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Could anyone please help me? I have a Honda Civic 170i car in South Africa which I keep in storage for long periods of time while I'm working in the UK. I'm going back to SA in August for 2 months & I realize I'll have to buy a new battery because the car hasn't been driven for about a year (I don't have anyone there who can charge it for me). I was wondering if there's anything I can do to keep the battery charged while it's in storage so I don't have to buy a new battery every time I go back?

A friend in the UK told me recently that I should buy a "Deltran Battery Tender International Plus" battery charger. He said I would be able to just plug it in and leave it & it would keep the battery charged, switch itself off when it's fully charged, and switch itself on again when it needs more charge.

Do you think this might be a solution to my problem? And if so, do you have any idea how many amps/ what size (?) battery charger I would need to get for a Honda Civic? I've tried Googling for info but ..er, I'm a bit hopeless when it comes to car stuff.

Any help or advice would be SO much appreciated.
Thank you in advance.

-Bev

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This is absolutely the right way to go! I'm not sure about the model, I'm just talking about a battery tender in general. A lot of people who own performance vehicles or recreational vehicles (RV's) here in the States will put one on their vehicle over the winter if it is a summer only driver. The tender will do exactly what you want. It keeps the battery fully charged without issue, plus they are fairly inexpensive. I think the only caveat with them is, you need to disconnect them from the battery before you start the vehicle. It's pretty easy though. Most of them come with a connector which you tie into your charging system of the vehicle. You just leave the pig tail attached to your car, then attach the tender when you want to leave the car go. Here is an example of one we would have here in the states:

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While looking at the picture, the coiled part in front of the tender is the part you attach to your charging system (one connection goes to the positive either at the battery or some other "hot" point and the other one connects to ground/earth).

I'm not sure if you utilize 120v or 240v power utility in South Africa, so you'll have to ensure the one you get has that ability, but would assume any auto parts store there would have one which would work great for your purposes. There is another option if the vehicle is stored outside and uncovered, there is one which uses solar power. You plug it into your cigarette lighter or power outlet in your car, then throw the solar panel (or place lightly, actually) onto your dash. The system does the rest and does it well.

Which ever way you go, just buying one battery tender will pay for itself with one use.

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    In the UK motorbikes are normally plugged into something similar over winter months, they work well. I used Optimate.
    – Another Compiler Error
    Mar 24, 2014 at 14:17
  • I would not be happy to leave one plug in for a long time due to fire risk etc, so would be looking for a charge that I could plug in for a few hours before starting the car.
    – Ian Ringrose
    Feb 15, 2016 at 13:39
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I use a regulated solar panel connected to battery via alligator clips (battery cables disconnected) rather than cig. lighter plug where wiring could be suspect.Advantage is you can lock car in garage and affix panel outside.No theft concerns or fading paint

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