Value of Solar Charger ?

[royoftherovers]

I arrived home from Andalusia on Monday evening and on Tuesday I fired up the Lexus which had lain silently since 5 April, but had been connected to my AA Solar Panel Charger via the OBD Port. It burst into life immediately and I thanked Big G for his wisdom in  allowing my poor old brain to arrange for trickle charging via the Solar Panel. (I forgot last time)

 

I mentioned this rather proudly to Mrs Roy, who had flown home 2 days prior to my departure and she reported that her Mazda 2 had also fired up instantaneously and she had not had any Charger connected!

So, food for thought indeed ?

I will not change my habit of connecting my Solar Panel Charger however, as my experience tells me that whenever I connect it, the car fires up and whenever I don`t it does not, as the Battery has gone flat.

[Odysseus]

Great to hear! I can’t help but imagine the current draw of an ‘idle’ top flight Lexus compared to a Mazda 2. [emoji846]


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[Britprius]

1 hour ago, royoftherovers said:

I arrived home from Andalusia on Monday evening and on Tuesday I fired up the Lexus which had lain silently since 5 April, but had been connected to my AA Solar Panel Charger via the OBD Port. It burst into life immediately and I thanked Big G for his wisdom in  allowing my poor old brain to arrange for trickle charging via the Solar Panel. (I forgot last time)

 

I mentioned this rather proudly to Mrs Roy, who had flown home 2 days prior to my departure and she reported that her Mazda 2 had also fired up instantaneously and she had not had any Charger connected!

So, food for thought indeed ?

I will not change my habit of connecting my Solar Panel Charger however, as my experience tells me that whenever I connect it, the car fires up and whenever I don`t it does not, as the battery has gone flat.

Does the Mazda have keyless entry I doubt it.
This seeming extra that makes life simpler comes at a cost as far as Battery use is concerned, and standby time.
The car is constantly checking for the proximity of the fob. This is why I fitted a larger capacity 110 Ah when the OEM Battery 70 Ah expired. This gives near 65% extra capacity, and standby time.

John.

 

[NemesisUK]

Pretty sure the keyless entry system goes dormant after 10-14 days of not detecting a signal?

[royoftherovers]

1 hour ago, Britprius said:

Does the Mazda have keyless entry I doubt it.
This seeming extra that makes life simpler comes at a cost as far as battery use is concerned, and standby time.
The car is constantly checking for the proximity of the fob. This is why I fitted a larger capacity 110 Ah when the OEM battery 70 Ah expired. This gives near 65% extra capacity, and standby time.

John.

 

The Mazda does have keyless entry,John

[royoftherovers]

41 minutes ago, NemesisUK said:

Pretty sure the keyless entry system goes dormant after 10-14 days of not detecting a signal?

Dormant in which car Peter, Mazda or Lexus ?

[Britprius]

41 minutes ago, royoftherovers said:

The Mazda does have keyless entry,John

Thanks. I learn something every day.

John.

[NemesisUK]

1 hour ago, royoftherovers said:

Dormant in which car Peter, Mazda or Lexus ?

Lexus, though I'd be surprised if the Mazda didn't also.

It is also possible the disable the keyless entry system in advance, if one knows the car won't be driven for a prolonged period. It's under customisation in the handbook (for my RC at least) 

[Texas]

4 hours ago, NemesisUK said:

Pretty sure the keyless entry system goes dormant after 10-14 days of not detecting a signal?

Eureka moment!

That will explain why sometimes when I approach my IS the proximity unlocking works and sometimes it don't!

Just RTFM and found this, so I don't need to stress when it don't open, just means I should drive it more!

 

[Herbie]

14 hours ago, royoftherovers said:

I mentioned this rather proudly to Mrs Roy, who had flown home 2 days prior to my departure and she reported that her Mazda 2 had also fired up instantaneously and she had not had any Charger connected!

So, food for thought indeed ?

The Mazda, not being a hybrid, will have a more powerful Battery that holds charge better than the small batteries in the hybrids.

[RgrWynne]

Anyways .........welcome back 😜👍

[Britprius]

13 hours ago, Herbie said:

The Mazda, not being a hybrid, will have a more powerful battery that holds charge better than the small batteries in the hybrids.

The GS450H has a 70 Ah Battery as OEM, and few petrol cars go above this figure.

John.