YABTP: Making the "Battery Conditioner Connected" light

I have always been concerned about that happening, especially in my wife's convertible, because she doesn't even know that a battery tender is hooked up, and in the BMW the battery is in the trunk... so here was my solution, I took one of those cheap plastic dealer plates that go on the front or rear of the car when you buy a new or used car, turned it over and wrote in black sharpie "Battery Tender Attached", and put it right on the instrument cluster. I even curve it so it holds in there, impossible to drive off without noticing that !

 

I was reading your blog and am happy you're on FerrariChat as well.

Ferrari sent a 110V charger with my 458, which I assumed would plugged into a 220V outlet, assuming they would send the correct voltage charger for where I live. I have a number of CTEK chargers for my older cars and would like to attach the Ferrari male plug to a CTEK Comfort Indicator.

However, I don't know where to get the Bantamate plug. Would you still be willing to make one for me? That seems easiest for me. I am assuming the 458 is wired the same; the plug and socket look the same.

Many thanks, and I appreciate your posting what you did in any event.

Andy

 

Very well done. Thank you.

I am glad that you are still so excited about driving your Ferrari, that you just drive away with the charger connected. Of course, this is also how people get pulled over for driving with no pants, so if you have a solution for that I would appreciate it.

 

In my view, the value of Warren's contribution lies in the fact that it will allow one to use a much more advanced model In the CTEK charger line at a far cheaper cost. And if the charger breaks down, it will be easy and inexpensive yo replace.

 

Some of you may recall that my 458 arrived with a 110V charger, which of course ceased to function after I plugged into a 220V outlet, standard in these parts. The dealer will replace the charger with the correct 220V item and in the meantime lent me a charger to use.

In the meantime, Warren, who started this thread, very kindly put together an adapter for me, which should allow me to plug a standard CTEK charger into the 458's charger socket. The 458 as with some newer Ferraris requires a special plug that is not readily available. Here is the finished product, which I received a few days ago.

The Ferrari charger is the smallest (.8 amp), cheapest CTEK model with a Ferrari logo (which adds several hundred dollars). I bought the more sophisticated CTEK MXS5 (5 amp), which is not expensive, so should be able to use that on the 458 with Warren's adaptor.

Warren does this as a hobby, so I am quite happy he helped me out with this problem..

Andy
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Sound like a cure for ADD to me.

 

The advantage to the adapter is that it will allow one to use the latest, more advanced CTEK chargers. My Porsche GT3 came with a "Porsche" charger, also a CTEK, but it was a more expensive model than the one Ferrari chose for itself.

 

Warren,

Thank you very much for the writeup. Will do this for my 599.

The OEM Ctek trickle charger has a ridiculous output of 0.8A. Will wire up a Ctek MXS 5 using your info.

Regards,
Wayne

 

Great looking test rig, Warren. It looks very professional. I've used one of the three adapters you made and sent over (the other two area spare and a gift), and it works well with a new CTEK MXS5.

Andy

 

Warren,

Yes I made my cable this week. It works perfectly on my 599 thanks to your research info. I used Ctek model MXS 5.0 for Hong Kong's 220 volt system. It has a very fancy 8 step charging process with desulphation and recondition steps.

Attached are some pictures.

Regards,
Wayne
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Just to confirm, does the 360 have this same dash indicator?
I have mine connected to a conditioner regularly and would love to have the proper icon working...

 

This is a great thread!

Couple questions

1) I have the Ctek 7002 (7amp) charger. If wired through the Ferrari port on the 458 is this definitely safe for the electronics at these higher amps? My old 430 I had it wired direct to the battery using the Ctek Comfort Connector. Here is a link below to my charger model I'm using for its specs. It is fantastic and a much higher Ctek model than Ferrari gives you with the car. It can do both AGM or regular batteries which gets me to my next question...

Amazon.com: CTEK (56-353) MULTI US 7002 12-Volt Battery Charger: Automotive

2) Do 100% of the 458's come with AGM batteries? My 2015 458 coming later this week and the Ctek 7002 noted above has specific AGM charging mode and want to know if definitely use this mode or if need to manually check what type they put in my car.

3) Might be interested in having you build a cable connector for me Warren. Please PM me info when you get a chance. Would want the comfort connector with the LED's.

Thanks.

 

1) F430 Driver, electronics isn't my strong suit, but I would think a 7-amp CTEK would be ok. The 5-amp CTEK MXS 5 (5 amp) works fine, and it is quite a jump from the 0.8 amp Ferrari-supplied charger.

2). I don't know whether all new 458s have AGM batteries (I would be interested to know), but I would use the regular mode until you are sure. The Ferrari charger that will come with your car is standard mode.

Andy

 

Andy,

Thanks for the info, especially on the standard mode detail.

I did hear back from the service advisor this afternoon and he said the Ctek 7002 would be ok. He also verified that the 458 was indeed AGM. I'm not sure if every 458 and every model year is but he said mine was.

If the OEM Ferrari charger (the base Ctek model) only does standard mode than I definitely want to use the Ctek 7002 on the AGM setting.

I have to wonder why Ferrari is shipping their cars that we pay over 300 grand for with a base model charger that isn't even optimized for AGM? Seems a bit crazy, especially considering the base ctek model is around 30 bucks retail and a top of the line Ctek 7002 is just $100 USD. How much more would it cost Ferrari at wholesale?

Ferrari sells their OEM chargers if you need to replace one for around $400 if I recall. That is a lot to pay for the Ferrari logo on a charger. I think they might want to step up their game and ship high end Ctek models with all vehicles especially if they are using AGM type batteries.

Then the homerun would be to use Ctek connectors or at least partner with Ctek for a Ferrari compatible plug set. A guy can dream!

 

Ok just wanted to update and add some photos too.

I have verified the plug on the 458 is the same as it was on the 430. I had Warren make a cable for me which had the Ctek Comfort Indicator on one side and the Ferrari OEM plug on the other. He did a fantastic job on it. (Thanks Warren) (See Photo)

Warren wired it same as the OEM plug (see previous posts in this thread) so when you try to start the car it won't plus it shows you the battery charging icon on the dash display. (See photo)

I crack open the window about an inch and run the cable through there and leave the charger on the garage floor. Some people run the wire through the bottom of the passenger door but I don't like that method. (See Photo)

I am using the AGM charging mode as the service advisor confirmed the 458 shipped with AGM battery and not a standard lead acid. Ctek setting is the snowflake/battery icon for AGM. (See Photo)

I do like this Ctek 7002 model as it properly handles the AGM batteries while the OEM Ferrari charger oddly enough does not appear to have a setting for this. Go figure. Also, I think the current shipping Ferrari OEM charger is just above 1 AMP while this one does 7.2 Amps.

One last thing. I like how the 458 has the charger receptacle mounted. WAY easier than the 430 which was down in that passenger footwell and required far more attention to get that thing in there since you couldn't see it without doing some body contortions.

Now the car will be fully charged & ready when someday the salt is gone and the potholes all filled back up here in the Northeast...
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Kudos to Warren for so generously sharing this information! Not so happy with the Ferrari/ctek factory 3.3amp battery tender that came with my car and will make up an adapter so I can use a Granite battery tender:
Save A Battery 12 Volt Vehicle "All-In-One" Deep Cycler

 

Kudos indeed.

 

Can anyone confirm the correct pins to use? There are several choices in size 16 pins...and specifically two choices for 18 to 16 gauge wire. I am thinking this one is good:
SM16M11S6

Warren is on a plane, and cannot respond at present

BTW, as an aside, I own 6 or 8 battery tenders at present, and I have found the lower amperage units while slower, will charge a battery to a higher state of charge, and are gentler than the higher amp units. As an example, I can use a 10 amp microprocessor controlled unit, and will show a "fully charged" indication. I can then remove it and attach a 2 amp unit, and it will continue to charge for another 20 or 30 minutes before showing fully charged. I can then remove that and attach a .8amp unit and it will continue charging for another 15 minutes or 20 minutes, until indicating a full charge. Also a 10amp unit might recharge a partially depleted battery in an hour or less, while a .8amp unit might take 7 or 8 hours. There should be nothing wrong with using a lower amperage unit, they are just slower

 

Correction! I just received an email from Warren, the connector requires female socket type pins, not male pins. So the correct type is part # SC16ML1S31
If making your own, I would suggest ordering one or two extra, incase you make a mistake crimping, or produce a bad crimp. (A tip I learned from Dave Helms when installing his gold connector kit on a previous Ferrari I owned.)

I am looking forward to breaking out my wire crimping tools I bought from Dave, I have not used them in some time.

 

Good luck, Hugh, and enjoy the project. BTW, try plugging the same charger again, a few minutes after a full charge and unplugging it. I wonder if it will react the same way as a lower amp charger.

 

Good suggestion, I have tried that in the past....it will immediately give a 'full charge' indication with the various models I have. What is interesting is the 3.3amp Ferrari charger (relabeled Ctek) is a bit intermittent in operation. Sometimes it will give the green light for full charge, a couple times it will stay in the charge mode for hours and hours. If I unplug and replug, then it suddenly shows the full charge green indicator light. I have lost confidence in this piece of crap, and will go with the Granite brand battery tender recommended by Brian Crall. (or one of my Griots Garage battery tenders)..I just need to make an adapter cord.

 

Hmm. I've had pretty good experience with Ctek. I've been using them for years, including on my boat. My Porsche GT3 came with one, branded Porsche of course.