CTEK MXS 3.8 Multi Functional 7-stage battery charger 3.8 A

Introducing the CTEK 7 Stage Car Battery Charger—your car’s best friend when your car battery is feeling a bit under the weather. I’ve already got a few of these trusty chargers hanging around for my motorcycles and cars.So, why the latest addition, you ask? Well, my wife's Range Rover decided to have an intermittent overnight battery drain issue—because who doesn’t enjoy a bit of drama in their life? Imagine my surprise when I found myself unable to unlock my car because it was playing dead. Cue the CTEK charger to the rescue!Plugging it in every night became my new routine, like an evening ritual of ensuring my car was getting the pampering it deserved. Until I could drag my car to my best mate (a mechanic who’s practically a wizard with wrenches), the CTEK charger was my go-to hero, keeping my battery in tip-top shape and preventing any more surprises.This charger is like having a dependable butler for your car’s battery—always there when you need it, without any fuss or drama. It’s easy to use and does the job so well that it’s almost too good to be true. For keeping your vehicles happy and healthy over winter or during long-term storage, it’s the reliable sidekick you didn’t know you needed.In short, the CTEK 7 Stage Car Battery Charger is a fantastic addition to any car lover’s arsenal. 10/10—because even when your car decides to play hard to get, this charger ensures you’re always ready for action. Cheers to that!

I don't write many reviews on Amazon but having recently used it in anger I thought I'd add my thoughts on this charger. I've had my CTEK MXS 3.8 for 6 years so this is a long term review. I bought it for my 1961 Hillman Minx, which used to eat batteries as it is laid up every winter, doesn't do a huge amount of mileage in the summer and isn't terribly efficient at charging when its running, so I used regularly to have recourse to an old-school non-smart charger. I was recommended the CTEK by a mechanic I know who specializes in restoring high end classic cars and keeps several himself. Since purchasing the CTEK I leave the car on charge in the garage full time (the eyelet lead allowing a permanently available plug-in connection is great), relying on the charger to keep the battery charged and conditioned. The result is that my old car is always ready to go, and I have only just needed to replace the battery which I'd then had about a year, so it was 7 years old altogether - previously they generally lasted about 3 years before they became incapable of holding a charge.However just this week I've put the charger to another use which prompted this review. My daily driver is a Toyota Prius, and anybody familiar with these cars knows they have a low powered 12V auxiliary battery that is only used for initially booting up the computers and enabling the main traction batteries. Unwisely I left the car unused for a few weeks during Covid lockdown resulting in the 12V battery going flat. Priuses have a lot of sensitive electronics and it's easy to cause problems if you're not careful when charging them but the CTEK did the job without fuss and showed 4 LEDs (ready to start) in just a few hours.I can't speak to the mode switch that some reviewers have complained about as I set it to normal when I first got it and haven't touched it since. I don't have a motorbike and the cold weather setting merely increases the charging voltage from 14.4V to 14.7V according to CTEK. I'm not sure how much benefit there is to that, it certainly seems to function perfectly well when left in normal mode. I can confirm that the charger still works as well now as it did 6 years ago ,having been in almost continuous use, and it has already more than paid me back its purchase price by extending the life of my battery.

When it works it's great, but mine went completely dead, no power showing within an hour of second use and only four months since purchased. Checked plug fuse and left to cool down for an hour but still nothing on retry. Returned via Amazon and reordered same model. Hopefully was just a one off bad circuit and second new charger holds up better. In terms of performance it will typically take anywhere from 20 minutes to about 2-3 hours, depending how low the initial state of charge and battery size, to get past the initial 'Bulk' stage 3 (many hours more if the battery is completely flat). The final absortion stage 4 to take it from 80% to 100% full will take another 5 hours or more, typically depending on battery size. However, the battery is ready to use and drive after 80% full if you're in a hurry. Overall a great charger that safely takes the battery to around 14.4 Volts maximum charge voltage, so just below gassing threshold, and then settles at around 13.5 Volts once charging is complete and enters maintenance mode, 'Float'. Overall a great charger that charges efficeintly and safely in the fastest possible time for the given maximum current of 3.8 Amps. I just have my doubts about reliability, but at least the 5 year warranty gives some peace of mind.

Product was recommend to us , brilliant charger .

Like many of us due to Lockdown and so on the car had a lot less use and the battery was slowly going flat so I bought this. It really is easy to use and straight out of the box. I would say that the leads supplied could be longer after I consulted the owners manual on where to connect the clamps they only just reached on a medium sized Toyota and I suspect if you have a larger vehicle then they might not be long enough.I didn't feel it was necessary for me to get the higher 7.5A model which is obviously more expensive as this is only for light occasional use. It completely recharged my 6 year old battery in just four hours including going through it's cycles so I can't complain.It's very small, comes with a little bag to keep it in which the instructions fit inside as well so I'll always be able to find them if I need.