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Reviews
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Views
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Date of last review
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1
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51387
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Thu May 17, 2007
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Recommended By
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Average Price
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Average Rating
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100% of reviewers
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None indicated
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10.0
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Description:
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You can use the Auto Meter Battery Extender on your ATV, Tractor, Boat, RV, Motorcycle, Racecar, Hot Rod, Jet Ski and more! Auto Meter Battery Extender is designed to maximize the life of a serviceable 12 volt lead acid and gelled electrolyte battery. The Battery Extender provides year round, "hands off" battery maintenance. Simply hook up the Battery Extender and your worries are over. An Amber light will appear meaning a 1 amp charge is taking the battery up to full charge. Once at full charge, a variable current of up to 250 milliamps is automatically added as needed to maintain (green light) the battery at a precise level. A dead battery warning light warns of bad cells or sulfated battery by flashing the amber charge light.
The Extender is equipped with two different plug in lead sets. A set with ring terminals that installs permanently in your vehicle makes it easy to quickly plug the Extender in at any time. Also included is a lead set with battery clips. These are ideal for use on batteries not currently in use or that are in storage. The Battery Extender has been designed and manufactured in America to provide superior performance from the High Tech housing to the last internal detail. Quality is built in and assured with circuit burn-in, computerized testing and inspection. Care in handling and occasional cleaning of the leads and housing will help keep it looking like new, and give you many years of satisfaction. So maximize your battery life today by preventing premature sulfation. The number one battery killer.
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Keywords:
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autometer battery extender
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Technical Writer for Internet & Print Media
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Hib Halverson
Technical Writer for Internet & Print Media
Registered: January 2001
Location: Southern California
Posts: 5909
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Review Date: Thu May 17, 2007
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: None indicated
| Rating: 10
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Positive aspects of the product (pros):
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This inexpensive device is on our must-have list.
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Cons:
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You may own Corvettes that are parked or stored for long periods. If you do, occasionally, you've probably had a dead battery. Even the best battery connected to nothing slowly discharges because of the chemical processes at work inside it. Once hooked to your car's electrical system and when the alternator is not charging, besides that tiny, self-discharge rate, a battery has a small, constant load on it from things like: PCM memory, radio presets, clock, anti-theft devices and, if you open the doors while the car sits, interior lighting. If a period of non-operation is a few months, it is possible the battery may discharge to the point of a no-start condition. Then, you either charge the battery or jump-start the car. These full-discharge-then-recharge or "deep cycles" reduce battery life. The durability of typical automotive batteries is significantly reduced if they're subjected to deep cycles on a regular basis.
The old solution was to leave a "trickle" charger connected to the battery. Most trickle chargers put out between 0.5 to 2 amps. Indeed, that charges the battery, but trickle chargers do as much harm as good. Once the battery is at full charge; a continuing 0.5-2 amp charge eventually overcharges it. That can damage a battery just as much as successive deep cycles. The solution is a "smart" battery charger, such as Auto Meter's Battery Extender.
Upon connection, if the battery is partially discharged, a Battery Extender brings a battery up to full charge using a one-amp rate. At that point, a microprocessor senses battery voltage at a nominal level and backs-off the charge rate to between 0 and 250 milliamps, depending on load. This feeback-controlled, reduced charge rate eliminates overcharging and extends battery life. There is no need to monitor a Battery Extender. Just plug it in, connect it to the car and forget it. Auto Meter makes two versions of the Extender, a 12-volt unit (p/n 9201) and a 12/16-volt unit (p/n 9202) aimed at racers using 16-volt electrical systems.
The original Battery Extender was introduced by AutoMeter in 1999. It was upgraded a year later with a battery condition test feature which flashes the unit's charge light if it detects a dead battery cell or if it detects that the battery is sulfated.
We have Vettes in the shop which are inoperative for long periods. We used to regularly have dead batteries and, occasionally, the inevitable battery failure due to deep cycles. Putting Battery Extenders on each of these cars has eliminated those problems. This inexpensive device is on our must-have list.
For more information, contact Auto Meter at 413 W. Elm St., Sycamore IL 60178, web: www.autometer.com, tel: 815-895-8141.
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Hib Halverson
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Registered: January 2001
Location: Southern California