How to prepare for a motorcycle road trip

Spring is just around the corner, and with it, the promise of longer days, milder temperatures and the thrill of getting out on the open road. Whether you’re new to motorcycling or a seasoned biker, it’s always good to plan ahead and properly prepare your motorcycle for each trip, avoiding any last-minute frustrations or disappointments, especially if your bike’s been out of action throughout the colder months.

The importance of battery support in vehicle workshops: Understanding de-rating

As modern vehicles continue to evolve with increasingly sophisticated electronic systems, the importance of stable voltage during servicing and repairs has never been more critical. From diagnostics and ECU programming to routine repairs, maintaining a consistent power supply is essential to ensure accurate and uninterrupted operations. This is where high-performance battery support systems play a pivotal role.

Don’t Get Stranded on Your Way Home for Christmas

The holiday season is a magical time when families come together to celebrate, and for many, that means hitting the road to travel home for Christmas. But nothing can dampen the festive spirit like a dead car battery, leaving you stranded in the cold when you should be on your way to enjoy the celebrations. This year, don’t let an unexpected battery failure spoil your holiday plans. With CTEK’s CS FREE, you can keep your car charged and ready, ensuring a smooth journey home.

Why charging your car battery is just as important as changing to winter tires

As the temperatures drop and the days get shorter, many car owners are quick to schedule their tire change to swap to winter tires, ensuring safety and grip on icy roads. But while most people focus on the essential task of changing their tires, there's another critical part of vehicle preparation that often goes overlooked—charging your car battery.

Stay Safe this Halloween: Don’t Get Stranded on Haunted Roads

As the days grow shorter and the spooky season creeps in, tales of haunted roads and eerie encounters fill the air. Whether it's ghostly apparitions, strange noises, or mysterious happenings, there's one thing everyone dreads when driving on those desolate, winding roads at night—a flat battery. Imagine cruising down a foggy, isolated street, surrounded by the rustling of trees and shadows that play tricks on your mind, only to realize your car won’t start. The real horror isn’t in the shadows—it’s being stuck in the middle of nowhere without power!

Don’t buy a new car battery – Charge with CTEK Instead

When your car battery starts showing signs of weakness—like dim headlights, slow engine starts, or even a complete failure—it’s easy to assume the battery needs replacing. However, before rushing to buy a new one, consider an often-overlooked solution: charging your battery. Investing in a quality charger can not only save you money but also extend the life of your current battery, avoiding unnecessary replacements.

12V Battery Chargers: How to Use and What to Choose

A car battery is crucial for starting your vehicle and powering its electrical systems. However, like all batteries, it can drain over time. To keep your battery in top condition, investing in a high-quality 12V battery charger is essential. In this article, we'll explore how to use 12V battery chargers effectively and recommend the best options from CTEK.

Stop Killing Your Car Battery! 10 Things That Drain Your 12V Battery

Your car's battery is a critical component, providing the necessary power to start your vehicle and run its electrical systems. However, many drivers inadvertently shorten their battery's lifespan through common actions and oversights. Understanding what drains your 12V battery can help you maintain its health and ensure your car starts when you need it most. Here are ten things that can drain your car battery and how to avoid them.

Get Ready for the School Start with CS FREE: Your Ultimate Battery Solution

As the new school year approaches, parents are busy preparing for the morning rush. From packing lunches to ensuring the kids have their essentials, every second counts. But nothing throws off your morning routine like a dead car battery. Fortunately, CTEK’s CS FREE is here to save the day, making sure you're never stranded and always prepared.

Optimising Workshop Efficiency with Battery Support Units

In the dynamic landscape of modern automotive workshops, Battery Support Units (BSUs) have emerged as indispensable tools, especially during software updates and Electronic Control Unit (ECU) reprogramming. These critical operations necessitate stability in battery voltage to ensure seamless data transfer, making the role of BSUs crucial in maintaining optimal performance and safeguarding against potential pitfalls.

How to charge batteries at sea

CTEK's Long-Standing Partnership with Karlfeldtsgymnasiet: Insights from Jacob Göthberg

In an insightful interview, Jacob Göthberg, Industrial Design Engineer and Team Leader at CTEK, shares the journey and impact of CTEK’s decade-long collaboration with Karlfeldtsgymnasiet’s technical branch. Here, Göthberg provides a detailed look into the program’s beginnings, its evolution, and the benefits it brings to students and the industry alike.

How long do motorcycle batteries last?

A lot of people wonder, how long do motorcycle batteries last? The average lifespan of a motorcycle battery ranges from 2 to 5 years for lead-acid models and 5 to 10 years for lithium-ion types. These values depend on the battery’s quality, chemistry, construction, and other characteristics. However, it’s important to note these values are determined by manufacturers or independent research in a controlled environment. In real life, factors like driving habits, environmental conditions, and maintenance determine the actual battery’s performance and durability.

What should you do when you leave your motorcycle parked?

Whether you are parking your bike for a moment or planning to leave it in your garage during the winter, it’s important to remember some essential considerations. These practices are crucial for an enjoyable riding experience and to preserve your bike’s mechanical integrity and battery health. So, what should you do when you leave your motorcycle parked? Let’s dive into this article to see some suggestions.

How to jumpstart a car – the safe way

Facing a dead car battery can be a frustrating experience, especially when you're in a hurry or far from help. Jumpstarting a car is a common solution, but traditional methods involving jump cables and jump starter packs can pose risks to your vehicle's electronics and battery. Enter the CTEK CS FREE Adaptive Booster and Battery Charger, a revolutionary device that not only powers up your flat battery swiftly and safely but also acts as a portable battery charger, ensuring your vehicle batteries remain in peak condition wherever you go. In this article we’ll learn how to jumpstart a car the safe way.

How To Charge A Car Battery – CTEK Explains

The 12V battery in an Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) car plays a crucial role in powering various electrical components, such as lights, radio, and the vehicle's computer system. Charging a 12V battery in an ICE car is a straightforward process that can be accomplished with a compatible battery charger. Regularly maintaining your vehicle's battery can extend its lifespan and help prevent unexpected starting issues. So, how do you charge a car battery? In this guide, we will discuss the steps to charge a 12V battery in an ICE car effectively.

The Cold Reality: How Frigid Temperatures Impact Car Batteries

As we are in the middle of the winter, car owners brace themselves for the challenges posed by cold weather conditions. Among the critical components affected, the car battery takes centre stage. In this technical article, we will delve into the science behind how cold weather affects car batteries. Understanding these effects can help car owners take proactive measures to preserve battery health and ensure reliable vehicle performance during harsh winter months.

Winter Storage Wisdom: Keeping Your Ride Ready for Spring's Return

Embarking on summer drives with your seasonal car or motorcycle is a unique joy. Yet, if the thought of stowing away your cherished vehicle for the winter has crossed your mind, CTEK offers valuable advice for intelligent winter storage. This ensures your vehicle's battery remains in optimal condition, poised for a seamless start when spring arrives.

Prepare your car for winter with a simple yet crucial step —charge your battery!

In Sweden, all car owners must transition to winter tires by December 1st. What many overlook is the impact of cold weather on the car battery. The colder it gets, the more crucial maintenance charging becomes, especially for vehicles covering shorter distances. While the switch to winter tires is routine for most, it's time to include another seasonal activity — basic battery maintenance. Car owners can ensure trouble-free journeys and a longer-lasting vehicle by taking a few simple steps.

CTEK’s Training Manager answer frequently asked body shop questions

Did you know that around 75% of vehicles stored in a workshop have a battery that needs attention? By that we mean it needs charging, conditioning and in certain cases replacing. With modern vehicles relying on sophisticated and costly electronics, lead-acid batteries are being used under more challenging conditions than ever before. As a result, battery care has become a pressing issue, particularly as inadequate maintenance leads to a rapid decrease in battery life.

CTEK reveals - Astonishing numbers of vehicles are entering the workshop with discharged batteries

As the owner of a workshop, it is crucial to consider various factors when vehicles come in for service or diagnostics. These factors become even more important when taking into account a recent European survey carried out by battery management specialist CTEK, where over 700 workshop employees participated. Almost 20% of the technicians surveyed said that out of 10 vehicles arriving at their workshop, 3-5 have a battery problem – so up to 50%.

Find my car battery – A CTEK guide

You are probably visiting this page because you don’t know what battery type (or chemistry) you have in your vehicle. You are not alone! We are often asked how to find this out, and as we told you when we returned the results on our charger selector tool, if you know what battery type you have, our charger selector tool can help you identify a product that exactly matches your vehicle, battery type and budget.

How to prevent a dead battery in the middle of the lake

It’s the perfect sunny day to go boating. You’re out all day enjoying the warm weather and the beautiful water. You are about to head home but when you try to start the engine, the engine won’t start. The battery is dead and you don’t have a battery charger with you. Action needs to be taken to arrange for a service call which is both time-consuming and expensive. However, if you had CTEK’s CS FREE with you, a dead battery would not be a problem.

Charging your battery for a smooth spring start up

Preparing your vehicle for the upcoming spring is a must for every vehicle owner. If your vehicle has been stored all winter, it needs some maintenance to make sure that it’s ready to go as soon as spring comes around. So how can you best prepare your vehicle for a smooth transition into spring and protect against that frustrating dead battery on the first sunny day of the season?

CTEK’s guide to avoid ghost faults in the workshop

When a vehicle arrives for fault-finding or repair, the first thing you will do in most cases is connect it to a diagnostic tool, to find out where the fault is. But if the battery is not supported and has low voltage, an incorrect error code may be reported by the diagnostic tool – this is known as a ‘ghost fault’. It happens because the vehicle is trying to protect the unsupported battery, which it does in many cases by shutting down the systems it does not really need, like the radio, the air conditioning, or the start/stop function – and that is recorded as a fault.

Don’t get stuck out in the cold this winter

With the first flakes of snow appearing in the sky and temperatures set to plummet, urgent action is needed to make sure your car battery is fully charged, so you don’t get stranded out in the cold and dark with a flat battery this winter.