Thanks to the OP for posting this, got one and started a project I've been meaning to do for a while - got a cheap folding sack truck from Maplin, strapped a big old battery from my old diesel car to it, and attached the Lidl charger.
Got an old set of jump leads that I just need to attach to some battery terminals to make an always charged jump start pack that I can wheel around easily. Might get me out of trouble when winter comes!

more of a conditioner than a charger imho although obviously it does charge albeit slowly. poor man's ctek/optimate but for this kind of money will do a cracking job. heat added.

I have one of these, used it on the old car when battery was loosing charge in winter with short runs. Topped up battery 3-4 hours a time. Sure if your batt has significant discharge its going to be an all day affair 12h+ I would imagine.

3.8A isn't exactly 'ultimate speed', but if you don't mind waiting a bit should do the job well enough.

Hi Guys, are these any good for 14V heavy duty Diesel batteries ?
Isnt 12V just for petrol cars ?

No such thing as a 14v vehicle battery. 12v batteries are normally charged at around 14v, but the nominal voltage is always 12v. 3.8A isn't fast, a typical modern 70Ah battery is going to take 20+ hours to charge from flat, but it's much better than the 0.9A you get from the likes of Optimate conditioners. The great thing about these is they will do both jobs - you can charge (relatively slowly) or you can leave it attached for months without fear of boiling the battery.

Make sure you keep your receipt for the 3 year warranty - I bought one of these last time and it failed within a year. When working properly its quite clever but its more of a trickle charger - even with a flat battery it only charges at the maximum 3.8A for a short time before dropping back to about half that, so charging a flat battery can be a lengthy business, but if you just need something for an occasional charge or to keep your battery topped up then its good enough.

Have one of these from last time and they are effectively a rebranded C-TEK. Awesome kit for the money. will be buying another for my new classic car.

Hmmm, the casing doesn't look like any of my cteks, so I'm dubious about it being rebranded. However at this price it's excellent value if it works.

just buy a new battery

How much of your 100 quid went towards paying for the C-TEK brand name and their advertising - The Lidl chargers are excellent - too much amperage will fry your battery - better to have a smaller one over a longer period. I have been using one of these for a while now and it has even resurrected a battery that I thought was beyond repair. I will be getting another one for back up. Thanks for the heads up OP

I have one of these and they're cracking for weekend top ups in winter if you do short trips or a car you don't use over winter like I have

Ah, didn't know that (mostly use Aldi as they are more conveniently located for me).

As for the ctek comment - the basic methods any of these 'smart chargers' use are pretty much the same.
However I doubt it is a 'rebranded ctek' - as it goes I do have a rebranded ctek and it looks pretty much exactly the same bar the brand (a car manufacturer), as you might expect.

You'll have to get a pretty significantly beefy charger before it'll put out more than your typical car alternator can; so I wouldn't get too worried about 'frying' batteries personally.

I got one of these last time round - good for the kid's 6v ride-on batteries but it just gave an error when I hooked it up to my deep cycle 12v Optima Yellow Top battery.

Be warned if you have quite a flat battery it wont recognise the battery so wont start charging, I had to trick mine by using another battery :confused:

I've got two C-tek chargers and one of these. I agree there's no way it's a "rebranded" C-tek, though the internals may be similar.

Modern alternators as with modern battery chargers will adjust their output to the requirements - they typically run on a 'constant voltage' principal I believe - they will try and elevate the circuit to the correct 'charged' voltage. If the system is only just below that, they'll only output fairly low amps. If it's a long way below that (for instance a pretty dead battery where the car has been jump started), they'll output quite high amps. Or of course if you're using all the extras at the same time.
Old chargers were 'constant amps' and often ran on a timer to make sure you didn't leave it boosting high amps through a battery for too long.
Really high-amps charging devices should only really be used for jump-starting for short periods or in emergencies.
- when I said 'frying batteries'.

I believe most lead acid batteries should be fine with at least .1C - so starting from 6amps or so for a smaller battery.

Whatever, batteries really should be monitored to ensure a long life and topped up where required (if possible).

Yes, they perform the same job as a CTEK. But that's very different from being a rebranded CTEK. Rebranded means it's the same apart from the names / labels on it. I do hope it isn't now being used to mean "something similar to".

so if your battery is flat, how long for it to get enough charge to start?
we talking 5 mins or 5 hours?

A CTEK is a trickle charger and the battery can remain in the car when you use it. This is described as a charger implying you have to remove the battery from the car.

Can anyone who has one confirm what this is from the instructions please.

thanks

Thanks for the response jrw. Just concerned that they tell you to "disconnect". I know what you mean about them protecting themselves but clearly if you have any car issue, they will take no responsibiltiy.

Yeah I know - If you look in the handbook of your car it will probably also say that you shouldn't jump start. You can, its just the culture we live in today. It says the exact thing for my neighbours RS5 but thats been jump started I don't know how many times until I told him to use this charger!

Cheers OP. My local actually had some in stock..

Hopefully Aldi will have theirs in the next couple of weeks, previous years car care products have been mid-october. Prefer having the voltage display that the Aldi ones have for the same price.

I know! Usually the pattern of Lidl and Aldi are within a similar timeframe...such as Car Care offers, DIY painting, Motorcycle gear, Cycle gear etc.

Some internal pics. I don't have a C-TEK so can't compare the two..

http://tinypic.com/r/2r7pt3t/8
http://tinypic.com/r/2nbzspi/8
http://tinypic.com/r/21ovup5/8
http://tinypic.com/r/6elp1y/8

yes, I'm waiting for aldi too.

Thanks to the OP for posting this, got one and started a project I've been meaning to do for a while - got a cheap folding sack truck from Maplin, strapped a big old battery from my old diesel car to it, and attached the Lidl charger.
Got an old set of jump leads that I just need to attach to some battery terminals to make an always charged jump start pack that I can wheel around easily. Might get me out of trouble when winter comes!

Hey Ralph. They are unusual screw heads. The pack that my bits came in are rather lacking in info but it was a triangle 2.0 bit that got them out. If you can lay your hands on a Jackly JK 6089-A or similar that'll have what you need or maybe have a ganda at CPC online. Good luck..

Many thanks

nice job!!
simple but perfect for the job....

Had my battery charger about 25 years too.

In that time, I guess I could count on one hand how many times I have needed to use it.

In that time, I think I have bought 2 new batteries, well 3 if you include the free one I got when one failed during it's 'lifetime guarantee'.

If you are needing to use a battery chager regularly, then it signals your battery is probably on it's way out, or your car needs attention (assuming the flat battery is not caused by you leaving lights on, etc)

Hi,

I actually agree with this statement but you have said it yourself here. You need to establish the problem is with the battery, and the way for most people to do this is by charging the battery, with a battery charger. ergo you need to have a battery charger.

I was replying to the chap who gave the advice of "just buy a new battery"

:wink:

Or maybe you have a car that you don't use often or even don't use over the winter? So when the battery is totally dead you should just get a new one?

Or maybe perhaps just leave this plugged in and it'll start first time. Seems to work for both myself and my neighbour, for 14 quid it saves 90 quid on a new battery every year.

I would just charge the battery once and then test it with a battery tester.

If it's failing, it needs replacing. Hence why, as I did say myself, I could probably count on 1 hand the number of times I have needed to use a battery charger in the last 25 years. :smiley:

I've left a car 6-9 months before, and it's started no problem

But yes, if the battery is dead, you probably do need a new one as chances are the plates have badly sulphated if it's flat.

(but you could try charging it & testing it to be sure.


If you are needing a new battery every year, then there is something wrong with your car.

And £90??? :confused:
Where do you buy yours from? The AA/RAC man???:smirk:

6 to 9 months is impossible on a modern car. 3 months max and that's not going to do the battery any good at all. Best to spend 14 quid on a battery charger/conditioner and leave it plugged in when not using the car.

You're also missing the point I made about leaving a battery to go flat. If you left it for over 6 months, whilst it's likely you can bring the battery back to life, it's not going to last so if you didn't charge it or condition it whilst in use then yes it's feasible to need a new battery every 12 to 18 months.

Guessing you haven't looked for a battery for a rs5 recently then. They're big, they're expensive and £90 is cheap.

You haven't got an RS5 have you?

An Audi? Part of the troubled VW group?

I feel sorry for you.

Maybe they've fitted a secret "defeat device" to your battery too which makes it go flat so quickly :smile:

Still need a charger

Halfrauds currently have 23 batteries over £90, the most expensive being £179!!!!!!!

:confused:

You carry on feeling sorry for me lol. Troll.

Firstly the last time I looked the rs5 never has and never will come in diesel form, secondly, I hardly think the vw group are quaking in their boots over this. It's only actually the media and environmentalists that care.
Also the braking fault fiasco didn't harm Toyota at all so don't think a little emissions scandal will harm vag.

In the meantime I'll carry on killing the planet in my diesel company car and my v8 lump for the weekend :wink:

Still need a charger
I already have a battery charger, as I mentioned previously.

If I didn't and needed one, I'd probably see if a neighbour had one to borrow.

If all else failed, most garages/battery retailers will offer to charge the battery for you if needed.
Or just bump or jump start the car.

And why do you call them Halfrauds? Is that because you have found how much over the odds they charge for their batteries?

If you drive an old car without any of the modern bells and whistles with a modern battery THEN a battery can last many months without it needing charging and still start the car.

However, if you drive a recent up market model then a lot of things run using electricity automatically while the car is parked up. In these cars you couldn't leave it 6-9 months and expect the car to start.

or alternatively if you have a large dog that switches on the interior light as she gets out then it might last overnight if you are lucky before you realise what is happening and disable it. she would also put her foot on the electric switch to open the window. :smiley:))

Halfrauds is their nickname ... because they charge over the odds for everything....

:smile:

Connect the one battery to the other using jumper cables (but I just held the other charged battery upside down so the terminals connected)

Ah, thanks for the info. I hope it works for me.