Car battery during lockdown

ripplyuk

Since we can’t go out except for essentials, I imagine car batteries are all going to have problems during this. Would it be a good idea to start the car up on the drive and leave it running for a while, maybe every few days? I just bought a new battery recently and I don’t want it wrecked. 

ElephantBoy57

My works vehicle has struggled to start the odd time, so I try to start it and let it run, every 10 days or so.

A new battery should be ok for a month.

twhitehousescat

starting a car and letting it tickover?
no the current used to start car would be more than that provided by altenator at tickover

get a small car battery charger , inteligent sort (in lidl last week for £11) , and on a sunny day connect it , if your car is garaged you can leave comnnected indefinatly 

ripplyuk

twhitehousescat said:

starting a car and letting it tickover?
no the current used to start car would be more than that provided by altenator at tickover

get a small car battery charger , inteligent sort (in lidl last week for £11) , and on a sunny day connect it , if your car is garaged you can leave comnnected indefinatly 

That’s far too technical for me. I posted before about battery issues and that was recommended but I’d be too scared to even try it. Would it not still charge if I leave it running long enough? 

I know it’s not ideal and isn’t good for the car but it might be better than a flat battery. I think the breakdown companies are going to be very busy with battery problems after this lockdown. 

twhitehousescat

ripplyuk said:

twhitehousescat said:

starting a car and letting it tickover?
no the current used to start car would be more than that provided by altenator at tickover

get a small car battery charger , inteligent sort (in lidl last week for £11) , and on a sunny day connect it , if your car is garaged you can leave comnnected indefinatly 

That’s far too technical for me. I posted before about battery issues and that was recommended but I’d be too scared to even try it. Would it not still charge if I leave it running long enough? 

I know it’s not ideal and isn’t good for the car but it might be better than a flat battery. I think the breakdown companies are going to be very busy with battery problems after this lockdown. 

i have tried to tell you that the starter motor will use more currant than leaving car ticking over for 10 mins , every time you do thisyour battery will be getting weaker 

offer to go to a chemist or shopping , say 5 - 10 miles away IN DAYLIGHT , once a week , that will charge it up more than any "ticking over" 

ris2015

Modern cars make this tricky, I agree that its going to be profitable for the breakdown companies.
My weekly trip to the supermarket is less that 2 miles so it does not even warm up the engine! It's going to be a circuitous trip next week.
You could idle your car on the drive, not allowed to do that on the public highway for pollution reasons, but at idle speed the alternator will mainly be powering the cars systems with only a little left over for the battery top up. The alternator will be most effective at around 3000 revs.
A gotcha for idling some cars (Ford does this) is that the engine turns itself off after 20 mins.
The best solution is, recommended by Auto Trader, use a trickle charger or a smart charger. 

A_Lert

Unless you're not moving the car for weeks or months, I don't think there's anything to worry about. The year before last my car sat unused for months when I had a broken leg and as far as I know started up fine when it was next driven (not by me). But it's prudent to have a battery charger anyway.

lesalanos

I would not worry.  Your new battery will have been sitting on a shelf for weeks and kept its charge without issue

knightstyle

My six year old battery started my car after 3 months standing idle and my older lawnmower battery started the mower after four months.

silverwhistle

ripplyuk said:

That’s far too technical for me. I posted before about battery issues and that was recommended but I’d be too scared to even try it.

Eh? I'm hardly the most technically adept of women but there is nothing to it. I bought myself a cheap charger: they're a lot more compact and advanced than they used to be, and successfully charged my battery. With a bit of common sense and internet research I also eventually managed to diagnose a bad earth connection, cured by tightening a nut, which turned out to be the real reason why my car was having problems starting.

Buy a charger, read the manual and it's as easy as plugging in a vacuum cleaner.

AdrianC

ripplyuk said:

twhitehousescat said:

get a small car battery charger , inteligent sort (in lidl last week for £11) , and on a sunny day connect it , if your car is garaged you can leave comnnected indefinatly 

That’s far too technical for me. I posted before about battery issues and that was recommended but I’d be too scared to even try it.

Literally the only thing you need to know is that red = +ve, black = -ve. That's it.