Trickle charging for dummies

[BrianJ]

Hi
This is my first post on the PCGB forum and apologies for resurrecting an old thread.
I have exactly the same issue - the car is over 10m from the nearest 240v power outlet in the garage.
I had already purchased a CTEX MXS5 when I bought the Cayman and enquired with their customer services in their home country as to potential solutions - I had intended to join several CTEX extension leads and locate the charger in the garage.
However CTEX Customer Services strongly advised against this, and told me that the total acceptable extension length between charger and the battery is 5M for the MXS5. They advised extending the 240V power feed side of the battery instead. Apparently this is because the charger has "intelligent" functions which may not work correctly if the 5M maximum length is exceeded.
I am not competent to challenge the truth of what they told me, but I thought I would post as I did get this information from "the horses mouth" at CTEK.

I was given exactly the same advise which is why I made a long thin 240V extension lead to the CTEK.
I don’t really have any concerns about this, it’s plugged into a socket protected by its own RCD.

I have done this in the past too, without any problem.

 

[stephentodd]

I too have used a 240v extension lead from the garage, into the car via passenger side door, in the door seal there is a cut out @ the bottom, I place cable in there, carefully shut the door. The CTEK mx5 charger sits in footwell of car and is plugged into the cigarette lighter socket. Job done.

 

[AndrewCS]

I prefer the hard-wired option, with all but the connections outside of the car

Pictures re. a 981 ... a recess in the bonnet frame accommodates the connection joint, allowing it to be closed

 

[BrianJ]

That's exactly what I do on my current (2016) 981. My previous 2013 981 worked happily using the footwell socket but the 2016 car does not.

 

[andrew.creese]

Amazingly diverse set of responses; most illuminating, thanks to all. I'm probably going for the weatherproof 240 volt extension cable+boxed socket to go under the car, with CTEK cable going under the door, charger in footwell and plugged into cigar lighter.