How long to leave car battery?

KlodaX

Hi

I don't use my car very much so when I leave it the battery dies ... I charge it .. use it for a day ... then it dies again. I haven't used it in over a month and know in 3 weeks time it will be idle again for another week.

My question is, would it be ok to leave it now and just charge it in 1 months time (after that I will make a point of keeping it charged) or would it be best to charge it now, try keeping it charged with little spins here and there and let it die again for the week I'm not here and then charge it again?

in other words .. am I doing damage to the battery by leaving it so long without being charged? am I running the risk of it not charging at all in one months time if I leave it that long?
I would prefare to leave it the month.

Thanks

seamus

Your battery shouldn't really be dying if it lies idle for a month or so. How old is the car/battery?

kuro_man

if battery is old consider changing it. Starting a car (repeatedly) on weak battery can damage the starting motor and you never know where you'll be when either fail.

ronaneire

if you have an alarm or an imobliser this will run the battery down. Constanly charging and letting the battery go flat is not good for it.

KlodaX

Thanks for the replies

The car is 92 but the battery may have been replaced since, I'm not sure. I just need the car for one journey at the end of May from Scotland to Ireland other than that I don't really need it.
Seen as charging it and letting it die appears to be worse for it than leaving it dead for a period of time (correct me if I'm wrong here?) .... I should probably just leave it as it is for the next month so, then just keep it charged?

I can't leave it till May cause the tires are beginning to need air, so I figure the longest I can get is a month.
Before I do this I just want to make sure ... will it charge ok for me in a months time, or is that too long to leave it?

Type 17

Leaving it flat is fatal for a lead-acid battery.

Stuff (sulphates, I think) get deposited on the lead plates as the battery goes flat, but they are soft at first, and dissolve back into the liquid when the battery is recharged, but if the battery is left flat for more than a day or two, the deposits harden, and the battery can not be recharged (the technical term is that it is sulphated).

The fact that you don't really know how old the battery is, and that it has been deep-cycled (let go flat and then recharged) a lot means that it is probably too old and is sulphated a good bit already - you need to buy a new one - used every day, a battery will begin to show its age at around 5 years, and that's without being deep-cycled.

Shop around for one - the world price of lead went through the roof last year, and batteries were costing up to €150 at one stage, but hopefully are a bit better now.

Rovi

The car is 17 years old, so even if the battery was changed half way through its life, it's still 8-9 years old. That's still a good age for a battery.

I'd strongly suspect that your battery is shagged, and while it doesn't owe you anything and seems to be struggling along getting discharged/recharged at the moment, it WILL finally die pretty soon by the sound of things.

A new battery is in your future, sooner or later.

KlodaX

I just need it to make it till the end of May
If charging it letting it die and charging again runs the risk of it not lasting till May I'm just gonna leave it dead untill I need it, charge it once and bring it for a long spin.

Thanks for the help

Type 17

KlodaX wrote: »

I just need it to make it till the end of May
If charging it letting it die and charging again runs the risk of it not lasting till May I'm just gonna leave it dead untill I need it, charge it once and bring it for a long spin.

Thanks for the help

To be honest, leaving it flat will definitely do more harm than keeping it charged (sulphate deposits will harden).

If it was me and I definitely wasn't getting a new battery, but needed it for May, I'd take it out of the car and trickle-charge (<5 amps) it in the house/shed for about 2 or 3 days, and then maybe for a day a week after that.

What will happen in May? If you're selling the car, it'll need a new battery anyway - or is it so bad that it's going to be scrapped?

Either way, I'd ensure my AA cover was up-to-date in May

stratos

ah this is my area. The first thing you need to do is ascertain is it the car draining the battery or a bad battery. As you don't use the car much, next time you park it up disconnect the battery. When a few days later you reconnect it . Well if it starts the car was draining your battery. If the battery is dead well then the battery discharged by itself so a dud battery. If you only need to improve the battery for a while one thing you can do is get a good battery and jumper the 2 together for about 24 hours, this will revitalise the failing battery for a while.

Mac 3

Hey All,

Not trying to hi-jack the OP's thread, but I have a similar problem. I have a second car (convertible) and havent used it much over the winter. I got a new battery for it last october, and every 3 weeks, would start the car and drive it for maybe 30 mins-40 mins.

I went to do this in Feb and the battery was dead. I jump started the car and took it out for 30-40 mins again. Just had a look at it last week and its dead again. I thought a new battery would last a little longer than that. I'll be dusting off the car next week and it'll be in regular use again, but my question is - Do I need a new battery or will the 6 month old one come good again with a bit of regular use?

Thanks

ronaneire

stratos wrote: »

ah this is my area. The first thing you need to do is ascertain is it the car draining the battery or a bad battery. As you don't use the car much, next time you park it up disconnect the battery. When a few days later you reconnect it . Well if it starts the car was draining your battery. If the battery is dead well then the battery discharged by itself so a dud battery. If you only need to improve the battery for a while one thing you can do is get a good battery and jumper the 2 together for about 24 hours, this will revitalise the failing battery for a while.

Read the previous posts!!

biko

Buy new battery just before you need it. Leave the old battery at the garage for recycling

zapata

Take your pick:

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=228624

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=98358

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=223251

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=115194

KlodaX

That trickle charger looks good, only problem is the car is parked in a public area and the charger will probably be nicked
I'm gonna jump it tomorrow and bring it for a spin so that "stuff" doesn't get deposited in the battery
There will be 5 days where it won't be used, but I'm gonna try and keep it charged the rest of the time.

Thanks again for the replies .. I wouldn't of had a clue otherwise.

Wishbone Ash

KlodaX - would you not consider getting rid of the car and renting one the few times you need a car.

KlodaX

Friggin thing won't start at all now .. wish I kept jumping it

I just need it for 1 journey in 6 weeks time from Scotland to Ireland .. thats all. Then I was planning on getting rid of it. Buying a bike.

Now I'm stuck with a useless piece of metal and no way home

Any suggestions? Batteries are expensive aren't they, fitting them probably way more so. Is it worth getting a new battery for one journey?

I don't think I have much of a choice. Bottomless pit of money that car was. The whole insides are new... except for the battery

stupid battery.

GSBellew

The cost of the battery would depend on the size it is, what type of car is it out of curiosity?

There is a good chance that you would be able to get the guts of the price of the battery back if you scrapped the car when you got back home which is what I presume you are intending?

Have you tried charging the battery now or jump starting the car?

KlodaX

Its a 92 Mitsubishi colt with nearly 75000 miles on it. I saw one online for sale at 135000 miles for £350. So I'm thinking of selling it. I tried jump starting it but nada.
In my frustration I was thinking of leaving it here.. nearly paying somone to take it off my hands but it has been in my family since 92! My mums then mine, we got it serviced every year and I've replaced pretty much everything but the battery in the past 3 years.
I have a fear of getting screwed over financially when it comes to cars. Hense my not wanting to go to a garage. Somone suggested bringing just the battery to a garage to get jumped... is this possible?

My plan at the moment is get a battery working in the car, drive home, then sell it price - cost of battery. Does that seem like a fair deal? I know someone who might be interested.

Possibly better than my first impulsive plan when I realised the battery wouldn't jump start which was ... give car to stranger, bin all personal belongings that won't fit into a suitcase.. fly home.

Is it a big deal finding a battery and getting it fitted? that is if it can't be jumped at a garage.
In a very slight glimmer of hope ... it was raining when I tried jumping it.. and I know damp isn't good for a battery. Do you think if I try again on a warm day there is a chance it might start? (I'm probably gonna try anyway!!)

Type 17

If the rest of the car is ok, and would be saleable, buy a cheap battery and get it fitted - you should be able to get a good bit more money than the cost of the battery by selling the car (with the battery in it) when you get home. If you were thinking of giving it away, then you will be way ahead by buying a battery and then selling the car later.

You could try getting the battery charged at a local garage, but it sounds like your current batt is so poor that you'll get left somewhere awkward on the way home... and if you go to sell it with a duff battery, you will get no takers at all, ie: a car worth €350+ with a good battery is worth €0 with a duff one, so either way, you'll have to buy one.

Damp doesn't make any difference to a battery - it's the cold that makes them perform badly (although they work fine when it warms up again) - either way, no temp that we are getting at this time of the year in the UK or Irl will make any difference.

Fishtits

An OEM spec battery in the cradle should handle six months idle no problem, if its 10 years old then you may have problems. Decent batteries in well maintained cars tend to fail after 8/9 years in my experience.

If you have a parasitic drain then that's a different story.

Get the car tested by an auto elec for drain.

Stay away from Asian sourced batteries, if you want quality then buy German, Bosch, Varta, Moll etc. Not cheap but you'll get a good battery.

The market has been flooded with cheap Asian batteries in recent years, they arrive blank, put your own sticker on them, most are rubbish.

KlodaX

Fishtits wrote: »

An OEM spec battery in the cradle should handle six months idle no problem, if its 10 years old then you may have problems. Decent batteries in well maintained cars tend to fail after 8/9 years in my experience.

If you have a parasitic drain then that's a different story.

Get the car tested by an auto elec for drain.

Stay away from Asian sourced batteries, if you want quality then buy German, Bosch, Varta, Moll etc. Not cheap but you'll get a good battery.

The market has been flooded with cheap Asian batteries in recent years, they arrive blank, put your own sticker on them, most are rubbish.

:eek: what? English please I don't speak car language

I suppose the best bet is to find a gargage and ask them. I had to get stuff for the car before and ended up going to scrap yards to find pieces, which was WAY cheaper than the quote I got from a gargage. I'm lacking trust here. At the mo I have little choice than to go with whatever the closest garage says.. as I have no transport to go anywhere else. Do you think I could fit a battery?

Has anyone any idea how much (roughly) it would cost to get a battery and have it fitted?

I'm gonna leave it sitting in the sun for a while and try jumping it again

thanks for the replys!

BC

KlodaX wrote: »

Has anyone any idea how much (roughly) it would cost to get a battery and have it fitted?

I got a new battery for a starlet a couple of weeks ago. 70 euro including fitting.

Type 17

KlodaX wrote: »

Do you think I could fit a battery?

here's a guide to changing a battery. It's a bit over-comprehensive (you probably won't need all of the tools they mention), but it gives you the order to do things in, and warns of the pitfalls*

*except one: ensure that the terminals are fully down on the terminal posts before tightening them - loosen the bolt a lot and open out the jaws of the terminal by twisting a flat-blade screwdriver between them to ensure that you get the terminal fully down over the tapered post. Not getting the terminal fully onto the post can mean the terminal gets bent and eventually it can snap (a big pain in the ass).

KlodaX

Type 17 wrote: »

here's a guide to changing a battery. It's a bit over-comprehensive (you probably won't need all of the tools they mention), but it gives you the order to do things in, and warns of the pitfalls*

*except one: ensure that the terminals are fully down on the terminal posts before tightening them - loosen the bolt a lot and open out the jaws of the terminal by twisting a flat-blade screwdriver between them to ensure that you get the terminal fully down over the tapered post. Not getting the terminal fully onto the post can mean the terminal gets bent and eventually it can snap (a big pain in the ass).

Thats really helpfull thanks

KlodaX

I checked the price of a battery online, which was sixty something quid and had a look at the battery.. needed to buy some tools.
So I called a few mobile mechanic who said he could fit one for 90 pounds. I figured for 30 quid it would be totally worth it.

So anyway, he came and fitted battery but still engine will not turn over. He said the immobilizer had jammed because the battery was dead for too long. The immobilizer (I think) did not come with the car, but was fitted around 1995 with an alarm. He reccomended someone who charges 45 pounds an hour (but doesn't start charging untill 20 mins after he leaves his house) to fix it.

So I'm down 30 quid (no point in actually keeping battery) now for that piece of info and debating calling the other guy.

What you think? to call or not to call? he said it can take from 5 mins to an hour to disconnect an immobilizer... 45 - 90 quid.

KlodaX

Think I'm gonna scrap it. Scraping an Irish car in the Uk, I was told you get papers or something when they take the car. Will that be enough? I've heard horror stories of people scrapping their car then getting parking fines from the car being sold on.

Poor car has gone from having its battery charged to being scrapped!

... now to squeeze everything I own in life into 1 suitcase ...

V&v

Hi,
I am in desperate need of a new battery for my lovely Merc C180 2001. I want to buy a good quality battery but really dont know where to go. I contacted Annesley motors yesterday and they quoted 200 euro plus vat for genuine mercedes battery. I presume merc buys batteries from bosch or other reliable manufacturer (like all other stuff) and just stick their merc label on battery and sell it more expensive.

My question is - is it possible to buy good quality battery (i trust bosch) for less than 200 euro? if yes, where can I buy it? I am based in clontarf, dublin 3.

thanks so much for your responce in advance.

regards,
V

Fishtits wrote: »

Stay away from Asian sourced batteries, if you want quality then buy German, Bosch, Varta, Moll etc. Not cheap but you'll get a good battery.

The market has been flooded with cheap Asian batteries in recent years, they arrive blank, put your own sticker on them, most are rubbish.