Battery disconnection

[boaterboy]

What would be the impact of disconnecting the battery on my 2002 TD5 Discovery in order to charge it, please? What settings, e.g. radio, door locks, etc., would I lose and how would I recover them? Thank you for your help.

[BogMonster]

Radio code will be needed (if active - mine doesn't have one) - nothing else to worry about. You may need to resync the alarm plips by pressing the unlock button several times but that is all.

Charging it in the car is perfectly safe if practical - I charge my boat parked outside by keeping the charger in the garage and running a 12V DC lead outside to the boat, voltage drop is insignificant if using a decent gauge lead (I used some cast off hi-fi speaker cable) even on the end of about 30ft of cable.

[boaterboy]

Radio code will be needed (if active - mine doesn't have one) - nothing else to worry about. You may need to resync the alarm plips by pressing the unlock button several times but that is all.

Charging it in the car is perfectly safe if practical - I charge my boat parked outside by keeping the charger in the garage and running a 12V DC lead outside to the boat, voltage drop is insignificant if using a decent gauge lead (I used some cast off hi-fi speaker cable) even on the end of about 30ft of cable.

Sorry to be a bit thick, but are you saying that it is safe to not disconnect the battery but to connect the battery charger leads to the battery whilst it is still installed / connected to the car systems and commence charging?

[sotal]

Most car manuals warn about connecting the charger up with the battery in the car and suggest you shouldn't do it.

I often used to charge an old car using an Optimate which states it is safe to use and even provided functions to power alarms etc once the battery was charged, but I've never used a fast charger.

I can't see it would do too much harm, as in basic terms it isn't alot different to the alternator charging the battery.

I guess things to watch out for are the voltages pushed in to "fast" charge it - make sure it's not too high, The battery could get a build up of explosive gases around it if charged quickly. Can't really think of anything else.

I've seen some devices which you plug into the fag lighter socket which keep 12V going round to keep the radio code etc, or you could do what the garages do and clip a jump pack onto the leads before disconnecting them.

Personally I wouldn't risk charging it in vehicle with a fast charger but only cause the manufacturers tell you not to, it's not based on anything scientific!

[boaterboy]

Most car manuals warn about connecting the charger up with the battery in the car and suggest you shouldn't do it.

I often used to charge an old car using an Optimate which states it is safe to use and even provided functions to power alarms etc once the battery was charged, but I've never used a fast charger.

I can't see it would do too much harm, as in basic terms it isn't alot different to the alternator charging the battery.

I guess things to watch out for are the voltages pushed in to "fast" charge it - make sure it's not too high, The battery could get a build up of explosive gases around it if charged quickly. Can't really think of anything else.

I've seen some devices which you plug into the fag lighter socket which keep 12V going round to keep the radio code etc, or you could do what the garages do and clip a jump pack onto the leads before disconnecting them.

Personally I wouldn't risk charging it in vehicle with a fast charger but only cause the manufacturers tell you not to, it's not based on anything scientific!

Thank you for those thoughts. On balance, I think I will follow your advice and charge the battery off the vehicle and attend to the radio code, etc. by whatever means are appropriate. Thank you for your help, I very much appreciated it.