but 325 per unit, save the money and get a Deltran unit. MB
I concur. Wonder if you can get the mating connector so that you can hook it up to the factory connector on the 430. CTEK should be able to supply it because as handdoc said they make the one for Ferrari. You may want to get the CTEK comfort pigtails and hook one up to each car. It has lights on it to let you know when to hook up the tender -- that way you only need one tender. Just a thought. Alan Accessories - CTEK Battery Chargers
These are the best I have ever used. I used to use a number of others and settled on the Deltran for a while but had a few of those fail too. I buy, use, install and sell a LOT of tenders. Never used one as good or reliable. Granite Digital - Save A Battery I use the 9999
My Scuderia came with the 3300. It's not up to the job, hardly ever fully charged the battery. I bought the CTEK MXS 7.0 (US model is US7002) and works perfect now. Has a setting for gel batteries too.
+1. I have used Deltran the Tender Plus as well as the jr for years without a problem. Batterymart sells the jr for ~$23. The Plus is more, but still very reasonable. Battery Tender Plus 12 Volt 1.25 Amp Battery Charger: BatteryMart.com
I own close to a dozen various brands of battery tenders, including a Granite....I have not found a significant performance difference in spite of claims of desulfation modes, and multiple charging steps...they seem to all do the job adequately, from a $20 Schumacher, to the ones that cost $150 or more. I say get whatever floats your boat and makes you feel better. Though you might heed Rifledriver's advice, since he obviously sees and uses way more of these than the rest of us... When it comes to battery replacement, I have found absorbed glass mat (AGM) designs do seem to last longer. I like the East Penn and Sears Platinum brands...
I use the same exact unit; and I tweaked one of the extension cables for it so I could plug into the factory charging port with some help from a thread I found here -- works like a champ.
Yeah, they don't seem to sell the Ferrari pigtail - probably some silly licensing thing. Anyway, I have just (yesterday) parted with my Murcielago and gotten a 599. This means I need to build myself another CTEK to Ferrari cable. I could probably build some extras if folk are interested, but they would probably be somewhat pricey ( ~$89) because of the cost of connectors, time, etc. If enough folk are interested I'll look into doing this. Instructions on making your own: http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=347563
I mounted mine to the wall, that way I can see it easily. Also bought the "Comfort extension" which I have found very useful. Amazon.com: CTEK Comfort Indicator Extension: Automotive Image Unavailable, Please Login
I actually used your thread to make mine for the Granite Digital. Thanks for the detail! Also, the Granite Digital that RifleDriver mentioned includes the Wall Mount bracket. Amazon carries them too: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008MUHIIW/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B008MUHIIW&linkCode=as2&tag=httpwwwmicr02-20&linkId=SOG2QFR2V4LZPFT5
And I ended up making another for for my 599GTB. The pinout is the same as for the F430, but (obviously enough) the indication that it is plugged in is different. Picture of the icon on the dash The cable And plugged into the charger port in the trunk Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login