Vehicle battery running down

[camerart]

Hi.
My mate has a disability vehicle, I think it is a Toyota. It hasn't had it's first service yet.

It's automatic, and has an electric handbrake, and to me seem very over complicated.

It wasn't used for a few weeks, and wouldn't start, so we put it on charge, and it started, and went on a couple of runs, 'say' for an hour.

A week later and the same thing happened.

He called the AA, who said the battery is fine and the charger is also fine, and said it had to be used mre. He didn't disconnect the battery and test for drain when all off.

Is this normal for modern vehicles?

Camerart

 

[Rodders53]

No.
My Ford Galaxy diesel auto has electric handbrake and stop-start and ... so the Gel battery never gets fully charged, by design.
It's never not started. Even after not being used for a week in this cold weather (we both had colds).

Motability leased vehicle - refer back to supplying/servicing Dealer for advice and investigation, if needed.?

 

[camerart]

No.
My Ford Galaxy diesel auto has electric handbrake and stop-start and ... so the Gel battery never gets fully charged, by design.
It's never not started. Even after not being used for a week in this cold weather (we both had colds).

Motability leased vehicle - refer back to supplying/servicing Dealer for advice and investigation, if needed.?

Hi R,
I think it was left for almost a month.
C

 

[JohnD]

Hi R,
I think it was left for almost a month.
C

We don't know quite how long it was left, nor the state of charge when it was left.

A vehicle that is not used often will benefit from a low-power trickle or smart charger. I keep one in the boot of my summer car and plug it in occasionally.

Winter is often called "the battery season"

 

[Rodders53]

Modern vehicles will shut more stuff down as left for longer to attempt to preserve the battery. But a month or more is a bit long? Many stories of people jetting off on long holidays and returning to flat batteries.

Advice from the Toyota Dealer would be sensible in the short term; especially wrt to using a smart charger regularly and correct setting for the fitted battery type (flooded LA, AGM, or Gel LA).

Motability use RAC not AA for breakdown etc.,. Toyota Assist may well be AA, though, on new vehicles?

 

[opps]

My customers recently purchased a 2 year old Porsche 911, primarily to drive around Europe. They (are American/dual nationality and) are spending a lot of time outside of the UK for tax reasons. If the car isn't used for as little as 2 weeks, the battery is completely flat. Porsche said that the battery is fine.

Mrs Customer is now planning to sell it because it is so unreliable.

I am only posting this so that I will get alerts when anyone replies. The advice may be of help to my customer.

 

[Burnerman]

Standing unused for a month is a bit long - especially in the winter.
If the battery went flat again in a week after a full charge then there is something wrong - either a lamp left on somewhere or possibly an alternator fault.
John

 

[norseman]

I appreciate that this reply will not help the OP, sorry.

Wherever space in the tray allows I always fit a higher rated battery than the manuf. spec. ie my old BM has a 95AH as opposed to the 70AH standard fitment. The model may date back to 1995 but there is an awful lot of electronics in there & probably more in a modern car, even a basic euro-box.

It always amuses me that EV owners suffer range anxiety, but then a (fossil fuel powered) modern car packed with electronics won't even move without a good battery

 

[Rodders53]

The advice may be of help to my customer.

Customer needs to leave vehicle on a smart charger/trickle charger suited to the battery type and size. The 'rolls royce' solution for laying up vehicles on a smart trickle charger is the CTek range (they re-start after a power cut whereas cheaper Aldi/Lidl equivalents don't).

https://www.ctek.com/uk/battery-chargers-12v-24v/car-battery-chargers

Use https://www.ctek.com/uk/battery-chargers-12v-24v/add-ons/cs-connect-u-terminal to make the connection/disconnection quicker/easier and more reliable.

 

[camerart]

Hi,
He has a clamp on amp meter, and will try that, to test for anything being left on. On his last vehicle, he had a power switch fitted, to disconnect most of the current when not in use, apart from the alarm system etc.

I have solar panels on my van, that keep the leisure batteries topped up, and a lead from them to my car. If my van ever doesn't start away from home, I can charge the main battery with them also, so perhaps he could fit a solar charger?

Thanks for all of the replies, cheers,
C.

 

[opps]

Customer needs to leave vehicle on a smart charger/trickle charger suited to the battery type and size. The 'rolls royce' solution for laying up vehicles on a smart trickle charger is the CTek range (they re-start after a power cut whereas cheaper Aldi/Lidl equivalents don't).

https://www.ctek.com/uk/battery-chargers-12v-24v/car-battery-chargers

Use https://www.ctek.com/uk/battery-chargers-12v-24v/add-ons/cs-connect-u-terminal to make the connection/disconnection quicker/easier and more reliable.

They look interesting.

I guess that if they use the u-terminal, they can run the cable in to the car so that they don't have to connect the charger to the battery each time.

I looked at the CS free which says that it will recharge the car battery in 15 mins when you don't have access to a power supply. The car is often stored in garages that don't have a power supply.

CS FREE

40-462

www.ctek.com

I will pass the info on, many thanks

 

[conny]

I learnt recently that sat navs and dashcams with collision alerts, (takes a picture(s) if someone bangs into it when parked up and engine off etc), are constantly a drain on the battery. I was advised to disconnect both when I was at home and parked up for the night. I was also told to switch off the Eco stop/start system because, when driving in towns/cities with constant stop/starts they actually consume more than can be recharged, so they actually drain your battery more harmfully than 'wasting' fuel by not using it.

 

[Rodders53]

I was also told to switch off the Eco stop/start system because, when driving in towns/cities with constant stop/starts they actually consume more than can be recharged, so they actually drain your battery more harmfully than 'wasting' fuel by not using it.

That'll be an urban myth.

The vehicle Battery Management System on any such vehicle will switch off stop/start automatically if the battery charge state is unsuitable. Typically these batteries are only charged to 80% of capacity in normal use (to permit coasting/slowing regenerative braking via the alternator to 'fill' the battery above that level).

Mine hasn't stop started for ages as we don't really do enough miles regularly enough. Not even after a weekend trip away with the engine running for 2-3 hours! Mine also shuts down 'features' like only drivers door handle will now open/lock the car (when with enough charge they all do it) on keyless entry to reduce battery drain.
Which reminds me, I really must give it a charge via the towing socket lead I made up to do so.

 

[camerart]

I learnt recently that sat navs and dashcams with collision alerts, (takes a picture(s) if someone bangs into it when parked up and engine off etc), are constantly a drain on the battery. I was advised to disconnect both when I was at home and parked up for the night.

Hi C,
I watched a TV program, where the police were tracking a drug smuggler, and when they raided the farm building, where he hid his car, the camera had recoreded him getting out of his car to talk to someone, looking at the drugs, then driving into the barn, and was convicted
C

 

[camerart]

Mine also shuts down 'features' like only drivers door handle will now open/lock the car (when with enough charge they all do it) on keyless entry to reduce battery drain.
Which reminds me, I really must give it a charge via the towing socket lead I made up to do so.

Hi R,
Someone was locked out of his Mercedes, with a flat battery.
I told him to use his key to open the boot, where the light would be on, and charged the battery through the light socket, I didn't find out if this worked?
C