Battery Charging

[Zabarka]

Hello,
I have an A class year 2012.
In these uncertain times, I shall be leaving my car standing until the danger is over.
My car stands outside overnight.
What is the best battery charger, using the cigar lighter plug.
The battery is located under the drivers seat.

stay healthy, Rob

 

[Blobcat]

Hello and welcome,

Cigarette socket is generally of no use as it is switched by the ignition. Better to connect a CTEK or Optimate to the 12V point under the bonnet

 

[EmilysDad]

Hello,
I have an A class year 2012.
In these uncertain times, I shall be leaving my car standing until the danger is over.
My car stands outside overnight.
What is the best battery charger, using the cigar lighter plug.
The battery is located under the drivers seat.

stay healthy, Rob

I assume the ciggy lighter will be ignition live so you'll need to either get to the battery itself or if there are jumper terminals somewhere you could attach to those.

 

[EmilysDad]

Coincidentally I was wondering the same re my ML however ...... it has two batteries.

If I attach to the under bonnet jumper terminals, does the battery in the boot get anything or are they electrically isolated?

 

[EmilysDad]

anyone?

 

[LostKiwi]

I think they'll be isolated.
The terminals are there to help start the car so I'd imagine they will only connect to the starter battery.

 

[EmilysDad]

I've yet to find out what the aux battery actually does ... what's it for?

 

[LostKiwi]

I've yet to find out what the aux battery actually does ... what's it for?

I know what it does on a 230....
Pretty much everything except start the car!
For example... Heated seats, comand, roof, rear demister, interior light, central locking all won't work while the consumer battery warning is on. Front demister works but at reduced speed.
Electric seats, lights and mirrors do work but as does the ignition system.

 

[ZZZZ]

My car only has one battery, although I'm planning to fit a split-charger system this summer and add a small 12V secondary battery (thanks Alastair!) for all the electronic cr@p I have stuffed my car with ... errm ... I mean all the lovely and absolutely essential gadgets, I can't live without

I would assume the second factory battery does at least the same stuff, I want mine to do ... and yes, it will be isolated in my setup.

Oh, already answered ... I ought to learn to type faster.

 

[ZZZZ]

Coming back to [part] of the original question - I once needed a quick change from "ignition only" to "always on" and back, for a power socket, so came up with a simple solution (and later decided to complicate things, naturally, and fit a second power socket).
This is pretty straightforward - a standard fuse tap is used, only in "reverse". The bottom bit is for reference only.

 

[ajlsl600]

anyone?

you got me thinkin on same matter now . i have a ctek on jump start fittings under bonnet. but gave no thought to the small batt in rhr

 

[ajlsl600]

I've yet to find out what the aux battery actually does ... what's it for?

..seems this ...

 

[EmilysDad]

I know what it does on a 230....
Pretty much everything except start the car!
For example... Heated seats, comand, roof, rear demister, interior light, central locking all won't work while the consumer battery warning is on. Front demister works but at reduced speed.
Electric seats, lights and mirrors do work but as does the ignition system.

ALL that of a motor bike sized battery?

 

[LostKiwi]

ALL that of a motor bike sized battery?

It's not that small in an r230..
45Ah AGM.

 

[John Laidlaw]

It's not that small in an r230..
45Ah AGM.

Exactly pretty much the same as the starter...and heavy when you’re taking one out and another in given the space limitation !

 

[Zabarka]

Jesus, You guys have gone way over my head. To put it bluntly, I do not have a clue what you are all taking about.
I have no doubt it is excellent information, but sadly you may as well be talking about how to split the atom.
I get it that I can't use the cigarette lighter plug, nicht wahr?
Any chance of someone telling me, using "Charging Batteries for Dummies" speak, how to charge the battery, whilst it is standing.
By the way I drove buses in Berlin for 38 years using most all of the time Mercedes buses, 'tis a pity they do not seem to use them here in the UK.

Grussi Rob

 

[Blobcat]

Jesus, You guys have gone way over my head. To put it bluntly, I do not have a clue what you are all taking about.
I have no doubt it is excellent information, but sadly you may as well be talking about how to split the atom.
I get it that I can't use the cigarette lighter plug, nicht wahr?
Any chance of someone telling me, using "Charging Batteries for Dummies" speak, how to charge the battery, whilst it is standing.
By the way I drove buses in Berlin for 38 years using most all of the time Mercedes buses, 'tis a pity they do not seem to use them here in the UK.

Grussi Rob

Buy a CTEK Or Optimate battery conditioner and connect it to the 12V jump starting point under the bonnet

 

[Tony Dyson]

..seems this ...

What a performance! and I thought it was inconvenient designing my aux battery within a box in a tyre well! While I cannot comment specifically on any other model, typically and as in my W204 the aux battery will only receive a charge when a control relay senses a voltage output from the alternator, so no, it wouldn't normally receive a charge from the jump start terminals under the bonnet.

 

[EmilysDad]

What a performance! and .....

Indeed, and my car has a large ally air receiver for the Airmatic that lives under the spare wheel

 

[ajlsl600]

seems like another benz f/u for the user anyway . wonder if any sense in fixing some ctek leads to that batt so one can charge it up now and then when car not in much use , or will benz have organised things so that even the low ctek current screws something else up ?