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Can I trickle charge my car?

With the enforced lay-up of my 2018 Jaguar XF, can I use a C-TEK MVS 5-C trickle charger on my car? If so, where is the best place to connect it?

Asked on 2 April 2020 by Malcolm Lewendon

Answered by Keith Moody
We spoke to CTEK who told us: "The CTEK MXS 5.0 is designed for use on all 12 V lead/acid batteries between 1.2 and 100 Ah – so this should be fine to use. The charger should be connected according to the vehicle user manual, so please check what is recommended.

The CTEK Connect system provides two different ways to connect the charger to the vehicle:
Clamps: connect according to the vehicle manual, or the red clamp to the positive charging point and the black clamp to the vehicle chassis.
Eyelet – for a more permanent connection. Simply attach the red eyelet to the positive pole and the black eyelet to the negative charge point or vehicle chassis – make sure you follow vehicle manual instructions. When the charger is not in use, simply unplug the charger from the connector, close the rubber protection cap and tuck the two, short cables down the side of the battery.

As already mentioned though, please make sure that you always follow manufacturer guidelines for charging the battery.

Also, if you charge a standalone battery, the connection is naturally made directly on the battery poles."
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