OEM Battery Tender

[T.O.Blackwing]

Took my “Battery Protection Package” charger out of its box for the first time today and hooked it up.
Is this thing any good?
The manual that comes with it is pretty useless. The English is poor and basic information is missing. Such as some kind of assurance that it stops charging when a full charge is reached.
Anybody here have any experience with one of these?

 

[LF4472]

I also have that charger with ky car and imagine it's basically the same charger as I have for my C7. It will enter a maintenance mode once the battery is charged.

 

[GT325]

It’s a rebranded CTEK so it should be good to go. They make some of the best battery maintainers. Usually they are able to be connected for months at a time and will automatically keep the battery in tip top shape.

 

[Exia]

I use a similar one on my C7. Just connect it and the lights will tell you when its charging (yellow) or full and on maintenance mode (green). There really isn't anything else to it.

My C7s has worked great for almost 4 years so I don't see why this one wouldn't. Connect it and forget it.

 

[Cuse44]

Have the same Ford Branded version for my GT350 and never had an issue with the tender not working properly nor my battery running down

 

[Snowwolfe]

My ZL1 came with that style charger. It worked great. After selling the Z used it on my Denali PU. Now the charger is changing garages and will be connected to the BW as it doesn't get driven as much in colder, wet weather.

 

[T.O.Blackwing]

Thank you all. That's much more reassuring than the Chinglish manual that came with it.

 

[vvrroom99]

I bought this same product and returned it because it doesn't come with q quick disconnect option which is what is needed due to the position of the battery posts in the trunk - the alligator clips cannot attach properly because of the configuration of the battery compartment. Also, you cannot charge via extension posts under the hood. Solution is to buy a charger that has the quick disconnect option that you can permanently mount to the screw posts in the battery compartment thus affording you not to use the alligator clips and battery posts.

 

[T.O.Blackwing]

... Also, you cannot charge via extension posts under the hood ....

Why do you say that?
I believe - or at least I think - you can charge via the posts under the hood.
After all, that's how the manual tells you to jump start the car.
Also, I do it that way with my old MR2 as the battery is located in an awkward place in that car, too, and it has never been a problem.
But if there is an issue with doing it that way, I would like to know what it is.

 

[GT325]

For what it is worth I am using this product via the jumper posts under the hood and it seems to work just fine

 

[vvrroom99]

It didn't work well with this product with the alligator clips on the two extension posts under the hood.....I could never get a green light.....I checked with the dealer and they said those posts were for "jumping only" and that the charging needed to take place on the battery itself in the trunk. When I took the lid off the battery compartment in the trunk and showed them how impossible it was to affix the alligator clips they said that a different charger with a quick disconnect would have to be purchased or the battery compartment would need to be modified to accomodate the alligator clips. I returned the product because the product was not specifically made for the 2022 CT5V Blackwing. The product is a generic product with a Cadillac logo on it. Take a look at the charger that Maserati sells (I had one of those).....that is the kind of charger that one needs to use as it has the optional quick disconnect wiring harness along with the alligator clip wiring harness.

 

[T.O.Blackwing]

For what it is worth I am using this product via the jumper posts under the hood and it seems to work just fine

Mine seems to be working fine hooked up under the hood, too, at least so far.
The connection seems solid and it appears to have successfully increased the charge from low to full, and now two green, steady lights glow encouragingly.
Having received reassurances from most who have posted here, I think I’m just going to carry on. If I encounter any issues, I’ll come back and report as a PSA.

 

[Exia]

Under hood option is fine, maybe your tender is DOA? I've never had an issue on other vehicles where the posts are for jumping. My ZLE and 911 all charged from the posts just fine, do you have the negative in the right spot?

 

[PrimeTime]

The money is in the sell, not the save on an owners efforts. Manufactures know that right? Lead Acids and not gels or even less Lith-Ions. Todays Outdoor Ambients Temps across the board are higher or lower than "normal" almost everywhere and do not help Leads Acids. Coupled that with under hood temps just cruising and its steals cycles from the Batts already. The Batts are in the trunk on these cars, most are not. Drive when you can, overall it's better in the long run as opposed to sit and trickle for long periods of time.... Watch those chargers and Batt Temps, Volts and Specific Gravity if its a fillable wet cell you can sample. Sealed Batts, look for Bulges in the Battery and high temps on case and terminals. Tenders work ok, just have to tend the tenders. Greens lights good, tenders that have amber and red lights cover broder parameters on battery metering. Leads used to last 5 to 7 yrs easy, now daily drivers can barely get 3 to 5 yrs if lucky. Its a higher $ car I know, but the reason we are using these devices is to extend the Batt Life? So it appears to matter.

 

[SWFLBW]

I had an OEM charger similar this for my C6 and it connected via the cigarette lighter socket. Worked fine. I looked on the CTEK website and didn't see the accessory part, but found it here. Maybe this will work better for you?

CTEK Comfort Connect Cig Plug

 

[SWFLBW]

I had an OEM charger similar this for my C6 and it connected via the cigarette lighter socket. Worked fine. I looked on the CTEK website and didn't see the accessory part, but found it here. Maybe this will work better for you?

CTEK Comfort Connect Cig Plug

NVM. According to the picture OP sent, it doesn't have the quick connect connections that this accessory needs

 

[KatyTxCT5V]

NVM. According to the picture OP sent, it doesn't have the quick connect connections that this accessory needs

Correct, it does not. However, you can buy the connection you need from CTEK and splice it together by cutting the wires and reconnecting via solder & heat shrink or crimp connectors. I have done that for to fit other vehicles I have. I have now three CTEK's and they all work great. Just make sure that you get the positive and negative correct, lol.

 

[vvrroom99]

Mine seems to be working fine hooked up under the hood, too, at least so far.
The connection seems solid and it appears to have successfully increased the charge from low to full, and now two green, steady lights glow encouragingly.
Having received reassurances from most who have posted here, I think I’m just going to carry on. If I encounter any issues, I’ll come back and report as a PSA.

Perhaps my product was defective. It was Cadillac branded but the box it came in was dusty and worn. The instructions were not good. The product was expensive but not impressive plus it didn't have the optional quick connect like others like it. When you have a $110k car and you go to the accessory store, plug in the VIN and up comes this charger for $200 you'd expect to get a premium, precision made product - not so with this as I envisioned hooking it up in the trunk.

 

[KatyTxCT5V]

Perhaps my product was defective. It was Cadillac branded but the box it came in was dusty and worn. The instructions were not good. The product was expensive but not impressive plus it didn't have the optional quick connect like others like it. When you have a $110k car and you go to the accessory store, plug in the VIN and up comes this charger for $200 you'd expect to get a premium, precision made product - not so with this as I envisioned hooking it up in the trunk.

I think you are expecting too much as you will always pay more for a “branded” product with a Cadillac or any car logo and pay about $90 for the same charger with CTEK’s name only.

There is also a lot of bad information even from dealers out there about hooking up under the hood vs direct battery hookup. You can do either and yield the same results as I’ve done both with no issues on the last 9 cars. I was skeptical at first when I was told I could use the cigarette/power plug located in the hatch trunk to charge for my 2016 C7 Z06, but it worked perfectly. Still have it with original battery and I believe this logo branded CTEK charger is the result.

Can you get a cheaper charger…sure you can but there are differences between float, trickle, boost, etc types of chargers and the wrong one that can kill an AGM type of battery. But why go cheap on something that takes care of a $110k car/$250 battery? There is a reason that almost every auto manufacturer uses CTEK, they are reliable. Maybe as you stated you received a defective charger or something. Good luck in whatever you do.

 

[rubberduck]

I use marine chargers on all my vehicles. Not cheap ($270 for the 15A model), but they put out enough current to deal with AGM batteries. Use the 30A model on my Jeep Odyssey battery because it can get depleted from various activities. Use a 15A model on my 5BW. If one looks at the battery manufacturer website they will give the desired maximum current a charger should provide. Odyssey recommends 25A.

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