Pobble.808

Madame Pobble is out of town for four weeks and I am using this as an opportunity to switch from car-light mode to no-drive mode -- I haven't been behind the wheel since I took her to the airport. Now more than midway through, no problems, but I'm thinking that at some point maybe I should bite the bullet and do some driving just to make sure the battery is working when it's time to go to the airport to pick her up.

I understand that simply starting the engine and letting it run in the parking lot for a couple of minutes would be counterproductive, and what I should really do is drive the car on the freeway for 20 or 30 minutes to charge the battery properly, but I really don't want to unless it's necessary. So, my question to the assembled wise people of LCF is, how much of a risk of battery failure, if any, would I be running by not using the car for 4 weeks?

The battery is neither very new nor very old, and neither a cheapo nor a high-end model. Can dig up more precise info if anybody deems it pertinent.

1nterceptor

If you have jumper cables and nice neighbors/relatives
close by, I wouldn't worry too much

bragi

Two thoughts:
1. If you have a plug-in battery charger, and your car is in a driveway or garage, it's an easy fix.
2. I drive my car once or twice a month, usually for about 15-30 minutes per drive, and the battery has never been an issue. I've even let the car sit for six weeks without driving it at all, and the battery was still OK. If your battery is not on its last legs, I'm guessing you'll be OK.

Pobble.808

Thanks to both of you for the tips, but this is the subtropics and jumper cables and plug-in chargers are not standard equipment out here. Or at least I don't have 'em. I guess I'll take my chances with bragi's point #2 and hope for the best...

NormDeplume

We've only ever had issues with battery discharging in the cold out. I doubt that it's much of an issue if you stay above freezing all the time.

A set of jumper cables is cheap, though, and are a good thing to have always, even if you don't drive much. I've used mine more to jump others' cars than my own (usually due to headlights being left on).

sauerwald

Second the plug-in battery charger suggestion. When I was car-lite, the car that I had was a diesel, and was very efficient so that I ended up getting close to 750 miles on a tank of fuel. One issue that I had was that a tank could last me several months, and if I filled the car in September with the summer blend, then tried to start it in December when the temps were low, it wouldn't start, and if it did, it would run very rough. Probably not a problem that you would have in your climate though.....

wahoonc

The day before you are to head to the airport...make sure the car starts. If your battery is in decent shape it should be able to go 4 weeks without a problem. If it is an old battery or there is some unusual draw on it, all bets are off.

Aaron

gerv 

Yes... I've gone 3-4 weeks without starting the car (ancient Toyota Camry) and no problem when I did. (Note: I wouldn't try this in a mid West winter with the car outside.)
One odd thing that has happened though is that rain somehow causes rust spots on the brake rotors. When you hit the brakes, it sounds like you are grinding through metal. And, in fact, I believe once my rotors warped a little and had to be replaced.

Luckily, I don't have these problems any more.

s5fskzfv

When I drove my care 5.4 miles a week (to the grocery store) the battery got weaker and weaker over several weeks - I could tell because it sounded weaker and the lights dimmed when starting - and eventually I had to jump start my car. I have a booster pack which is a battery you plug in inside your house to charge it (it can take a day to charge if it is completely drained) and then you take it out to the car and jump start the car. However after that I started driving the long way to the grocery store, 11 miles, and that was enough to keep the battery charged. Your mileage may vary.

RB1-luvr

get a solar battery trickle charger?

Boyd Reynolds

Disconnect the battery?

Pobble.808

Many thanks to everybody for their good ideas. This one looks like the way to go, since the car will get more frequent workouts once Madame P returns.

tlash

https://batterytender.com/

All my combustion vehicles (pick-up truck & motorcycles) get little frequent use, but I want them to start when I do use them. They all have a Battery Tender attached.

Roody

Cool, that way your vehicles can use energy even when they're just sitting in the driveway.

duckbill

+1
At your local auto parts store, marina, wallmart, Canadian Tire, etc.,
This is a popular unit for $29.95 at our local store.

• The perfect solution for charging batteries of motorcycles, personal water crafts, ATVs, snowmobiles, tractors and more
• Weatherproof and maintenance free
• Built-in overcharge/discharge protection
• Easy to install and works in all daylight conditions
• Includes: wires with quick connect technology, battery clamps, O ring connector and fuse

Canadian Tire Warranty:

This product carries a 5 year exchange warranty redeemable at any Canadian Tire store.

You may be far away from a Canadian Tire Store but they take internet orders.

Pobble.808

Well, at least some of their models are solar-powered which seems like a good way of getting the job done.

In case anybody is interested, I ended up doing nothing at all, simply because I was enjoying not even getting close to the car so much, and didn't want to stop until I absolutely had to. Last night it was time to go to the airport to get Madame Pobble and mercifully the car started right away...

But again, many thanks to everybody who shared their ideas. I won't need to be trying them in the near future since Madame P will be using the car now, but I suspect that they will come in handy sometime further down the line. I particularly like the battery cutoff, simple and elegant.

Nightshade

The battery is the least of all reasons to drive your car at least 20 min every two weeks. There are seals, gaskets, oils,fuels that need to be "exercised" to keep them supple and sealing and not gumming up from sitting. You get stiff and cranky when you sit for extended periods so it is with your car.

My suggestion is to drive the car once every two weeks for no less than 20 min (don't idle it!) then go about your business. Just don't forget to exercise the car or you WILL court mechanical troubles in time. Besides, what's 20 min out of two weeks to protect a big investment in your car**********

gna

Not to change the subject, but how did you find driving after not doing it for so long? My wife and daughter were out of town for 10 days this past summer, and I didn't touch the car once when they were gone. I found driving a little hard to get used to when I went to get them at the airport.

Pobble.808

Point taken, good advice. In my case, now that Mme P is back at home the car will be used regularly so no problem.

Pobble.808

It didn't bother me parrticularly. Or to be a little more precise, it didn't bother me much more than driving usually bothers me. I usually don't drive more than once or twice a week anyway, and twice since last summer there were times when I didn't drive at all for a couple of months. But I could see where it might feel funny if you're used to driving regularly and then you don't for a while.

Smallwheels

When I owned a motor scooter I just took the battery out for the winter and kept it attached to a Battery Tender inside my apartment. There was no way I could ride the scooter around for twenty minutes every couple of weeks without studded tires. Even if they existed for that scooter I wouldn't trust them for speeds over twenty miles per hour. The scooter worked fine once the battery was installed again.

FlatSix911

This is the correct answer ...

Moroso 74103 Battery Terminal Disconnect Switch $4.95

https://www.amazon.com/Moroso-74103-B...uct/B000COO1P4

Mr. Fly

The Battery Tender in full recharge mode outputs about 10 watts, and if its electronics is any good, it's not going to consume more than 20 watts (guesstimate). In trickle charging mode, it'll use much, much less than that since it's smart and will only compensate for the battery's self-discharge. So really, it's a very small price to pay, either compared to driving around occasionally to charge the battery or as insurance that the car is operational when you (occasionally) need it.

And if you really want to stretch it, if the lead-acid battery self-discharges too much too often, it'll have a much shorter life, which ultimately means more energy will be used to replace it prematurely.

tlash

Not a stretch at all, it's spot on. The smart chargers extend the life of the battery and allows us to keep what we have much longer. Thereby reducing recycling or disposal costs, and, as you said, replacement costs. Costs not only in terms of dollars, but environmental impact.

Roody

If you're using a vehicle so infrequently that the battery is going dead, it might make more sense to cube the car or sell it.