Team-BHP (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/)

-   Technical Stuff (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/technical-stuff/)

-   -   Ownership Review: Bosch C7 Battery Charger (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/technical-stuff/184814-ownership-review-bosch-c7-battery-charger-2.html)

That'd be an interesting discussion alright. But LL is right, its the diodes (and voltage regulator) that fail more frequently than the rotor or stator windings.

As to why in Lucas alternators? Just hazarding a guess here; they're probably built to a cost compared with Denso, Bosch, AC Delco and the like.

After reading this exhaustive review i bought Bosch c3 charger for my Verna petrol automatic which has abysmally low running, mostly once a week of a non stop 25-30 km run so not more than 120 kms in a month.
Now the question is how frequently should i charge the battery ? The car and battery both are of Sept 2015 make. No problems thus far with the battery at all even after such low running.

That 25-30 km weekly run is probably recharging your battery and keeping it in shape. That said, a charger is a good investment. You never know when a battery loses its charge.

Your car and battery are only 18 months old so you won't have problems right away. To reduce self discharge disconnect the -ve battery terminal/clamp from the battery post & connect it when you take your car out for the weekly run.

Ideally the car should see daily running OR a battery charger should be connected to it when the car is not in use for days at a stretch.

If you are familiar with battery removal procedure in your car, take the battery out, check water levels and keep it on a charge. Install it when you need it. Yes it's a little inconvenient. I bench charge my car batteries if the open circuit voltage reads less than 12.25 volts. Consider buying a digital multimeter to check voltages.

A high end charger should have a 'maintain charge' mode. If so, you can just leave the charger connected. (Lots of doomsday warnings about chargers and batteries still connected to car electrics etc. With a high end charger, I'd ignore those 'warnings'. Your call though.) Assuming ofcourse you have a private parking place with access to a powerpoint.

Regards
Sutripta

I had considered picking up the Bosch C7 charger on a whim, but then came across a review that mentioned that this specific model of charger does not resume maintenance charging of the battery after an AC mains power failure - it instead requires manual intervention to select the mode to restart charging. Its not a massive inconvenience, but its just something that we need to remember, particularly in India where momentary interruptions and longer term power cuts are a way of life.

This is not true. It is mentioned in the manual and I have tested it with my charger at home, it resumes automatically after power interruption. Here is the info from the manual:


Once in a week 25-30km is not too bad compared to short trips. Whatever is taken out of your battery during cranking will be restored by the time you finish 25-30km.

You have the following options:
1. The charger comes with a "quick connect" system. You can connect the quick-connect portion of the cable permanently to the battery terminals. You need to remove the clamps and use the ring terminals and battery terminal nuts to do the same. Secure the quick-connect plug (it is weather proof) near the windshield wipers so you can connect the charger without opening the hood. It depends on your battery location, etc. but permanent connection is definitely an option to consider. If you manage to connect without opening the hood, then you can just permanently leave it connected. If you have multiple cars to charge, this won't be convenient.

2. Try to connect once in a few days such that it will get topped up in 1 hr. In my case I noticed it needs 1hr charge every 3-4 days to top up.

3. Charge it at the start and the end of long-term parking.

Any simple routine just to make sure the battery is not stored in a discharged state for very long, no need to go ICU-level :)

........and, this baby arrives today :)

LOL! Congrats Leoshashi. :D

Incidentally I purchased and received the C3 model as well 2 days back. The C3 is rated 3.8 A and is more powerful albeit bulkier than the compact 1.25 A Battery Tender that I normally take with me on travels.

I have read about some issues with these chargers on the 'net but hope Bosch has ironed out the wrinkles. Both my Bosch chargers are Sept '16 imports. What about the unit you received?

Mine says Oct '16 on the package.

What sort of issues did you find online??

Regards,
Shashi

Keep in mind the reviews date back about 2-3 years. They were mainly regarding the unit going into standby when mains power was interrupted and then resumed. This has been sorted out in these later batches as indicated in the manual. I think they updated the firmware.

The 2nd issue was with the mode change button which according to customer feedback gets unresponsive after some use. The option is to open the charger and replace it with a commonly available 6x6 mm micro switch. These are cheap and you need soldering skills. Or take it to any electronics repair technician and he'll do it for you.

Oh yeah, before I forget the screwdriver is a special one with a triangle shaped tip. See here for a DIY repair:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Repa...ttery-Charger/

I just hope they've put in a better quality micro switch in the newer batches.

Did you take the pics using a phone camera? The second picture has lot of detail I think :) Which phone/camera?

Yes sir, I took these pics using a phone camera. And to worsen the situation, these pics were the ones which I sent to my friend on whatsapp(so even lesser details). :D

3 year old Samsung Galaxy S5

Regards,
Shashi

What is the month of manufacture mentioned on the charger ? I did a mistake of ordering from ebay to save few bucks and received old stock of 12/2015 manufacture with sealed open pack and no month of import /MRP mentioned and not even an invoice :Frustrati

Where should I look for the month of manufacture?? stupid:

I could find only this.


In other news, I contacted Amazon's customer care since the seller had unethically raised the MRP to Rs. 7700, and thus creating an impression of higher discounts. The actual MRP is Rs.7000 They have issued me Rs. 300 as token of apology.


:) BTW, this same charger is available at my city's Bosch store for Rs. 6700(but import date is May 2016).

Regards,
Shashi

Month of manufacture is mentioned behind the charger.

I paid 6300 on ebay after applying coupon. Mrp was same Rs 7000.

Regards