Battery Tender Problems on 458?

So, Toy Run was almost a month ago. Did you notice if the lights on the tender were green before you unplugged it? How old is the battery in your 458? I had some issues with OEM tender/battery when I bought my Cali - strange warning lights on the TFT display. After switching to a new battery/tender - no such problems - knock on wood...T

 

Sounds like the battery got too low. I upgraded my OEM to this CTEK model...

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FRLO9Y/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

about 2 months ago, and am very happy with it. It has "snowflake" mode, which is great if you have a car with HELE and an AGM battery, plus more lights to follow the progress of the charge on your battery...T

 

Have noticed something similar. After exactly a week on the tender if I just unlock the door the lights change to less than full. Starting is difficult. Relocate the door and let it sit some hours and it tops up again!

Now after a week I just cycle the door lock and the the tender works correctly.

Weird.

SV

 

^ Mine was similar before new battery. Open door, trunk, etc. the tender light went from green to amber, then took hours to get back to green. No such issues with new tender and battery, plus I try to make sure she gets driven at least once or twice a week...T

 

I also had problems in winter with longer periods between drives while plugged into the "free" charger. I too moved to the better CTEK version and have never seen the issue again.

 

The car won’t start well with tender plugged in. Remove the tender from both the wall outlet and the car and try starting the car.

 

Please give us the information we need first: what car, year, old or new battery etc ...

Most problems are due to old battery; that is 2 years or older.

But most of this topic and many same Q's have been written in some large threads here, do the search for that info please !

One thread: https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/458-battery-problems.414285/

Second: https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/does-any-try-ctek-battery-mentainer-on-458.563311/

Third :https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/battery-charger-vs-battery-meintainer.563692/

 

I've seen instances in which a malfunctioning tender would drain the battery, namely if plugged in for very extensive (and unsupervised) periods of time.

My personal experience on my battery (older than 2 years): 2 weeks plugged in, 5 days unplugged. Repeat. So far so good (knock on wood).

Kind regards,

Nuno.

 

Some follow on questions about the battery tender. I am not a fan of the included tender with my 458 Spider and would prefer using the CTEK 7002 or 4.3 that I use with all my other cars. I've read through the archived discussions about people creating/buying a CTEK cable with the 4 Position Circular Receptacle that connects to the 458 battery connector, specifically wkumari's very detailed information. When people say they have switched to a 7002, did you make/buy a custom connector or are you connecting to the battery some other way, maybe with the CTEK comfort connect eyelet connectors? Although I am an engineer, my cable making skills are very poor.

 

I purchased a custom connector from EBay for my 7002.

Don’t bother getting the 4.3. I’m pretty certain that the Ferrari tender is the same model as the 4.3. They both share the same part code on their label.

 

Local F-car dealer had the requisite adapter for my Cali, so I'd start there.

Nuno's post above is an excellent one. A bad tender can put more stress on your battery, especially if the battery is getting old. Your dealer should be able to test the battery for you...T

 

Happy ending! Now plug her in, and go driving. It's a gorgeous day out!
T

 

Thanks for the replies about the battery tender. I'll check with my local dealer to see if they have the appropriate cable or buy one off eBay. I like the 7002 tender, but the 4.3 has worked pretty well for me as well and shows the seven steps the tender goes through. The local service guys installed a Maserati labeled 4.3 in my wife's Gran Turismo that has the connection come out in the trunk. I wish the Ferrari version showed more info than just the amber or green light.

 

I plugged in Wednesday night it was Amber than Thursday morning green, than Thursday night until now Amber again, is this normal operating sequence? Voltage on car is good and starts fine
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Can you see the year of battery ?

I bet it is over 2 years ... so start buying a new AGM battery right now ...

In my Yolo thread I explain diy exchange of the battery in a 458

Showing my $ 20 non-oem trickle charger ... just cut off connector of the oem charger end connect.

Now you can see what happens ...



Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

That's the behavior my Cali displayed when the battery started to go bad. Cycling of the tender between green and amber. Have you seen any odd warnings on the TFT display upon startup?

I would upgrade the tender first since that's the cheaper and faster option. But, as indicated above, I'd also start looking into replacing the battery...T

 

What’s the aftermarket battery option and what’s best new tender that will have new plug for 458?

 

Any 74 Amps battery with same size will do. It's just a car.

Obviously you did nor read yet all the advises which are here available ...

Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

The plug ....

Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

I doubt it'll be easy to find any with the Ferrari specific adapter. Talk to the service people at your dealer in regards to the correct adapter...T