This winter has been especially brutal with freezing temperatures in the South, epic rain storms and flooding on the West Coast, and snowstorms in the Midwest and Northeast. For vehicles that sat in the garage all winter, CTEK, the leading global brand in vehicle charging solutions, has tips for car owners to spring back as the weather warms up.
“You want to be ready for the first drive of the season and not face a dead battery after months of waiting in anticipation throughout the winter,” said Bobbie DuMelle, President of CTEK North America.
Before taking your pride and joy back on the road after a long winter storage, we guarantee you will ensure:
- The oil is ok
- Washer fluid is full
- Tires are inflated
But what about the battery? Following are tips to ensure you can spring back to driving and ensure your vehicle starts every time:
Winter Charging
Being aware of the strain on the car battery of new car technology, changes in weather patterns and short journeys enables us to appreciate the importance of battery charging. The number one cause of breakdowns is battery failure. Regular charging can ensure sustained performance and increased life helping to reduce emissions, save money and ensure reliability.
Battery Reconditioning
As vehicles are being kept longer, stored during the winter, and driven short distances, CTEK suggests considering reconditioning your vehicle’s battery before your first Spring Drive. Reconditioning a battery allows the battery to recover quickly and last longer and can also help revive dead batteries.
Recharge Don’t Jump Start
If the battery will not start the vehicle – recharge it, don’t jump start. Trying to recharge a deeply discharged battery via a jump start can cause structural damage within the battery itself, shortening its service life. After months of storage, the acid, which along with distilled water makes up the electrolyte of the battery, will have sunk to the bottom of the battery (stratification) this causes several issues – poor performance of the battery, sulphation and reduced service life.
Spring Routine
During the Spring and Summer months, CTEK recommends regularly charging your battery. Charging your car battery at least once a month prolongs its life by up to three times, so getting yourself into a regular battery maintenance routine, makes perfect sense, any time of year. And, as battery failure can damage or compromise a vehicle’s electronics, a charger is most certainly a worthwhile investment.
“Smart owners maintain their vehicles’ battery throughout the year whether or not they’re being driven – and in doing so can guarantee battery performance and extend battery life by up to three times,” shared DuMelle. “A little maintenance can save disappointment and costly repairs.”
Investing in a charger like the MXS 5.0 from CTEK, with built-in functionality for both maintenance and troubleshooting, is the smart choice for drivers. With the MXS 5.0’s patented technology, you can also recondition your battery and remove sulphation to restore battery health.
The CTEK MXS 5.0 features capabilities for improved charging in all weather. Designed for use with all types of 12V lead-acid batteries, it is a fully automatic microprocessor-controlled charger with built-in automatic temperature sensor that features a unique combination of advanced charging modes. The CTEK Lithium US is an advanced microprocessor-controlled charger specially designed to recharge and maintain the cells of Lithium-Iron (LiFePO4) batteries – maximizing their performance and lifespan.
“With CTEK, owners can ‘set it and forget it,” added DuMelle. “Our dedicated maintenance stages won’t under-charge or over-charge the battery, they automatically keep the battery maintained in peak condition for months at a time if needed. And now the Spring is here, it is also an ideal charger for use year-round.”
The patented CTEK system maintains optimum charge levels to extend battery life and, most importantly, ensures that vehicles can start first time, every time. With each product intended for unsupervised use, foolproof to connect, spark-proof and reverse-polarity protected, there is no need to regularly connect and disconnect batteries.
For more information, please visit www.smartercharger.com.
About CTEK
• Established in Dalarna, Sweden, CTEK is the leading global brand in vehicle charging solutions.
• CTEK offers products ranging from 12V and 24V battery chargers to charging solutions for electrical vehicles. CTEK’s E-mobility solutions range from individual EV chargers to larger corporate and commercial installations with multiple charging stations, that require load balancing and integrate seamlessly with monitoring and payment equipment.
• CTEK’s products are sold via a carefully selected network of global distributors and retailers: as original equipment; supplied to more than 50 of the world’s leading vehicle manufacturers; and through charge point operators, property owners and other organizations/individuals providing EV charging infrastructure.
• CTEK takes pride in its unique culture based on a passion for innovation and a deep commitment to supporting the transition to a greener mobility, by adhering to industry leading ESG standards.
