Flat Battery Question

John Mason

I havent driven my car in about 3/4 weeks and the battery is completely dead.

I am not expecting a driving test date until around september so the car wont be driven until then.

My question is, is it okay to leave the battery alone until then or am i doing damage to it by just leaving it there? will it mean i will have to get a new battery?

sorry, i know probably a seriously stupid question but i am a girl what can i say

WHITE_P

Batteries are best kept charged up, you could get a trickle charger and keep the battery charged that way if you can plug it into the mains, or recharge it fully and run the car engine for awhile every week to keep the battery charged.

Also make shure there is nothing electrical left on in the car, even if they go off when the ignition is turned off, they can still cause the battery to discharge.

Any motor factor can sell you a battery charger, or you could get a solar trickle charger from Maplin's, which you can leave inside the windscreen and attach to the battery to keep it charged.

Leaving your battery discharged will eventually damage it.

John Mason

thanks i have never heard of trickle charger


how long would you need to run the car for each week? as there is barely any petrol in it

tbh

irishbird wrote: »

thanks i have never heard of trickle charger


how long would you need to run the car for each week? as there is barely any petrol in it

I have one at home, I think -I can give it to Des for you.

WHITE_P

irishbird wrote: »

thanks i have never heard of trickle charger


how long would you need to run the car for each week? as there is barely any petrol in it

Once you have the battery fully charged, if you want to just run the car to maintain the charge, about 20.0min.'s two or three times a week would probably be sufficient.

If you are going to use a trickle charger, get the battery fully charged first using a normal battery charger.

C.D.

If it is going to be parked up for several months, you are better off charging battery fully (via a charger, the car's alternator is designed to "top up" batteries) and removing it. You should also put blocks under the wheels and leave the handbrake off (to stop brakes seizing) and deflate/inflate to a high psi your tyres to prevent flat spots developing. Petrol tank should also be empty as possible. IMO you are better off getting the battery fully charged and giving it a run around every week or so. A battery charger can be picked up at any Halfords etc for <€30. Failing that I'm sure the boards.ie residents can help you. I would offer mine but I'm leaving the country on Saturday so unless you're secretly my neighbour timing would be an issue (I'm in Foxrock).

Plug

irishbird wrote: »

I havent driven my car in about 3/4 weeks and the battery is completely dead.

I am not expecting a driving test date until around september so the car wont be driven until then.

My question is, is it okay to leave the battery alone until then or am i doing damage to it by just leaving it there? will it mean i will have to get a new battery?

sorry, i know probably a seriously stupid question but i am a girl what can i say

Before the test comes around get someone to put a new one in;) How old is the car?

snowman707

C.D. wrote: »

You should also put blocks under the wheels.

Is that not the same as having the wheels on the ground ????

C.D.

snowman707 wrote: »

Is that not the same as having the wheels on the ground ????

Lol, sorry meant to say put locks behind the wheels to stop them rolling, so you can safely disengage the handbrake.

crosstownk

WHITE_P wrote: »

Once you have the battery fully charged, if you want to just run the car to maintain the charge, about 20.0min.'s two or three times a week would probably be sufficient.

If you are going to use a trickle charger, get the battery fully charged first using a normal battery charger.

Good advice for the battery, but leaving a car idle for 20 mins and letting it go cold will not give condensation a chance to evaporate and could cause corrosion in the exhaust and could also be detrimental to the oil.

Best advice is to disconnect the battery, use the trickle charger as suggested above and if possible take the weight off the tyres to prevent them from distorting.

snowman707

Irishbird , bet now you are sorry you asked.

I had a car parked up for almost a year , left it in gear with handbrake off when it was needed again, used jump leads to start it, checked the tyre pressures. & drove away
That was 2 years ago , battery is now 8 years old & pefrect as is the rest of the car.