CTEK 56-380 Comfort Indicator Panel

• Quick connect
• Popular Mechanic's Editors Choice Product 2008
• See your battery
• Shows battery condition also during the summer
• Traffic light for battery condition

In my other reviews about the ctek chargers I explained WHY they are the best charger on the market today for lead acid 12 VDC batteries. This input jack does 3 things to help you get the most out of your ctek charger:

1 it mounts permanently into a space available on your console and gives you a 24x7 alert as to the state of your battery's charge note this is an EXACT FIT replacement for a factory din switch on many european or asian imports I installed it into an empty spot on my honda dash just by pushing in on it and the grippers held it in place simplest install all day long.

2 it hardwires directly to the battery avoiding the extra resistance from the car's fusebox (say if you used the cigarette lighter plug instead you'd be going through 2 fuses and a fusable link to the battery)

3 it is a dedicated port to plug in your ctek charger that you can locate conveniently anywhere you please in the vehicle, making the process of connecting up any one of the ctek chargers even easier.

Before I bought this I had to lift the hood (bonnet) and clip on the charger when I parked while waiting for my new battery to arrive via the pony express. Now I can just plug in the ctek and top off the charge any time. Admittedly if everything were functioning perfectly or you never had to store your car for a long period, this would not be needed, but we do not yet live in a perfect world, thus it makes life a tad bit easier.

Having used this with the ctek's optima battery setting (I also changed to an optima battery Optima Batteries 8012-021 D34 YellowTop Dual Purpose Battery so that I had some deep cycle capability on my honda) it has had a second value.

I installed an escort 9500ix radar detector at the same time Escort Passport 9500ix Radar/Laser Detector (Black). These perform better if their reference oscillator is kept at a constant temperature, so by plugging my car in at night I can keep the radar detector warm so that the next day it's database of nuisance frequencies is dead on and doesn't make any mistakes with police radar because it counts the wrong frequency as it warms up. This is true of all timebases from clocks to caesium beam frequency standards they work better when left on. The gps can also get updates about what satellites are not working well during the night so it is already running with live data when I drive out and not trying to acquire the 4 best satellites. Also if I forget to turn off the 110 VAC inverter in the car I won't have a dead battery from it draining the optima with the radar unit all night long.

I'm discovering many benefits to keeping your car plugged in, and this jack makes it exceptionally easy to do.

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A very nice accompanyment to the CTEK charging system. I purchased one for each of my vehicles and even got one for my cab enclosed tractor. A good feeling always knowing the current status of your battery. My single complaint is that the length of the wire is too short by about a foot at the least. My first went into a 3/4 ton diesel (2 battery) pickup truck. I had to cut the line to thread it through the panel (firewall) separating the engine compartment and the passenger compartment. With the fuse in line, it was impossible to thread it through that space so I cut the line, threaded it through the firewall and was able to customize the install (create/cut into panelling) to the dashboard and very neatly mount the indicator panel.I did have to add at least an additional foot of cable/wire for this to work. Had to do the same for my Toyota Landcruiser. The included 5 feet of cabling is not sufficient for larger vehicles but may be OK for more compact cars..As well, most firewalls are essentially sealed which doesn't allow for the passage of the cable with the built in fuse so be prepared to cut your line and possibly add more length as I had to.. Works great once installed!! Very clean and high quality componentry..Highly recommended!

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I have been a user of C-TEK battery chargers of several different models for several years. I have never had a problem with any of there products. I had seen this product awhile back and finally got around to ordering one when I started my Amazon Prime account. I hardwired it into my vehicle and installed the little panel in an opening in my dash panel in my Chevy Express van. It is working as designed as I have a 3000 Watt Pure SineWave Inverter installed and it will drain the battery sometimes if I am using it without any charger or the engine running. The only thing I am not aware of is it blinks the colors. I was under the assumption that the status lights would be solid. The little manual does not state anything about this. I will contact C-TEK to find out.

I would not hesitate to purchase this item. It acts as a great little indicator of how your charge level is, plus you can just plug the charger right into the opening port on it, which has a rubber cover.

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Works ok, really just a quick adapter as the comfort lights go fom green to amber nearly immediatly

The CTEK 56-380 Comfort Panel Indicator is a nice product. I have a 3300 unit charger and this is a great accessory. Works well and not had any issues.