Does this message pertain to the recall?

[mrs mighty]

Hey Guys!
First & foremost I want to thank ya’ll for your knowledge & suggestion's. I truly from the bottom of my heart thank you. Today was nerve racking for me w my BS. I hit the road at 4am for my shift & all was good. Took the hwy to hit some speed & more distance to charge my battery. Almost at work & my info screen blinked went black as I was going 70mph & it came back on w/ the time froze on it & my radio turned off. . No issues driving, no loss of control. Took her to lunch errands, radio & info screen was on but the time was wrong on the info screen. Started to go home all was good, made it home safely. I ordered a NORCO GENIUS 2D from Amazon @Sojourner. suggestion. I should have it tomorrow. I was holding my breath all the way home. I really like this car but I have to be safe like everyone else.

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[mrs mighty]

Put it on a battery tender! I put a NOCO Genius 2D in all my vehicles. Even when driven "alot," you can still get problems as these newer vehicles have so many vampire devices running when the vehicle is sitting in garage/driveway. So as soon as I get home, I plug it in. Has been going swimmingly since.

I followed @MAGPLM 's idea and did what he did on his BS on all my vehicles. See here:
https://www.broncosportforum.com/forum/threads/anyone-try-a-different-battery-brand.9861/post-172594

It was even a problem with my 2012 F150 years back.

 

[mrs mighty]

Thank you for your suggestion. I ordered the battery tender you recommended on Amazon. I should have it tomorrow. I’ll hook it up once i get it.l

 

[mrs mighty]

Sandee,

As others have mentioned, a Battery Tender (Battery Minder is another brand) is a good idea with any vehicle, and particularly with yours since you are getting the low battery messages.

We use a BT on our Badlands (and on several other vehicles). In fact that reminds me, I need to go out and check the battery voltage in the BL and connect the BT. I intentionally leave it sit for a day or two before connecting the BT, to see if the voltage drops much. It's been pretty good, but it varies.

Deltran makes several BT models:
https://www.batterytender.com/battery-chargers

Those prices are MSRP, they can be purchased for less. For example, Costco has one on sale periodically. You can find them on Amazon and elsewhere.

They are easy to connect and are protected against reverse polarity and short circuit.

Deltran claims 4x average battery life. That's a stretch, but 2x is pretty common. So you end up saving money.

 

[mrs mighty]

I bit the bullet & ordered it. Can’t be too safe.

 

[sajohnson]

I bit the bullet & ordered it. Can’t be too safe.

Glad to hear it!

I see that above, you posted my comment (#8). Just to clarify, I linked to the Deltran (Battery Tender mfr.) website -- the list of all of their BT models.

NOCO is a different product. This is the mfr page for the Genius2D you ordered:
https://no.co/genius2d

You may realize this, but it is designed to be mounted under the hood, by running self-tapping screws into the sheet metal. That is not necessary, and may create a place for rust to start.

Here are the Amazon reviews:
https://www.amazon.com/product-reviews/B07W3QSMF9

Essentially all products have negative reviews, and of course you do have to read them (as opposed to just looking at the overall percentage of 1/2-star reviews). With that in mind, I read the first page of 1-star reviews. They were not encouraging. Admittedly, it's rare to find a product that does not have at least some negative reviews, and some can obviously be ignored (box dented, delivery late, customer failed to read description, operator error, etc.) but when the reviews are well-written and the reviewer clearly knows what they are talking about, I take them seriously.

Another thing I look for are mentions of customer service. How the vendor/mfr treats customers who have legitimate issues. NOCO does not fair well there (in the reviews I read).

If you don't mind mounting it under the hood, the Genius2D should do a good job. You don't have to use the screws -- zip ties and/or 3M VHB tape would probably work.

I like tenders that allow the use of ring terminals or alligator clips. Unless the user decides to install the cable with ring terminals, there is nothing mounted under the hood. The tender can be used on any lead-acid battery.

We installed the ring terminals on our motorcycle, because it's a pain to access the battery. They make sense there. For all other vehicles I just lift the hood and connect the BT to the battery. It's a good idea to take a look around and check the oil anyway.

Bottom line -- you can't lose with a battery maintainer. Absolute worst case, the the car has an excellent charging system, it is driven frequently for long distances, and the battery is always close to 100% SOC. Then a maintainer might not do much good. But most situations are not like that. The BS is intentionally designed such that certain loads must be automatically turned off to preserve enough of a charge to start the engine. That means that the battery in a BS will often be at well below 100% SOC, and can benefit from a BT or other maintainer.

 

[Sojourner]

Here's some pix and a walk-through of the NOCO Genius 2D install (idea not mine; it belongs to @MAGPLM) for @mrs mighty and anyone else interested.

- Red wire to battery, black wire to chassis ground (Pic 2).

- Mount NOCO Genius 2D bracket to PLASTIC trim with screws and I used clear silicon adhesive to keep the screws snug. There is NO mounting into metal anywhere in this project. Snap the NOCO Genius 2D into the bracket.

- Run NOCO Genius 2D plug wire along PLASTIC trim and secure using clamps and screws (and clear silicon adhesive). Bought clamps and screws at local Ace. Bring that plug wire to a convenient place under the hood so that you can connect a power cord from your home source. I didn't want to be opening the hood all the time so I kept following MAGPLM's suggestion. That's the following steps.

- Connect to a 6-ft extension cord (I went with 14 gauge; I used this extension cord. I mention this particular cord because it is available in different colors). Route it around engine bay. Use clamps/screws/adhesive and plastic tie wraps along the way to secure.

- If you're going to follow MAGPLM's method, drop the male plug end of the 6-ft extension cord down in front of front right wheel where it can be accessible to "shore power" electrical cord. I think the best place is just in front of the right front wheel well somewhere. I went with the space just in front of the wheel well liner. To get in there you remove the push pins at the front of the wheel well to access the space the extension cord drops down into. Easy to remove the push pins and replace when done.

- Following MAGPLM's idea, I did install the NOCO GCP-1 (see next step) method on four of five vehicles. On the fifth, the F-150 just has the extension cord dropping down into the space in front of the right front wheel well and rests on the skid/bash plate (because there wasn't a good or easy way to install the GCP-1). For the F-150 I use this to cover the plug when not connected to shore power. So if you're not going to go the GCP-1 route, then I suggest the plug cover. Anyway, on to the GCP-1

- Buy the GCP-1. Use a doorknob cut-out saw (something like this) to cut a (IIRC) 2-inch hole in side of front trim. Instead of supplied screws from GCP-1, I used 1/4-20 (M6) Allen head bolts/nuts and locked it down with blue thread locker (I used this; less messy). Use M4 (or SAE equivalent) if you don't want to enlarge the holes of the GCP-1. Connect GCP-1 to 6-ft extension cord.

- Plug shore power into GCP-1. Voila! AND DON'T FORGET TO UNPLUG WHEN HEADING OUT! (Advice passed along from a "friend" who forgot and didn't.... Fortunately, no damage. Only embarrassment.)

 

[sajohnson]

Here's some pix and a walk-through of the NOCO Genius 2D install (idea not mine; it belongs to @MAGPLM) for @mrs mighty and anyone else interested.

- Red wire to battery, black wire to chassis ground (Pic 2).

- Mount NOCO Genius 2D bracket to PLASTIC trim with screws and I used clear silicon adhesive to keep the screws snug. There is NO mounting into metal anywhere in this project. Snap the NOCO Genius 2D into the bracket.

- Run NOCO Genius 2D plug wire along PLASTIC trim and secure using clamps and screws (and clear silicon adhesive). Bought clamps and screws at local Ace. Bring that plug wire to a convenient place under the hood so that you can connect a power cord from your home source. I didn't want to be opening the hood all the time so I kept following MAGPLM's suggestion. That's the following steps.

- Connect to a 6-ft extension cord (I went with 14 gauge; I used this extension cord. I mention this particular cord because it is available in different colors). Route it around engine bay. Use clamps/screws/adhesive and plastic tie wraps along the way to secure.

- If you're going to follow MAGPLM's method, drop the male plug end of the 6-ft extension cord down in front of front right wheel where it can be accessible to "shore power" electrical cord. I think the best place is just in front of the right front wheel well somewhere. I went with the space just in front of the wheel well liner. To get in there you remove the push pins at the front of the wheel well to access the space the extension cord drops down into. Easy to remove the push pins and replace when done.

- Following MAGPLM's idea, I did install the NOCO GCP-1 (see next step) method on four of five vehicles. On the fifth, the F-150 just has the extension cord dropping down into the space in front of the right front wheel well and rests on the skid/bash plate (because there wasn't a good or easy way to install the GCP-1). For the F-150 I use this to cover the plug when not connected to shore power. So if you're not going to go the GCP-1 route, then I suggest the plug cover. Anyway, on to the GCP-1

- Buy the GCP-1. Use a doorknob cut-out saw (something like this) to cut a (IIRC) 2-inch hole in side of front trim. Instead of supplied screws from GCP-1, I used 1/4-20 (M6) Allen head bolts/nuts and locked it down with blue thread locker (I used this; less messy). Use M4 (or SAE equivalent) if you don't want to enlarge the holes of the GCP-1. Connect GCP-1 to 6-ft extension cord.

- Plug shore power into GCP-1. Voila! AND DON'T FORGET TO UNPLUG WHEN HEADING OUT! (Advice passed along from a "friend" who forgot and didn't.... Fortunately, no damage. Only embarrassment.)

Nice clean installation! As a technician, I would have been all about doing that -- 30-40 years ago.

It eliminates the need to open the hood to connect the maintainer. As I mentioned, it is good to check the oil, hoses, belt, etc., regularly -- but maybe not as often as a maintainer is connected, so having the ability to plug in without lifting the hood is a plus -- particularly for those with limited mobility.

You mentioned one issue -- the possibility of the owner driving away with the cord still attached. That came up recently when my brother and I were discussing installing a BT on our parents' car. They are older and while they probably could raise the hood, they'd rather not -- and there is some risk involved -- especially for elderly people. For that reason, my brother and I discussed either a) installing a 12Vdc cable with ring terminals and a SAE 2-pin connector (supplied by BT) or b) installing the BT under the hood (as above). Then we quickly realized that one of them might drive off with the cord (either 12V or 120V) connected. We found *magnetic* connectors that looked like they would work well. I say "looked" because our father changed his mind, so we never did the installation.

Here's one example. I know nothing about it, I am not necessarily recommending it, just using it as an example:
https://www.amazon.com/VoltSafe-Magnetic-Extension-Block-Heaters/dp/B085W5RJ4P/

It's pricy, in part because it is designed to carry the current for a block heater. From the Amazon page:

There's definitely nothing wrong with installing the maintainer under the hood (as long as it's done well, like above). Just speaking for myself, I find it easy to pop the hood and connect the alligator clips. That has the advantage of being able to use one BT for 2-3 vehicles.

We have BT units continuously connected to: a motorcycle; a car; and our RV starting battery. A forth BT is rotated between the BS BL and 2 older cars. That works well because the '02 WRX and '97 RAV4 have very little phantom load, so they do not need the BT to be connected constantly.

I've found that the battery in the Badlands is usually OK for a couple days. I typically leave the BT connected to it in the garage, but occasionally I will disconnect it to a) check the voltage (both initially (usually ~13.1V) and after a couple hours), and b) monitor the voltage drop over a couple days, just out of curiosity. It's usually 12.5x volts after sitting for ~2 days with the BT disconnected.

Lastly, another reason for us to open the hood is that we have mice. IDK how effective it is, but I keep a clamp light with a bright LED bulb shining on the engine compartment.

 

[sajohnson]

Regarding NOCO -- when my brother and I were planning to install a maintainer on our parents' car, he forwarded me a link to a NOCO unit. I noticed a couple things:

a) "Ya want a steering wheel with that?"

At least with the unit I was looking at, NOCO did not supply both alligator clips and the cable with ring terminals (the way BT does) -- and the cords were relatively short.`

b) NOCO does not use standard SAE connectors. That means customers must either 1) purchase overpriced NOCO accessories (if needed), or 2) must purchase an overpriced NOCO proprietary > SAE adapter. The little adapter was ~$20!

c) The price for the maintainer alone seemed reasonable. If a person could use it without needing any accessories, it's competitive.

It bothers me when companies play 'gotcha' games like that. Here's one review of the Genius 1 on Amazon:

1.0 out of 5 stars Almost a decent item - Poor Design / Sales tactic
Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2024
Verified Purchase
"The charger is self is top notch. What looses it for me is. the charging cord is super short. Unless your outlet is literally 2 feet from the vehicle you have to run an extension cord or buy their extension adapter. To me that takes a 5 star product to a 1 star product. They designed it that way so you would spend another 20$ for their longer cord. Also their plugs are not an industry standard. They are proprietary. Every other charger on the market i can interchange the tips if i damage one....not these guys. if i damaged one i have to buy theirs. So long story short i bought 25 foot extension cords for less then the cost of their proprietary extension cord. 5 stars for the product its self. 1 star for the application. Does the charger do a good job, yes absolutely. Do i want to buy a product from a company that plays games like this. Absolutely not. I will never buy this brand again."

To be fair, the mfr indicates that there is 85" of wire connected to the Genius 1, and another 21" of wire connected to the alligator clips. Perhaps the review is for a different model?

In any case, buyer beware.

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