I think If you ask the dealer they may just quote the manual, but in my eyes the manual is a bit ambiguous,

 

it says a battery ‘from’ another vehicle which sounds more like a battery on its own that is no longer connected to anything. 
 

I have a 2018 Karoq SEL 1.5 automatic, and have just bought a battery charger - CTEK MXS5.0. There are different charging modes which depend on the type of battery. Is the battery GEL or AGM - Anyone know?

Should be AGM I would think.

Thanks shyVRS245.

Tom

Lift up the bonnet and have a look as it will say what type it is on the battery, on my SE 1.5 it is made by Varta and is an EFB Stop-Start Battery.

Your Karoq is a SEL 1.5 DSG so it might be an AGM Stop-Start Battery, the next grade up from an EFB,  but best to have a look at the battery fitted.

 

The setting on the charger to use would either be EFB (if mentioned) or AGM but not GEL.

 

https://batteryworld.varta-automotive.com/en-gb/car-battery-start-stop

 

 

Edited 17 April, 20206 yr by Apprentice
clarity?

My Karoq was factory fitted with a Varta EFB battery and CTEK Support advised me to use the standard charging mode wich goes to 14.4 V (while the AGM mode goes to 14.7 V).

 

BTW, the new CTEK CT5 START/STOP charger is designed to end at 14.55 V, midway between  the standard 14.4 V and the AGM dedicated 14.7 V.

 

Edited 17 April, 20206 yr by agedbriar

33 minutes ago, agedbriar said:

My Karoq was factory fitted with a Varta EFB battery and CTEK Support advised me to use the standard charging mode wich goes to 14.4 V (while the AGM mode goes to 14.7 V).

 

BTW, the new CTEK CT5 START/STOP charger is designed to end at 14.55 V, midway between  the standard 14.4 V and the AGM dedicated 14.7 V.

 

I just bought the regular CTEK MXS 5.0 from Amazon. But my Karoq 1.5 SEL petrol automatic has stop-start functionality. Should I consider retuning my CTEK MXS 5.0 and buying the new START-STOP version instead?  I used my MXS 5.0 yesterday, but I used the comfort connector to charge the battery through the cigarette light adapter instead, and it seemed to work fine.

 

 Please forgive my ignorance. I know nothing about this subject of battery charging!

CTEK MXS 5.0 is the one I have as well.

I'd suggest you keep it. Using the standard mode won't charge an EFB battery to the very top but the AGM mode will come in useful when AGM technology gets cheaper and becomes standard equipment in cars, as it already is on bikes.

In fact, our next battery may well be an AGM.

 

Edited 17 April, 20206 yr by agedbriar

8 minutes ago, agedbriar said:

CTEK MXS 5.0 is the one I have as well.

I'd suggest you keep it. Using the standard mode won't charge an EFB battery to the very top but the AGM mode will come in useful when AGM technology gets cheaper and becomes standard equipment in cars, as it already is on bikes.

In fact, our next battery may well be an AGM.

 

Thanks. Is there any benefit connecting it directly to the battery, compared to using the Comfort Connector accessory to connect via the in-car cigarette lighter socket? The cigarette lighter socket seems a more idiot proof solution for somebody like me, who’s a complete newbie!

No problem if you connect via the cigarette lighter socket.
Actually, if you connect the charger to the battery, you must take care to clamp the negative pole to the mass tab behind the battery (see page 1 of this thread).

15 minutes ago, agedbriar said:

No problem if you connect via the cigarette lighter socket.
Actually, if you connect the charger to the battery, you must take care to clamp the negative pole to the mass tab behind the battery (see page 1 of this thread).

Thanks for the clarification. It’s a bit surprising that CTEK don’t include the Comfort Connector cigarette lighter adapter as standard with their MXS 5.0. For people like me (and probably half rest of the UK population) who aren’t very comfortable messing around with car electrics, it’s a lot more reassuring being able to just plug the CTEK charger into the cigarette lighter socket.

Thanks for everybody's help. I checked the battery and it's an EFB Varta, so I'll be using the standard charging mode on my charger.

How about charging using the C-Tek comfort cigarette lighter plug? Seems like a great idea but would it work?

Yes mine works fine, the cigarette lighter on my Karoq SEL DSG is on all the while when the ignition is off.

The Karoq cigarette lighter works with ignition off on the Karoq, by-passing the Canbus, but maybe not so on all cars, so probably that's why the adaptor isn't included with CTEK charger.  Before my MXS 5.0 arrived from Amazon 2 days ago, I'd contacted CTEK & they also advised me to use the standard mode for EFB batteries with that charger (my battery's a Varta 59Ah EFB too).  Bought the cigarette adapter too + rubber pavement cable/pedestrian protector + battery voltage tester that uses the cigarette lighter socket.

 

I've not used the charger yet as the the voltage tester registered 12.2volts with ignition off just now, which going by other threads in this forum, is a satisfactory state of charge.  There's a lot more on this topic in this recent thread  (https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/479718-karoq-190tsi-4x4-sportline/)

 

 

Edited 18 April, 20206 yr by croquemonsieur

To minimize sulfation I charge the battery before the no-load voltage drops below 12,4 V.

By no-load I mean no immediate prior door unlocking to access the battery with a multimeter. I have a V-meter permanently connected to the cig lighter socket (drawing a mere 8 mA) , which display I can read through the closed window of the locked car. In fact, as soon as I unlock and open a door, the battery voltage drops considerably and gets temporarily unstable due to various systems waking up.

 

In the absence of a permanently connected V-meter I suggest the following workflow to read the true battery no-load voltage with a multimeter:
- unlock the car,
- unlock the bonnet,
- lock the car again,
- wait at least 15 minutes to let the various systems return to sleep,
- raise the bonnet an take the measurement from the battery, which will now be as close to the no-load state as possible (short of disconnecting it),
- close the bonnet.

 

Edited 18 April, 20206 yr by agedbriar

Thanks for that advice agedbriar, so I checked the Varta site and yes they do say that anything below 12.4 volts can lead to battery sulfation.  In fact they say ideally, an open voltage of 12.8 volts be present.  Will get the charger working tomorrow.

https://batteryworld.varta-automotive.com/en-gb/battery-test-car

 

Edited 18 April, 20206 yr by croquemonsieur

Yes thanks again agedbriar, when I first opened the Karoq door this morning and put in the cigarette lighter voltmeter, it registered 12.2 volts.  I then, as you suggested, closed and locked the door with voltmeter still plugged in and sure enough when I looked again through the window after 20mins, the voltmeter had crept up to 12.4volts - so battery seems OK as it should be at only 10-11 months old.

 

Going back in time by one week, I had used the CTEK charger through the cigarette lighter adapter cable - voltmeter had then been registering 12.1-12.2 volts with car unlocked, but the charger only took one hour or so to achieve a full charge - I unplugged it and replaced voltmeter which then registered around 12.8 volts, but fairly soon dropped back to 12.2-12.3 volts (car unlocked).  Next morning getting in the car to go to the allottment 3 miles away, I turned on the  ignition and car gratifyingly burst into life.  Driving along, throttle even only lightly touched, the voltage shown was around 12.9 volts but on the return journey on a long downhill on the overun it said 14.8-14.9 volts - Battery Management System was working as it should.

 

Next trip out yesterday morning, 2 days after that previous drive & not having used the CTEK charger anymore, the battery obviously needed a bit more charging from the engine, as the voltmeter seemed to show around 14.8 volts right from the word go and throughout the short drive there and back from the allottment.  This was whatever I did - foot on throttle, as well as on overrun/braking a, but I suppose that's fine too, the BMS was adjusting things correctly for the lower state of charge in battery.

On 17/04/2020 at 23:10, agedbriar said:

CTEK MXS 5.0 is the one I have as well.

I'd suggest you keep it. Using the standard mode won't charge an EFB battery to the very top but the AGM mode will come in useful when AGM technology gets cheaper and becomes standard equipment in cars, as it already is on bikes.

In fact, our next battery may well be an AGM.

 

 

You say that like AGM batteries haven't been fitted before. My 2015 Superb II had an AGM battery as standard.

 

Its not that we haven't moved forward yet, we have actually gone backwards due to the penny pinchers at VAG

Edited 26 April, 20206 yr by SuperbTWM

Haha, I have installed an AGM battery on my old lawn-mowing Rider, but on cars, EFB is as far as I've come. 😄