Well thought I'd take her out for a spin today. Really looking forward to a run out and yes you guessed flat as a pancake! That'll teach me to put her on trickle charge in future! Mind you I was a little surprised as she had a brand new battery last year and was hoping it would've been ok but I suppose the immobiliser drains it! s:( :( s:(
Had the same problem just before Christmas. Once they've gone dead flat, it ain't good for the future of the battery.
My MR S has an aftermarket alarm/immobiliser and it does suck from that small battery.
I put an isolator on and, if I'm not going to be driving her much, I just use the isolator. m http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/UNIVERSAL-CAR ... 0762831858 (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/UNIVERSAL-CAR-Battery-Isolator-Cut-Off-Switch-/360762831858) m
Bit of a pain as I lose the radio memory and the clock.
You can find the isolators on a famous auction site... Easy to install and use. I got the screw-knob type, which goes on the negative side.
Better than a flat battery. Let's face it, the battery is pretty tiny.
Thanks Carolyn, it'll be annoying if I've bu@@gered the life of a new battery but hey worse things happen!
Looking forward to meeting you Carolyn at Ding Day!
Thanks for your help once again. s:D :D s:D
With any luck, your new battery will survive.
I'd put Foxy on charge and get an isolator too. You don't have to use it, but putting the trickle charger on all the time can be a real pain.
Good luck, buddy....
c
I keep my car off the road for much of the winter & only venture out on dry roads & sunny days! It's kept in a garage but I only lock it on the 3rd press of the key which disarms the perimeter alarm and reduces the load on the battery - the doors are still locked and alarmed the immobiliser is active. I put the charger on every 2-3 weeks if I haven't been out for a run & I find this works well for me & my battery is over 4 years old.
If you battery is only less than a year old it shouldn't really drain to flat in a few weeks....how long since it was last started?
I'm ashamed to say Foxy has been tucked away in my garage since 26th November to be exact! Not good I know!
I've been driving my baby most days, but only short local runs. Not enough to really keep the battery up if I don't isolate it.
Hey, it's your car, use it or not as you see fit. And they will drain to flat in less than a few weeks, especially in winter.
Bring the battery back up nice and gently with a good trickle charger. Come Spring it will be fine.
I have one of these which I use on my bike, and in an emergency (after leaving lights on or some other stupidity) on my roadster. It charges & reconditions the battery too, and are highly recommended by everyone I know who has one, plus a good amount of motoring press.
m http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CTEK-Multi-MX ... SwabhUW56W (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CTEK-Multi-MXS-5-0-12V-Car-Battery-Smart-Charger-Conditioner-NEW-MODEL-/292013862181?hash=item43fd61ed25:g:CJgAAOSwabhUW56W) m
Thank you MR TWO, that looks good too. s:D :D s:D
Same thing happened to mine which has been off the road, I did attach a solar trickle charger, but the drain was more than the charge, so I have hooked it up to one of these. Came recommended by a friend with a bike, as most of them are off the road for 6 months of the year, you will of course need a 12 volt one. m https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j ... oE3w3xSRrw (https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwi2ldeV_fbRAhXlK8AKHVi_B2QQFghOMAA&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.optimabatteries.com%2Fen-us%2Fbattery-charger&usg=AFQjCNGI8ykH1_KLzlMzezKQoE3w3xSRrw) m
Colin
Just a thought Jane.
Can you get it changed under warranty? s;-) ;-) s;-)
Hi Stu, just looked up when I brought it, it's actually 10 months old. I could give it a try perhaps.
To claim on the battery warranty it would have to fail a load test. This can only be carried out on a fully charged battery. You'll be wise to charge it before taking it in.
So... the battery fails because it won't take a charge....
How does that work?
If the battery is loosing charge due to a parasitic drain then it isn't defective. If the battery can't turn over the starter motor it may need recharging or it may have failed. The only real way to determine whether a battery has failed is to carry out a load test. This cannot be carried out on a flat battery. A charged battery may give a good reading across the terminals but not be able to start the engine.
See:
m http://www.aa1car.com/library/2003/us20310.htm (http://www.aa1car.com/library/2003/us20310.htm) m
Dear Jane
As text on a screen does not convey any emotion. Let me state now.
This is meant in a friendly supportive sense.
Use her more!
What he ^^^^^ said! [emoji38]
I learnt this one the hard way had a battery less than six months old left it run flat and would not take a charge so had to get another, now when the car is back in the garage straight on trickle charge.Have not been out since early December, I know she needs to be out more