OEM Battery Charger

I would have to say the factory battery charger is way over priced for what it does. You can get a Deltran "Battery Tender Plus", that works excellently for much less. They list for $59, but you can get one here for $35 http://snipurl.com/6zqt , plus $6 for shipping. Then go to Radio Shack and buy a cigarette adapter with 8 ft cord for another $8 or so. Splice this on, then all you have to do to charge your car is stick the adapter into your cigarette lighter, and plug the charger in the wall. Simple, easy, no fuss.

Like the factory charger, this will not overcharge or damage your battery, and is safe to leave connected for weeks or months at a time. The big difference with the factory charger, is that it has more power (10 amps, versus 1.25 or so amps) so if the battery is really drained, it can bring it back up faster. For just maintanence charging (keeping the battery topped up) it really makes no difference. The other feature is that the factory charger is waterproof. Also, the factory charger only has the clamps, that must be attached to the posts on the battery, or perhaps a suitable location in the engine compartment. You cannot do the trick with the cigarette adapter, because running 10amps through the cigarette lighter would probably blow the fuse.

Oh, if you have to have the factory charger, I think the only source is the dealer or the Ferrari Owner's Site www.owners.ferrari.com, just be prepared that like most Ferrari accessories, the price will take your breath away $472, plus shipping!

Dave

 

I ordered an OEM charger with my 360 and would not do it again. Expensive and a pain in the ass to use, plus mine decided not to work after 2 years. Go with a commercial model.

 

I too have a Battery Tender Plus and am very happy with it. I just attatched the connections to the battery posts and connected the quick disconnect and plugged it in, closed the hood and presto no more dead battery. My car is a 456.
Winston

 

I use a B.T. also with the quick disconnect that dangles by the passenger foot rest. I've heard that leaving a trickle charger on all the time can boil away the battery(on a motorcycle anyway). So I plug it in a day or so before I use the car. Not sure if it makes that much difference but I think it will extend the battery life. FWIW.

 

You can leave the 'Original' BT connected and on all the time. It has a standby mode that reduces the output to a level thats too low to harm the battery.

 

I just had to answer this question myself. After reading threads and talking to Deltran, I selected the Waterproof 800 Battery Tender. It has a waterproof housing and is a bit more heavy duty then the Battery Tender Jr. It also gives out just a bit more juice (800mA vs. 750mA). I selected this one because of those reasons and it was suggested because of the alarm system. Personaly, I thought it was safer using a mini charger I can keep pluged in and not worry about. Deltran makes a cig outlet adapter as an option and I just plug it into the cig. lighter when I get home from driving. It's that easy.

One thing I will point out is the directions for the waterproof 800 are the same as the Jr. and not accurate with the lighting. The WP800 has one light in the middle. It will flash yellow if charging or solid green if charged.

Here is where I got it... but you might find it cheaper

http://www.halonmarketing.com/mall/Waterproof%20Tender.htm
you need to order the cig adapter as an option

 

Not a concern with any "smart" charger or "microprocessor controlled" charger. Once charged, they switch to a "float" mode and will stay in standby, and NOT continue to charge the battery, until the voltage drops below a predetermined setting. The old type "trickle chargers" would continuosly feed a 1 or 2 amp charge to a battery and after a time boil the electrolyte and damage the battery, just as you mention.

 

Everybody here is pretty correct (OE charger junk etc.). Buy one of the aftermarket chargers with a quick disconnect plug in addition to alligator clips(Interstate battery Co.makes one) and on the 360 remove the interior panel behind and below the drivers seat. There you will see a black rectangular box with a red + sign, lift cover (you should turn off batt. at sw.) and connect the positive lead here. There is a large gold stud with a 13mm head to the rear and left of the box, remove it and attach your negative lead there. Now tie off excess wire and leave the quick disconnect plug exposed when refitting the interior panel. With this installation you don't have to crawl down into the passengers footwell to plug or unplug your battery tender (sometimes hard to do in the confines of a crowded garage), in fact you probably can do it through the window.

 

Better yet, follow my post above (#2) or that of "letsjet" and use a cigarette plug adapter. Easy to splice one on, and then no contortions or reaching to the passenger side....just plug into the cigarette lighter. Couldn't be easier.

This is the one I use, from Radio Shack: http://snipurl.com/5rl7

Includes an 8 ft cord. Just splice it onto the leads. Has a on/off switch, led "on" indicator light, and is fused for protection.

Dave

 

FYI - The deltran cig lighter adapter just connects right to the cord via a plug. No splicing required. Also, this solution only works with BT Jr or waterproof 800 model. The Std model is 10 amp and will blow the fuse going through the cig. lighter.

 

It will work for ANY charger or battery tender (like the Deltran Battery Tender Plus) as long as you respect the amperage as you state. I would say to keep it to 6 amps or less. Most car cigarette lighter outlets are fused for 10 to 15 amps....but not a good idea to run too much through there. In addition, those cigarette lighter plug adapters that ARE fused, usually have a 10 amp fuse in them.

I have used the cigarette adapter with a Deltran Plus (1.25 amp) the Deltran Junior (.750 amp) and a Sears full size charger (still microprocessor controlled) set on the 2 amp setting.

Dave