As long as the charger can float its good to go. If trickle only, it will overcharge the battery

Don't feel bad. I've run into two Nissan dealership service departments that didn't know they needed water. One of them tried to argue with me about it.

The charger or maintainer was automatic. Like will turn off when 100%then turn back on when the battery go down.

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Well that's my bad too. Didn't read the manual. Lesson learned. But don't want a battery that isn't maintenance free.

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hummm... that sounds different from floating but why did you not get the battery tender instead?
been using this for like 7-8yrs. no issue with dying batteries prematurely.

Amazon.com: Battery Tender 021-0123 Battery Tender Junior 12V Battery Charger: Automotive

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0051D...r=8-3&pi=SY200

This is what I bought. And will be here on Thursday. Because the guy at advance auto parts advices me to get a charger or maintainer. Never heard about float or tender before. But thanks for the advice. I don't mind to get one since you got good experienced on it. Thanks bro!!😊

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"•Automatically switches between charging mode and float mode monitoring"


:tup:

Btw. Can I plug that to outlet 24/7? The reason I bought the black and Decker one because I can plug it 24/7 and good reviews.

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yah, my G and Z both are plugged in from october to march every year. :)

Lol!! 😊😊😊 I think I'm good! That's my problem again. Never try to read the spec. 😔😔😔 but thanks kenchan! I learned something!!

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np, and thanks for that black&decker link. i wasn't aware of an alternative to the battery tender. :D this gives us more options.

i have a trusty black&decker 120v air pump for my tires and it's been rock-solid for 5-6yrs. :tup:

I feel good on black and Decker. I bought a jump starter with tire inflation still good 5 years already. Got it at Walmart. That thing helps me a lot. Last week my z and my 2011 daily car got dead battery. Thanks to that jump starter I never stuck outside the road. Will Make sure keep my new battery healthy this time.

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To sum it up:
A charger is designed to recharge a battery over a relatively short period of time. Uses high current which generates heat that can damage the battery. Can generate a significant amount of Hydrogen in a short period of time. Great for shops where time is of the essence and any damage to the battery just means a battery sale sooner.

A trickle charger does the same thing as a charger only at lower current. Less heat; longer charging time. Hydrogen produced at a lower rate that can dissipate easier. As has been mentioned, they can damage a battery if used for extended periods. The best bet for most consumers who just need to recharge a battery every now and then. Less expensive than a full-blown charger and easier on the battery, plus lees chance of explosion. It just takes a little longer.

A battery tender (AKA float charger) isn't really designed to charge a battery (they will, just at a very slow rate) but to maintain the charge over a long period of time. For all intents and purposes, zero heat and Hydrogen (but you still want to provide some ventilation to be safe). For long-term storage (RVs, boats, cars, &c).

The lines between the different types can get blurry. There are tenders that can put out as much current as a trickle charger and many chargers have a low current setting that acts like a trickle charger.

Hope that helps.

ive charged my battery with the battery tender. it's just lower power and takes longer vs a standard charger.

for instance when i bought my Z, first thing i did when i got home was plug the battery into the battery tender. it had to charge almost 18hrs before it would float. means how low the charge was when the car was "new" and just sitting on the lot for about 3wks.

car was manfuactured in june09, landed in the usa in july09, arrived at my dealer first week of august, bought by me 2wks later.

I think the black and Decker will do the job. Since it was automatic switch to float mode. I just need to unplug it once in a while. Not bad to stuck outside the road and draining your phone battery to call friends or family for help. 😊

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Keep buying the Stanley Black & Decker ones as I work for one of their divisions in Cleveland :tiphat:.

FWIW, I've used a Battery Tender Plus for over 10 years, and they have always kept the battery charged over the winter. I don't think it matters which one you use, as long as they maintain the "float" level.

4 years old. 42k dd miles. Going strong

They will evaporate and kill a battery with the quickness. I suggest checking the water level of the battery every oil change. I normally will have to add once a year. Low water/acid level will kill a battery quick. Add distilled water. Fill each cell to the bottom of where the plastic starts, not to the top. I checked my battery when I got the car a couple of weeks ago. It was low, I think I got it in time.

My G's battery is 10yrs old this month. With proper maintenance still cranking strong. :D

My battery lasted less than 3 years. I don't drive much, though (ZR is my weekend car). After buying my new battery, I bought a Battery Tender Plus.

2 years 21K miles going strong, no slow start-ups, Chicago area.

I still have the stock OEM battery in my 09, still cranks strong. Then again I had the battery in storage for almost 2 years so I'm sure it has a lot of life left in it.

My 370z is a 2011 and had 32000 miles when the battery went dead. Replaced it with a yellow top optima

3 years...

During winter its been on a trickle charger for 5 months at a time.
My Cup Suspension drained the battery twice

So that could have altered the live.

Went with an Optima Yellow Top as well....starts are so strong now!

Battery has 36 month replacement and 84 month pro-rated warranty.

After 5.5 years and 50,500 miles, I replaced it with a Wal-Mart 36 month replacement and 60 month pro-rated warranty battery, manufactured by Johnson Controls. (same manufacturer as Sears Die Hard)

Biggest killer of car batteries is heat. Since we are fortunate enough to have a non maintenance free unit originally, simply remove the caps of the battery and check the level, if low top off with distilled water. You simply want to have the lead metals inside the battery submerged, do not over fill!

Good idea! I noticed that the battery that I pulled out was almost low on distilled water!

Top it off, should last longer.

Gave up on my stock battery and replaced it this morning with a new Diehard Platinum. Mine is a 2010 Roadster, built 9/2009 (I bought used 12/2010), and just turned 60,000 mi...daily driver since 4/2011. While the stock battery still had some life in it, it had gotten VERY sluggish starting the car to the point of barely turning over in the mornings. Wasn't worth it to see how much further it would go before stranding me somewhere.

Now with the fresh battery, startup is fastest I think I've ever seen in the car! Thanks to the board members how-to's on the subject, swapping the batteries was a snap! :tup:

I'm looking to get a new battery. I haven't checked if my levels are low, but I will do so tomorrow. While I'm working on my car w/ the radio on, it drains the battery and voltage drops to 10 - 11v. I'm afraid to turn on demon eyes at meets because I'll be stranded, lol.

Anywho, I did some research and what is the general consensus for battery brands? It seems Optima is hit or miss. I've checked out Odyssey.

Yah, you need to keep a charger on the battery if the engine is not running while you work on your car.
That is a quick way to permanently kill your battery.

Almost 30K and Z will be 3 yrs on Turkey day 2014. Battery seems to be fine on this daily driver in Southern Calif. On second set of tires but this isn't a tire thread.

you should be able to easily do double that on a dd if taken care of.

get a dry cell battery, they last long long time. i had a yellow optima battery for 6 years on my 350z (traded in for 370z) never had problems. they are pricey, but i would go with a dry cell type battery again.

i had a yellow top on one of my earlier hobby cars and the cca was kinda weak vs regular batteries.

honestly those batteries including the red tops are overrated.
just get a decent car battery and maintain it. no need to pay premium price.

they are not overrated, dry cell batteries will last from 5-12 years as compared to a wet cell that will last from 3-5 years, have more power in cold temperatures, and can be stored longer will less loss of power. so yeah I dont mind paying 100-150 bucks more for a battery.

ps: yellow top optima battery is rated at 620cca, thats good enough for our cars.

I was referring to the optimas being over rated.
Dry cell like odyesse are different.

:icon18:

:wtf2:

I'm still on my original battery...little over 4 years and 190,000 miles. DD even in the winter.