REVIEW – Not too long ago the car wouldn’t start. Dreaded dead battery! Fortunately, I have an automotive battery charger and I was able to nurse the battery back to health. But is the battery still OK or on the way out? Is it something other than the battery? Before taking it in or swapping batteries, the Foxwell BT705 car battery tester can help shed some light on battery health.
What is it?
The FOXWELL BT705 car battery tester can check the cold cranking capability and the aging status of the battery. This isn’t an alternator tester, but it can check the battery’s SOH (State of Health), SOC (State of Charge), CCA value, CCA rating, voltage, internal resistance, etc.
What’s in the box?
- FOXWELL BT705 car battery tester (test leads are not removable)
- Guides
- Carry case
Hardware specs
- 2.8” large backlight LCD display
- 7.8ft cable
Design and features
The FOXWELL BT705 car battery tester feels like a very large calculator, wrapped in a rubberized plastic. The buttons are membrane switches. Controls are intuitive. Just clip on the battery terminals and follow the screen prompts.
Setup
I was surprised that the tester asks if you’re testing the battery in or out of the vehicle. That’s handy!
One of the test parameters is to enter the battery type and standard, such as CCA, BCI, CA, MCA, JIS, DIN, IEC, EN, SAE and GB. In my case, the battery was clearly labeled as 630 CCA so I just entered it to match.
The analyzer’s display gives helpful prompts, including this “please wait” screen.
This was the result of the battery, sitting in the car, engine off. Says it’s “good”.
The FOXWELL BT705 car battery tester also has a cranking/charging test mode. The analyzer will prompt you to start the engine. This was the result.
While the analyzer doesn’t test the alternator directly, it does seem to check the charging effectiveness. Here, the screen prompts lets you know it’s checking, and at one point asks you to load the system (high beams on, rev engine, idle engine).
In the end, I saw a No Load voltage and a Loaded voltage. Both were declared “No Problems”.
What I like
- Menu-driven, backlit screen
- Useful, basic battery information
- Hard-sided carry case
What I’d change
- Feels very light. What’s going on inside?
- Not a true alternator test
Final thoughts
If you want a quick and easy status check on your questionable battery, the FOXWELL BT705 car battery tester is really easy to use. I don’t think it’s a true substitute for a skilled technician, but it’s easy enough to use and gives basic information to help you troubleshoot your charging woes.
Price: $99.99
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Foxwell
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Or, you could just stop by an AutoZone, or almost any other chain auto parts store, and they will test your battery and alternator for free. Go mid-day during the week if you can when they’re not busy and there’s usually no wait. Somebody from behind the counter will grab the tester and go with you back to your car.
The shop where I get my oil changes does it for free every time one of my cars is there.
Yes you could absolutely do that!