hi all, i just picked up a Ctek mxs 5.0 from a combo deal.

so far i've just been using the regular default car mode, no AGM or Recon.

has anyone used the Recon mode? based on research, i am getting different info. some say that don't use Recon because Lead Acid batteries don't like to be fully discharged, it would shorten the life of lead acid battery. thing is i am not exactly sure what type of battery is in my car, whether it's Gel or AGM. but here is a picture.

has anyone used the Recon option? the last thing i want to do is shorten the life of battery instead of prolonging it.

 

oh btw, if you look at the picture at the bottom right. there is a little round window that shows either time to replace the battery. it looks like if the round window shows white, it's time to replace. mine is still black, you can see half of the circle. not sure if this means this is gel? or AGM?

 

Most AGM batteries are marked with AGM on the label and are sealed meaning no vent or caps. Does yours have a vent tube installed on the other side? It still could be a gel battery sealed with no vent. Have you tried looking up the battery part number for a description?

 

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what would the vent look like? I don't recall seeing any vent like openings besides the circular window that says either replace or not.

Do gel batteries have vents?

I tried looking up the part number but none of the sites say what type of battery it is. But apparently it is a direct replacement for the Varta battery based on various auto parts sites .

 

i thought i'd update everyone. i did a bit of googling online on people who've used the Recon mode. lots of various information and feedback obviously. but one stood out. one user pointed out that in the manual of Ctek, it does mention the Recon mode is used for Wet/Ca type batteries to restore from flat status. Interestingly i missed this the first time. Although i was only able to find one user whose low ah AGM BIKE battery was killed after using the Recon mode, it does seem like the manual does NOT include AGM/Gel in the Recon description. so there we have it. looks like the Recon mode is mainly for Wet/Ca Flood batteries, not for modern AGM and Gel.

carry on.