Charger.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Oct 2020
Posts: 359
Likes: 78
From: Columbus, OH
St. Jude Donor '21
Charger.
Does anyone else find it strange that plugging the charger in to the cigarette lighter charges the battery? Maybe it's just me and the fact I've owned motorcycles for years and used to the battery tender pigtail that connects to the battery; maybe it'd be different if motorcycles had cigarette lighters?
Anyhow. Off to vote!
Anyhow. Off to vote!
Popular Reply
Nov 3, 2020, 10:28 AM
Melting Slicks
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Given the effort to access the battery it makes perfect sense.
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^ this. Getting to the battery on a C7 is kind of a pain so having a port where you can just plug in the charger makes perfect sense. Quick and easy.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Oct 2020
Posts: 359
Likes: 78
From: Columbus, OH
St. Jude Donor '21
I understand the purpose of the charger. What I don't is the backwards compatibility of the cigarette lighter in that it can provide power as well as charge the battery. Before now I've always attached a pig tail to the bike/car battery and then when I want to use the trickle charger I plug the pigtail into the wall unit and it monitors and charges as necessary.
After typing the above I'm thinking maybe they are the same it's just that Chevrolet has come up with a proprietary solution thought to be easier?
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2015
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From: Toronto
Yes I meant both. Its basically a fused live lead to the battery for charging. Kinda makes sense since using it to light a cig in the trunk makes no sense. The lighter adapter is universal so works with most chargers.
Racer
Joined: Sep 2020
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From: San Francisco
What effort?
All you have to do is remove the floor cover in the trunk to expose the battery and the 1st thing (after I bought my C7 a little over 2 months ago was to install a Battery Tender pigtail to the terminals so that I can charge the battrery directly.
The end of the pigtail sits above floor cover and I just run the cord to the Battery Tender under the trunk lid and in between the rear bumper seam so that the truck lid can be closed. Easy peasy.
I also have a Battery Tender pigtail attached to the batteries in my BMW and 911. In the MR2, I just attach the Battery Tender's clips directly to the battery.
All you have to do is remove the floor cover in the trunk to expose the battery and the 1st thing (after I bought my C7 a little over 2 months ago was to install a Battery Tender pigtail to the terminals so that I can charge the battrery directly.
The end of the pigtail sits above floor cover and I just run the cord to the Battery Tender under the trunk lid and in between the rear bumper seam so that the truck lid can be closed. Easy peasy.
I also have a Battery Tender pigtail attached to the batteries in my BMW and 911. In the MR2, I just attach the Battery Tender's clips directly to the battery.
Last edited by sgt1372; Nov 3, 2020 at 12:42 PM.
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From: Jacksonville Florida BWO Dayton, Cincinnati, Bloomsbury NJ, Cincinnati
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When you say by design by it staying hot or is ability to charge the battery or both?
I understand the purpose of the charger. What I don't is the backwards compatibility of the cigarette lighter in that it can provide power as well as charge the battery. Before now I've always attached a pig tail to the bike/car battery and then when I want to use the trickle charger I plug the pigtail into the wall unit and it monitors and charges as necessary.
After typing the above I'm thinking maybe they are the same it's just that Chevrolet has come up with a proprietary solution thought to be easier?
I understand the purpose of the charger. What I don't is the backwards compatibility of the cigarette lighter in that it can provide power as well as charge the battery. Before now I've always attached a pig tail to the bike/car battery and then when I want to use the trickle charger I plug the pigtail into the wall unit and it monitors and charges as necessary.
After typing the above I'm thinking maybe they are the same it's just that Chevrolet has come up with a proprietary solution thought to be easier?
Elmer
Last edited by eboggs_jkvl; Nov 3, 2020 at 02:40 PM.
Safety Car
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I only smoke cigarettes when I am lying in the back of my Corvette. Good place to put a cigarette lighter. Can't understand why GM did not install an ash tray back there.
Last edited by MMD; Nov 3, 2020 at 02:51 PM.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Oct 2020
Posts: 359
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From: Columbus, OH
St. Jude Donor '21
My Range Rover has a cigarette lighter in the back as most of my other vehicles have and to the best of my knowledge none of them offer a solution such as this.
Le Mans Master
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What I don't is the backwards compatibility of the cigarette lighter in that it can provide power as well as charge the battery. Before now I've always attached a pig tail to the bike/car battery and then when I want to use the trickle charger I plug the pigtail into the wall unit and it monitors and charges as necessary.
And like the pigtail you install on a bike's battery, you can use it to charge the battery or you can connect something to it you would like the battery to power, such as a phone charger.
There is nothing magical going on.
Pro
Joined: Aug 2010
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From: Carmel, NY & Bradenton, FL
It makes a lot of sense to me. I added a cig lighter receptical to my motorcycle. I also added one to my grandson's little electric John Deere Gator to make charging it easier. So easy a 3 Y.O. can put it on & off the charger. Can't understand why anyone would mess with alligator clips on the battery when the car is equipped with a receptical designed to make the process quick & easy. 
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Again, we are all saying that the rear plug is for a battery MAINTAINER, correct? We are not saying that you can do an actual charge of a dead or seriously depleted battery, through the rear cigarette lighter plug, correct?
If you need to bring in the big stuff for a dead battery, then you pull the carpet and connect directly to the battery terminals with a battery charger.
As long as we are all saying the same thing, life is good!
Elmer
If you need to bring in the big stuff for a dead battery, then you pull the carpet and connect directly to the battery terminals with a battery charger.
As long as we are all saying the same thing, life is good!
Elmer
Last edited by eboggs_jkvl; Nov 9, 2020 at 02:34 PM.
Safety Car
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From: Poughkeepsie New York
Again, we are all saying that the rear plug is for a battery MAINTAINER, correct? We are not saying that you can do an actual charge of a dead or seriously depleted battery, through the rear cigarette lighter plug, correct?
If you need to bring in the big stuff for a dead battery, then you pull the carpet and connect directly to the battery terminals with a battery charger.
As long as we are all saying the same thing, life is good!
Elmer
If you need to bring in the big stuff for a dead battery, then you pull the carpet and connect directly to the battery terminals with a battery charger.
As long as we are all saying the same thing, life is good!
Elmer
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From: Jacksonville Florida BWO Dayton, Cincinnati, Bloomsbury NJ, Cincinnati
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I'm seeing the two terms being bandied about in this thread and they are not the same. I'm pretty sure if you tried to charge/jump the battery through the rear plug, you'd melt something down. Only a "Battery Maintainer" is plugged into that rear socket. The battery maintainer is like a C-Tek or the one you get from GM (C-Tek) but it costs a ton more with the Corvette Logo on it.
Elmer
Elmer
Last edited by eboggs_jkvl; Nov 9, 2020 at 03:58 PM.
Safety Car
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There are some maintainers that also have charge capability. My CTEK can charge as high as 7 amps if necessary. It is compact and can be used to charge and maintain through the power outlet or the battery terminals. What it does not do is it does not have the ability to jump start batteries, only charge them. According to the manual, it cannot charge deep-cell batteries. CTEK does offer a charger that can charge as high as 25 amps.
Last edited by MMD; Nov 9, 2020 at 04:14 PM.
Racer
Joined: Sep 2020
Posts: 418
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From: San Francisco
I've recharged batteries w/a Battery Tender "charger" but I either used a pig tail or clips attached directly to the battery to do it.
I've never liked socket type maintainers/chargers and have NEVER used them and NEVER will.
I've never liked socket type maintainers/chargers and have NEVER used them and NEVER will.