Trickle charger for cars: Should I spend Rs 6-7K and get one

I was looking to buy the Bosch C7 as we have multiple vehicles & our Honda City diesel is just parked most of the time.

BHPian viXit recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Was looking at the Bosch C7 which costs Rs. 6570.

We have three cars and two bikes. I'm not too worried about the two-wheelers since they have the kick start provision and no other electronics on them.

Two cars see reasonable usage, Safari 3 times a week and i10 once a week minimum.

But the Honda city diesel is idle most of the time. It was fine throughout the lockdown, almost 2 months of no starting yet it fired up on the first try.

But late last year its battery gave up and set me back by 8k for the new Exide one. The car had decently regular usage during the period of its first battery (SF Sonic). Its primary user is no more, hence the running will be quite low during its second battery's life.

Should I expect a shorter life for the new battery now and is it worth spending 6k on a charger? I have a power socket in my parking now, hence the thought.

I'm thinking about the cost-benefit analysis.

How many years can the Charger extend the life of my existing battery?

I got 5 years of use from the first battery.

Safari battery lasted around 6 years. i10 battery lasted almost 6 years too.

Here's what GTO had to say about the matter:

You would have seen a lot of us happy Bosch C7 owners on the dedicated thread. I now have TWO of them!

Like me, you clearly have more vehicles than you need, and a ready power socket in the parking spot. Go for it. Forget the cost-benefit analysis as it will reward you with convenience, and also save you from a dead battery or two.

Here's what BHPian Indian2003 had to say about the matter:

Surely a battery charger will save you lots of pain when the car does not start. You will need one if you do only short trips.

The alternator will never manage to replenish the juice you use to start the car. Using a trickle charger overnight about once a month will keep the battery healthy and give it the maximum life.

You don't need a fancy trickle charger. Just a cheap one will do.

I have 7 of them. I have so many because I forget where I put them and they turn up after some time after buying new ones. Right now I have control over 5 of these.

If you have a socket for the charger, just get one.

The number of years your battery will last is like asking how long a piece of string is but it will save you lots of trouble.

Here's what BHPian androdev had to say about the matter:

I consider the charger to be a useful tool to keep the batteries in good-to-go condition. Prolonging the battery life is a bonus - not sure it will save you much money unless you are talking about BMW category cars with AGM-type batteries which are expensive and don’t last long without regular usage. Flooded batteries in regular cars seem to cope better with the lack of regular usage.

Here's what BHPian mygodbole had to say about the matter:

Vehicle batteries die out for one simple reason: sulphation.

Details here (it is a sales site, so there is a sales pitch at the end).

I first used a charger-cum-desulphator to fix the battery on my Triumph, recommended and sold in 2009 by Triumph, after the new battery 'died' after about six weeks of non-usage.

From then on, I have been using this kind of charger/desulphator on any car that I have used, ranging from sedan/4x4/SUV in temperatures ranging from 10 Celsius to 50 Celsius. Twice a year, start of summer and start of winter, I plug it in for about 48 hours and the battery is as good as new.

Not had to change a battery due to the battery 'dying out', had to change one after an accident in 2015 caused the battery to crack.

If using a trickle charger, please monitor the battery to prevent overcharging.

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