I thought that this would be timely.




Daily-Drivers Not Being Driven

(AH) rating printed on labelWith people staying home, some former daily-drivers are not being driven at all. Households that used to drive two or more cars each day may now just be occasionally driving one. The car that is easiest to get out of the driveway is driven while the other car(s) just sits. Around my neighborhood, I have noticed many newer cars have sat parallel-parked on the roadsides for weeks. Unfortunately, the batteries in many of those vehicles are going to be dead the next time the owners push their start buttons.

Car batteries typically have amp hour (AH) ratings printed on their labels. A higher AH number means the battery takes longer to discharge when the engine/alternator is off. The AH number is most relevant to predicting how fast the battery will drain if loads such as headlights are left on for relatively short periods of time. A 50 AH battery might be able to provide ~5 amps of current for ~10 hours, but that does not necessarily mean it can or can't provide 0.050 amps (50 mA) of current for 1,000 hours (42 days). Time, temperature and many other factors influence battery performance. Regardless, if a car's computers, clocks, etc. steadily draw ~50 mA while the vehicle sits for a month and a half, then the battery probably will not have enough charge left to spin the starter and start the engine.

Leaving a modern "smart" battery charger hooked up to a parked vehicle's battery would of course prevent dead battery problems. RockAuto even has a solar battery charger that can keep the battery charged while a vehicle is parked out at the curb. However, if the car has already been sitting for weeks and the battery is dead, then there are more things to think about:

Solar and Smart Battery Chargers & Memory Saver

• Jump starting a newer vehicle loaded with sensitive electronics is always a bit risky. Jump starting a vehicle with a completely dead battery means even with the alternator generating its maximum output, the battery still may not be charged enough to start the engine again, especially after just a drive around town.
• A solar battery charger or another relatively low output charger designed primarily to maintain a battery's charge may not even allow itself to turn on if connected to a completely dead battery.
• Most modern smart battery chargers are designed to work while the vehicle's battery cables are left hooked up to the battery. The charger limits its output so as not to damage alternator diodes. However, to charge a battery that has been dead for days or weeks, the charger may need its maximum output to dissolve any sulfate barrier that has built up and completely recharge the battery. Disconnecting the battery cables from a dead battery sometimes helps the smart charger perform better.
• Plugging in a Memory Saver before disconnecting the battery cables can help save computer memory, assuming the battery still had enough lingering charge to maintain any memory in the first place. Vehicles with completely dead batteries may initially run, shift or otherwise drive differently until the computers finish a relearning process. Check the vehicle's owners manual for any specific instructions on what to do before and/or after a new battery is installed or a completely dead battery is recharged.

Let us hope our daily-drivers will be back daily-driving soon! Do not forget to remind those neighbors to check the air pressure in their tires too...

Tom Taylor,
RockAuto.com

 

^^^ Amen to that. All good information.

Whilst our 'toy cars' are faithfully connected to battery maintainers, the wife's minivan wouldn't start after a two-week idle period in the garage. Had to get out the ol' trickle-charger to help out the battery, which is only 18 months old.

 

I still go to work daily but can’t imagine not driving my f-type for that long. Trickle charge.

 

I'm not driving into work (and I don't take the F-Type all the time when I was driving into work), but my car isn't idle. I take drives when time allows (just in the car, not interacting with folks).

 

My cat has been pressed into service for all grocery, liquor and hardware store runs.

 

Mine is getting its weekly thrashing! It loves it............

 

Almost took the XE to the supermarket today (first time in 2.5 weeks), but the sun was out, 52 degrees - top down, baby! Spring and fall are the best convertible seasons around here. Looked a bit barren a few weeks ago, but trees and shrubs are blooming.

 

mine got its beat down on the unused turnpike tonight !!

 

That's great information to share Zach. I've also come across battery chargers that will not initiate a charge if the battery is deeply discharged. But I've had AGM batteries come back from the dead and reading as low as 2 volts. If whatever charger you're using (AGM setting of course) won't initiate a charge under 5 volts, you can hook up another battery in parallel to initiate the charge cycle, then disconnect the known good battery once the charge cycle starts.

 

My car only sits idle at the red light...sometimes...

 

Thankfully upgraded to one of the LiFePO4 batteries so not too worried about the battery dieing. Started her up a couple of days ago and absolutely no issues. Just filled up my tires to 43 PSI though (was the most my tiny pump at home could do)

Not expecting to drive my car for at least another month unfortunately...

 

Having my car is one of the things that makes this somewhat tolerable. I take it out every chance I get.

 

I have mine on the ctek maintainer a lot of the time. Thankfully never had any battery issues but I have pulled the charge out of the wall of the garage a few times pulling out.............dummy

 

At least the wall didn’t remain attached.

 

Isn't it torque that determines how far the wall moves? Though I think you have to be pushing rather than pulling.

 

I love that feature! Doing more drivethru dining lately and it works perfectly only stopping and parking on its own once I am at the window requiring a manual start and shift.

 

wait...what is this sitting idle of which some of you speak?

I've scaled back some of the use simply because the miles were creeping up...X-Type (manual) gets three days a week and the F-Type one or two of the remainder. No, I don't stay at home...I take full advantage of being special, err I mean essential,and am in the office daily.