I have recently discovered that the "smart" charger in mt 2016 Toyota Rav4 is not as smart as it thinks it is (goes for the whole car!) and chronically undercharges the battery. I recently replaced the original OEM battery because it had near zero capacity but would still start the car just fine... as long as you didn't leave it "on" for more than a few minutes before starting it. Go figure.
The battery was maintained with periodic drinks of distilled water as required. But it appears that the undercharging likely led to sulfation and the subsequent loss of capacity.
I am retired so the car sees errand use only several times a week for relatively short distances. So between the car's undercharging not so smart charging system and my low use it looks like I need a supplemental charger to keep the battery more fully charged and extend its life.
After reading a lot of reviews and usage history on this forum I have decided against the Noco chargers due to their overly conservative charging strategies. That leaves Ctek or or Optimate.
Which would you choose for my application or is there some others that I should consider?
Thanks,
Steve
The battery was maintained with periodic drinks of distilled water as required. But it appears that the undercharging likely led to sulfation and the subsequent loss of capacity.
I am retired so the car sees errand use only several times a week for relatively short distances. So between the car's undercharging not so smart charging system and my low use it looks like I need a supplemental charger to keep the battery more fully charged and extend its life.
After reading a lot of reviews and usage history on this forum I have decided against the Noco chargers due to their overly conservative charging strategies. That leaves Ctek or or Optimate.
Which would you choose for my application or is there some others that I should consider?
Thanks,
Steve