Charger for D4 Battery?

[eddomak]

Looks like my day for some pretty basic questions...

Is there anything (any feature) in particular I should be looking out for when purchasing a charger that can be used to charge the battery for the D4? This is only for occasional use, as the car is used pretty much every day, but over short distances. I am guessing I can't just use the $20 battery charger for lead acid batteries?

Any recommendations for chargers for occasional use?

Backstory: The other week it was in the shop and they left the key in it so it was constantly awake, and since I only lived 5 minutes away (ie not a long drive) I wanted to give it a charge when I got home.

[drivesafe]

Hi eddomak, any small capacity multi stage battery charger will do exactly what you want.

A nice slow charge is much better for your battery, particularly in the long term.

One tip, do not start charging the battery until your park brake light goes out.

This can take up to 3 minutes after you turn the motor off.

[discotwinturbo]

I use a ctek 5/0.8 smart charger with soft fittings attached to the battery (earth on the stud).

I also use this for mower, quad, buggy, horse float...and switch between settings as needed.

Been charging batteries on cars and everything else for a long, long time, and have never replaced a starter battery yet.

Brett.....

[shorty]

Hi eddomak, any small capacity multi stage battery charger will do exactly what you want.



A nice slow charge is much better for your battery, particularly in the long term.



One tip, do not start charging the battery until your park brake light goes out.



This can take up to 3 minutes after you turn the motor off.


Hi Drivesafe,

Please explain the reason for waiting for the park brake light to go out?

Cheers,

Matt

[eddomak]

Hi eddomak, any small capacity multi stage battery charger will do exactly what you want.


Thanks for that - really sorry to ask, but how small is "small capacity".
Does 3 count as "multi stage" (since there seem to be anything from 3 stage to 6 stage to 7 stage)?
Do I need to look for any battery types (some mention lead acid, AGM)?

[drivesafe]

Hi again eddomak, any battery charger that has a FLOAT mode is what you need, and a 3 stage charger is fine.

Any battery charger up to say 5 to 7 amps is perfect and while a larger current capacity battery charger can be used, they are not as beneficial for the battery as a small charger.

Up until the latest version of the D4, you could pretty well start charging straight after turning the motor off.

With the new D4 BMS ( Battery Management System ) the system keeps track of how the battery is charging and discharging, so to be on the safe side, you are better off waiting till the vehicle’s computers shutdown.

This is one of the most useful features of a Land Rover, the Park Brake Light, not only indicates that the Park Brake is on, but the light remains on for up to 3 minutes after you turn the ignition off.

The Park Brake light only goes out once the computers have shutdown, indicating it is then safe to work on the vehicle’s electrical system.

[eddomak]

Thanks all for your replies. I have ordered the Ctek MXS 5 Charge and Test off eBay since there is currently a 15% off everything eBay deal (use code "CELEBRATE15" until midnight tonight) and this should also be useful for my motorcycle battery especially in winter. From the YouTube video it looks simple and safe to use, and the additional diagnostic functions should be interesting.