Drive your car on some errands to charge the battery. Park it and turn off radio, A/C, headlights. Install Cobb. Save the $$ you would have spent on the charger.

Literally, if you've sat with the radio on for ten minutes, you've drained the battery more than you will installing the tune from Cobb...

 

I'm confused about the battery charger need. I just purchased a Cobb AP but haven't installed the tune yet. Am I missing something?

 

I've installed and done multiple tunes without the charger. As long as your battery is fully charged and you have everything shut down, you're fine.

 

I use the CTEK 3300. I have installed, uninstalled, and changed maps a dozen times without a problem. I wouldn’t worry as long as you have a few amps coming in.

As an aside, when taking off the tune before an oil change the other day and with the message on the Cobb AP displaying ‘do not interrupt’, the AP cable caught my foot and disconnected. I thought the worst but when I reconnected the cable the AP automatically displayed a recovery mode and did just that. It’s a pretty sweet system and maybe even foolproof. Relax and enjoy.

 

I have done quite a few installs with my AP. I had a success rate of about 75% with anything electric turned off. It also made my heart beat a little faster when it would fail. It never caused any issues though. However, at Cobb's recommendation I bought a charger (CTEK (56-353) MULTI US 7002 12-Volt Battery Charger

) and I have never had a single failure while it's hooked up.
While you certainly don't have to use a battery charger it definitely decreases the drama when uploading software. Which I welcome.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

 

75% SUCCESS RATE? Wonder what you're doing differently than me...I'v installed/uninstalled/changed maps about 25 times with no issues without the aid of a charger...

 

I too have had a couple install problems. Once required recovery mode of the ECU which I was glad to see it work. I also have the C-TEK Multi Use 7002 and when recovery is required this can take up to 15 min for recovery plus additional time for a new install. I recommend the charger although others have not but I find no reason to take a chance.

The charger is too inexpensive for that to be an issue when uninstalling or installing the AP. I also have both V202 and V203 tunes all octane so have used my charger several times on MY15. Not only installing the tunes but taking the car in for service it’s a handy tool.

 

I live in NYC and at all the BP/Mobil/Exxon gas stations I use, theres 93 octane. should I do the Stage 1 93 octane tune or the 91?

 

It depends how much ethanol/additives are in the gas. You have less chance of cylinder misfires with 91 map (using 93 octane fuel) but more power with 93 map (probably due to advanced engine timing). I would ask Cobb, but I bet they will say 93 map should be ok if its up to 10% ethanol.
Having said that, I suspect that gas might have more additives in the winter. I don't know this for a fact, but I always get 1 mpg less on average than I do in the summer. If you wanna be safe the 91 map will be your best bet, then switch to 93 when it the weather gets warm again.

 

hey quick question..taking my car in to dealer for oil change (they need to turn the service light off)..should i even bother w uninstalling the cobb tune?

 

It's usually a good idea to uninstall the Accessport before visiting a dealer. You never know if they might overwrite the Accessport installation or see it on the car. It's just good practice

If they do overwrite the Accessport tune, just give us a shout and we can relicense the Accessport remotely so you can install it again. All we need is a copy of the dealer invoice showing the DME was updated.

-Charles

 

thank you charles..happy gobble gobble

 

I've been warned to keep a battery charger connected during the install process of the cobb tune.
Is this a good one and will it be sufficient? Schumacher SE-1052 50/10/2 Amp Manual Starter/Charger [ame]https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000AM8BF4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1[/ame]

 

there have been MANY battery charger discussions of late

one brand is repeatedly noted


is 'search' not your friend?

 

If the purpose is just to preserve the various settings, I think you'd be better off with a float AKA smart charger, i.e., one that automatically starts and stops charging. The one you linked to doesn't seem to be that kind of charger; rather, it looks as if it requires manual intervention to prevent over-charging. That particular charger may be better for some major-battery-replenishment tasks, but I don't think that's what you're looking for here.

I've read, but can't confirm, that the official Porsche float charger is a rebranded CTEK. In any event, they make good stuff; I've been familiar with them for years, from reading motorcycle forums. For my bikes, by the way, I have two Pulsetech Xtreme float chargers, and can certainly vouch for the quality of those units.

 

If the purpose is just to preserve the various settings, I think you'd be better off with a float AKA smart charger, i.e., one that automatically starts and stops charging. The one you linked to doesn't seem to be that kind of charger; rather, it looks as if it requires manual intervention to prevent over-charging. That particular charger may be better for some major-battery-replenishment tasks, but I don't think that's what you're looking for here.

I've read, but can't confirm, that the official Porsche float charger is a rebranded CTEK. In any event, they make good stuff; I've been familiar with them for years, from reading motorcycle forums. For my bikes, by the way, I have two Pulsetech Xtreme float chargers, and can certainly vouch for the quality of those units.

I was also looking into the CTEK 4300 and 7002 chargers. but COBB recommended I get something with a 10amp setting. They said that the CTEK is just to keep the batteries topped off or to trickle charge...?


I also looked into The automatic version of the Schumacher. The SE-5212A. I called Schumacher and told them what I was trying to do and they said that the automatic battery chargers will automatically turn off when the battery is full and recommended the manual one... which is confusing to me.

 

For the purpose of installing Cobb and changing maps, you can go to Auto Zone and pick up a good basic battery charger.

I have done multiple Cobb ins and outs and not used a charger, but my battery is new and up to full specs.
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