[jbear555]

Hey All,
So...have a 23 RTL-E since December and am still driving my 06 CRV primarily, as my commute is only a bit over a mile. Driving the RL mostly on weekends and some weeks not at all (not longer than 2 weeks). I never considered a battery maintainer for the CRV, as it's not tech-heavy, but I realize this new truck is. So...would you recommend a maintainer for this level of use or is the weekend use/once or twice a week operation enough to keep the battery healthy?
Appreciate your insight.

 

[longboat]

I would definitely have a maintainer if leaving set for a week or more at a time. As well, the upper trims have more electric / electronic accessories that provide a greater chance of vampire current draw.

Short trips may not provide enough charging time to bring the battery up to capacity, especially if you are using seat heaters, heated wheel, cranked stereo, etc.

 

[jbear555]

Good to know...thank you! Any favorites among the units available?

 

[longboat]

There are a number of brands available. Ctek, Battery Tender and Schumacher are popular brands, but can be pricey. NOCO is a relative newcomer that seems to have decent products and prices. Check Amazon reviews.

One amp charging should be sufficient.

I have a couple 1A Schumachers I got on sale a while back for $26 each. I added a 30" pigtail connector from my battery to the hood cowl near the driver's side windshield wiper so i can plug it in quickly without popping the hood.

 

[jbear555]

May I ask...did you ground to the body or remove the necessaries to access the neg. terminal? I did see a post that described using a 40mm M6 bolt into a hole in the body that made for a nice accessible ground. Just curious what you did.

 

[longboat]

I used the negative terminal, but the ground should work ok, too.

One or two members have commented on their physical key not working in the door when their battery died, thus they weren't able to pop the hood to charge the battery. Having an external charging port would certainly prevent that scenario.

 

[jbear555]

Really appreciate your taking the time...thank you!
Looking at a Schumacher as well as NOCO and Battery Tender...all seem well-regarded. I'm sure with my usage...I'm overthinking the purchase .

 

[Steve Jordan]

I have 2 Schumachers, my wife's 1999 BMW 323c (convertible) often sits for weeks at a time. Previously her batteries only lasted a couple of years. Now it's going on 7+ years and the battery is fine. Used one on a friends car with completely dead battery that would not hold a charge and it now functions well. Schumacher claims to be able to 'desulfate' a battery and thus extend battery life. I called them and they claim it is fine for AGM batteries like later model RL's. Cost was about $50 or so at O'Rileys store a few years ago.

 

[Hip-hop Uncle]

I vote for Battery Tender Junior. Wired plus term and body ground, connector router through the grill. I am using Juniors on the Lexus Sc430, Ls460, Kubota tractor and zero turn mower. My wife's Rx330 is on its own, since she drives pretty much everyday. I never had a problem with any of them.

 

[jbear555]

All helpful stuff...thanks folks!

 

[njamesj]

Really appreciate your taking the time...thank you!
Looking at a Schumacher as well as NOCO and Battery Tender...all seem well-regarded. I'm sure with my usage...I'm overthinking the purchase .

It was mentioned already at least once, but make certain the maintainer is compatible with AGM.

 

[fdeno]

I've used Battery Tenders on my classic 60's Corvettes, Searay boat and Yanaha jet ski for years with no ill effects and never a dead battery. A one mile commute isn't real good for exhaust systems either as its not enough distance to burn the condensation out if the car sits for long periods, not an issue of course if the exhaust is stainless steel.

 

[27tj288]

+1 on schumaker. I added a 2-pin pigtail on my vehicles that get infrequent use and put it somewhere for easy access. Then the unit is always plugged in a ready. Takes 10 seconds. Not sure how/where to route on an RL but there must be some easy access point somewhere.

 

[flymo]

NOCO chargers work great, and they make a cable that you can attach directly to the battery terminals and leave in place - you then just plug the charger into that. For your situation I think that would be ideal. NOCO's jump pack also plugs into the same cable.

 

[Bill_R]

I have a Battery Tender pre-wired to the battery terminals. All I do is pop the hood, pull the pre wired end up to the front over the driver’s side head light, plug my battery tender into it, the just plug the battery tender into an outlet. Mine has sat for several weeks like this and I have had no issues. The Battery Tender is compatible with AGM batteries also.

 

[jbear555]

Great stuff everyone. Grateful!

 

[snifferpro]

I have been using Deltran Battery Tenders on 2 vehicles and other batteries for years.
I have one connected through the OBD II port on a older Buick and it does well.
I have one with a pigtail attached directly to the battery on the RL that snakes up to the cowl
on the drivers side so that I do not have to open the hood to connect the Deltran.
So far no issues on either. Buick got 3 1/2 years on battery. (Arizona desert is extremely hard on batteries).
As for the RL - only got 2 1/2 years. Reason - Honda battery failed with 2 bad cells.
I don't know of any battery maintainer that can correct bad cells.
Batteries these days do not last as long as batteries produced years ago. Like everything else
made today, thing are made to last till warranty expires. We live in a throw away world.
If batteries were made to last 5 or more years, manufacturers would not make as much money as
they do selling replacements.
I'll continue to use the Deltran battery maintainers until there is evidence they do not work.
I plug each vehicle in to a maintainer after every drive

 

[Glockwork83]

I vote for Battery Tender Junior. Wired plus term and body ground, connector router through the grill. I am using Juniors on the Lexus Sc430, Ls460, Kubota tractor and zero turn mower. My wife's Rx330 is on its own, since she drives pretty much everyday. I never had a problem with any of them.

Can you post a pic on how you ran it to the grill? Curious as I might be getting one. Thanks!

 

[stevem5215]

I have a pigtail to connect my battery to the maintainer and just routed it on the drivers side front of the hood. It sticks out about 3" and is available without opening the hood.

I use a el cheapO Walmart charger that I picked up for $19.95 to charge it normally. When I want to do a desulfination run I use a CTek charger and connect it to the battery directly with clips. I do that several times a year to keep the battery as good as possible. Then I let it sit for 24hrs and then do a battery IR test with one of the two battery testers I have laying around.

 

[jbear555]

I think you're right Sniffer. Disposable society...not a good look. It doesn't help that these modern vehicles with tech conveniences (depending on your perspective) are juice hogs. A lot more is being asked from batteries than in the past.