Mazda MX-5 - Battery booster - Start Genie

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Mon 5 Nov 2012 12:39
Mazda MX-5 - Battery booster - Start Genie - geedubyapeetoo

Now the cold mornings are here, flat batteries show themselves. I saw an ad in the Telegraph quite a few months ago for a Start Genie, that you plug into the 12v supply and it will supply enough power to start the engine in the event of a flat battery. I cannot see this on the Telegraph shop page anymore, and can find only a couple of sellers on Google. Is this item not really as good as it claims to be? I don't use my MX-5 a lot, and invariably the battery is flat this time of year (in spite of a new battery fitted a few months ago). This would appear to be a good solutioin to the problem, but I'm a bit worried about the lack of information. Anyone tried one of these?

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Mon 5 Nov 2012 13:24
Mazda MX-5 - Battery booster - Start Genie - unthrottled

They are no use with a fully discharged battery. Lead acid batteries don't like deep cycling or fast charging rates and battery lifetime will decline sharply if the battery is subjected to either.

It's cheaper just to run the engine for 10 minutes every week-and once the engine is warm, well, it would be a shame not to take it out for a spin :)

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Mon 5 Nov 2012 13:56
Mazda MX-5 - Battery booster - Start Genie - Collos25

Are you sure you have not got some battery drain I have left batteries is the most severe conditions for months and the car has started.

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Mon 5 Nov 2012 14:09
Mazda MX-5 - Battery booster - Start Genie - gordonbennet

If you have a power supply nearby the best solution is a smart charger, simply leave it semi permanently connected.

CTEK are a well known and respected maker, and Lidl's sell their own version at about a third of the price (recently on offer might be some left), i have one of each and they both do the job well...other makes and types are available.

Edited by gordonbennet on 05/11/2012 at 14:09

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Mon 5 Nov 2012 14:13
Mazda MX-5 - Battery booster - Start Genie - jc2

And ALDI had them.

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Mon 5 Nov 2012 17:18
Mazda MX-5 - Battery booster - Start Genie - geedubyapeetoo

Thanks for the replies. I already have a battery charger - one from Halfords - but I wasn't too sure about leaving it on all the time. It would be no problem as the car is garaged, but I was concerned about the safety etc issues. I see that the CTEK ones specifically say they can be left on all the time.

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Mon 5 Nov 2012 17:25
Mazda MX-5 - Battery booster - Start Genie - Fernando P

The handbook will inform you if the vehicle battery is required to be disconnected if an "ordinary" charger is used. The CTEK (or similar ) is recommended for prolonged use with the battery connected and it will not upset the electronic control unit.

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