[ejdd]

Hi, when i got my 718, Porsche gave me their branded battery maintainer. I store my 718 over the Winter in a long term facility and have just put it away with the maintainer plugged into the cigarette lighter in the passenger footwell.
I did the same last winter.
Problem is, where I store the vehicle they have regular power outages. When the power comes back on the maintainer loses it mode (has 3 options motorcycle, car, lithium/ion) to the point where i need to go back and reset the maintainer about every 2 weeks.

Has anyone worked out if you can 'default' the maintainer to come back on in car mode, or found an equivalent maintainer that will start up again in its original setting after a power outage?
I've read forums mentioning CTEK products but would be great to get some first hand knowledge , especially if any of you are dealing with the same problem.

 

[Treemagnet]

The CTEK MXS 5.0 always returns to the last setting after power outages. I purchased one 5 months ago and it has performed flawlessly, returning to car mode every time.

 

[ejdd]

The CTEK MXS 5.0 always returns to the last setting after power outages. I purchased one 5 months ago and it has performed flawlessly, returning to car mode every time.

Hi Thanks for the reply. Do you use AGM mode or Car mode for a 718? I thought 718's had AGM batteries?

 

[Treemagnet]

My mistake. I just realized I use the AGM mode, not car mode, and it always returns to AGM after a power outage. The only downside is the unit must cycle through all 8 charging steps after each power outage is over.

 

[ejdd]

My mistake. I just realized I use the AGM mode, not car mode, and it always returns to AGM after a power outage. The only downside is the unit must cycle through all 8 charging steps after each power outage is over.

Im going to do one more test, i have the charger plugged into the 12v but do have the connectors for direct connect to the battery terminals. The manual says once the power has been out for 30mins the 12v cigarette lighter turns off and wont re-accept the charge till the ignition is turned. Maybe it's that, that is stopping the charger to come back on in the right mode. Worth at least a try. Easy to 'simulate' a power outage!

 

[Treemagnet]

My understanding is the 718 12v power outlet remains active, provided the vehicle is locked after the charger is plugged into the outlet. We've lost power for over 2 hours at least three times since I've owned the CTEK and the charger always came back online.

 

[GTS18BGTS]

Following along on this.

 

[InTgr8r]

Im going to do one more test, i have the charger plugged into the 12v but do have the connectors for direct connect to the battery terminals. The manual says once the power has been out for 30mins the 12v cigarette lighter turns off and wont re-accept the charge till the ignition is turned. Maybe it's that, that is stopping the charger to come back on in the right mode. Worth at least a try. Easy to 'simulate' a power outage!

Don't connect both leads direct to the battery.
Connect the positive to battery and ground the negative to the chassis.

 

[MikePhDPE]

i thought the Porsche branded charger was just a rebranded CTEK?

 

[jimmuller]

Don't connect both leads direct to the battery.
Connect the positive to battery and ground the negative to the chassis.

What he said. That's standard procedure for any car. The reasoning is that charging could release hydrogen from the battery. If it has not dissipated then a spark from the act of disconnecting could ignite it to make a small explosion. Think Hindenberg but on a much smaller scale. If you have one of the leads sufficiently far from the battery then any spark from disconnecting it first wouldn't be a problem. But you have to disconnect that one first. On most cars that would necessarily be the negative lead because attachment points to the chassis are readily available. The other end of the lead to the positive battery terminal is usually inaccessible because it disappears into the car's innards. Old British sports cars excepted, of course.

OP, I have a Schumacher battery maintainer which automatically detects the battery type and senses the charge level. It goes through that process on power-up. If power goes out it simply does it again when the power comes back. I used it once on my Cayman last year through the cig-lighter plug in the passenger's footwell and as far as I could tell it stayed functional. I don't recall seeing in the manual that the plug disconnected itself after a certain period of time. I'll have to look again, I guess.

 

[ejdd]

t

i thought the Porsche branded charger was just a rebranded CTEK?

That was my understanding as well, but i've often gone to check on my car and its flashing to select a mode. Im assuming that there has been a power outage and it's gone back to default. I suspect thats correct, otherwise you would think whenever you go to use it , it would remember the last setting it had, which it doesnt.

 

[ejdd]

Don't connect both leads direct to the battery.
Connect the positive to battery and ground the negative to the chassis.

yeah... thats what i meant

 

[Viffermike]

t

That was my understanding as well, but i've often gone to check on my car and its flashing to select a mode. Im assuming that there has been a power outage and it's gone back to default. I suspect thats correct, otherwise you would think whenever you go to use it , it would remember the last setting it had, which it doesnt.

OP, I would recommend contacting CTEK directly about this issue (the Porsche unit is manufactured by CTEK; this is 100 percent confirmed), or searching its website for insight. I seem to remember that there's a significant FAQ section on the website. This issue has to be common, particularly with auto-off connections such as through the 12v socket.

Let us know what you find.

 

[ejdd]

OP, I would recommend contacting CTEK directly about this issue (the Porsche unit is manufactured by CTEK; this is 100 percent confirmed), or searching its website for insight. I seem to remember that there's a significant FAQ section on the website. This issue has to be common, particularly with auto-off connections such as through the 12v socket.

Let us know what you find.

I checked out the manual for the Charge-o-mat Pro (what Porsche calls it) and right on page 10 it states under errors:
Only power lamp is on
1. No Charging program has been selected or the charger has been disconnected(e.g. though a power cut)
press the MODE button to select a charging program

so looks like it definitely doesnt remember the setting.

My porsche branded charger has no AGM option also. I might end up just buying the CTEK 5.0 but will do more investigating

link to the manual - its on page 9

https://content2.us.porsche.com/prod/pag/tequipment/Live/TequipmentInfoLive.nsf/0/F40A7027ADB08C82C1257FA4007C2CCC/$file/User%20Manual%20Charge-o-mat%20Pro_Manual%201%20EU.pdf

 

[ejdd]

I checked out the manual for the Charge-o-mat Pro (what Porsche calls it) and right on page 10 it states under errors:
Only power lamp is on
1. No Charging program has been selected or the charger has been disconnected(e.g. though a power cut)
press the MODE button to select a charging program

so looks like id definitely doesnt remember the setting.

My porsche branded charger has no AGM option also. I might end up just buying the CTEK 5.0 but will do more investigating

link to the manual - its on page 9

https://content2.us.porsche.com/prod/pag/tequipment/Live/TequipmentInfoLive.nsf/0/F40A7027ADB08C82C1257FA4007C2CCC/$file/User%20Manual%20Charge-o-mat%20Pro_Manual%201%20EU.pdf

I went and confirmed both via footwell connector and direct battery (and negative chassis ground) when the power is disconnected from the charge-o-mat-pro it reverts to the mode selection button and doesn't remember its last settings.

After doing a bit more research and youtubing, the standard Charge-O-Mat DOES remember the settings. It just appears the PRO edition doesnt. Weird! There was an amazon review on it which listed the same experience i am having.
I'll take a close look at the CTEK 5 and manual and probably get that. My amazon Prime free shipping has paid for itself this month!!! ;-D

 

[JazzCatGab]

I'll take a close look at the CTEK 5 and manual and probably get that. My amazon Prime free shipping has paid for itself this month!!! ;-D

Another possibility if the power interruptions are usually short, you could get a $40 or so UPS (power backup) at Amazon and continue to use your current charger.

 

[SonicSid]

Just one more data point, but on a different car/battery type... I've been using a CTEK MULTI US 7002 (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FRLO9Y) for years on my FD RX7 and it always switches back on correctly to recharge after a power outage. Plus it doesn't fubar over time my car battery like the expensive ones I've bought from a place that rhymes with Reeotts Harage.

 

[ejdd]

A final update. I got the CTEK MXS 5 (delivered in 3 days!) and it works great. Remembers the settings after power outage. I connected directly to the battery/chassis ground, not via the 12 volt. All looks good. i'll give it another check in the morning.

 

[ARMTNBIKER]

My understanding is the 718 12v power outlet remains active, provided the vehicle is locked after the charger is plugged into the outlet. We've lost power for over 2 hours at least three times since I've owned the CTEK and the charger always came back online.

My boxster is not locked and the charger stays on
Plugged into socket on passenger side

It is set to AGM ??

 

[GTS18BGTS]

My boxster is not locked and the charger stays on
Plugged into socket on passenger side

It is set to AGM ??

That's how mine sits in the garage - unlocked and tender plugged onto center console smoking package receptacle.