Battery Struggling !

[AKY-B]

Hi everyone.at present i do not drive my LS as much as i should resulting in the Battery going flat after 3 days.i have a heavy duty calcium Battery that starts from my 1.0 litre Micra straight away and i have had it tested(ok). is there any kind of 'trickle/maintenance charger i can get to keep the charge topped up?.any anwers welcome. thanks

[dave1]

Hi everyone.at present i do not drive my LS as much as i should resulting in the battery going flat after 3 days.i have a heavy duty calcium battery that starts from my 1.0 litre Micra straight away and i have had it tested(ok). is there any kind of 'trickle/maintenance charger i can get to keep the charge topped up?.any anwers welcome. thanks

If it is going flat after 3 days then you are possibly not running the engine for long enough to re- charge the Battery or you have a faulty alternator. One other possibility is that your connectors on the Battery terminals are not tight enough.

[steve2006]

I have suggested this before but haven't personal experience of them but try one of those solar panel trickle chargers wired to a constant Battery feed it should provide enough to keep the Battery topped up even on dull days, I know they are a factory option on Bentleys so why not retrofit on a better car!

[dave1]

I have suggested this before but haven't personal experience of them but try one of those solar panel trickle chargers wired to a constant battery feed it should provide enough to keep the battery topped up even on dull days, I know they are a factory option on Bentleys so why not retrofit on a better car!

Trouble with these things is that they have the potential to mask problems with batteries and charging systems.

[steve2006]

I have suggested this before but haven't personal experience of them but try one of those solar panel trickle chargers wired to a constant battery feed it should provide enough to keep the battery topped up even on dull days, I know they are a factory option on Bentleys so why not retrofit on a better car!

Trouble with these things is that they have the potential to mask problems with batteries and charging systems.

Very true but thinking about the case mentioned where the car lies unused for periods of time the parasitic current draw due to alarms etc could be enough alone to leave a Battery sufficiently depleted to a point where the full starting current required is not available.

I wasn't suggesting a trickle charger as a way around known Battery or charging problems but if the system is in good order a constant small charge doesn't I feel do any harm and would certainly save the hassle of jump starting where damage could occur as a result of doing so.

You can also get the new generation of Smart chargers which automatically switch on and off to keep the Battery fully charged and there is no need for the Battery to be disconnected when using them but don't forget to remove it before driving off! :o

[Bluesman]

I have suggested this before but haven't personal experience of them but try one of those solar panel trickle chargers wired to a constant battery feed it should provide enough to keep the battery topped up even on dull days, I know they are a factory option on Bentleys so why not retrofit on a better car!

Trouble with these things is that they have the potential to mask problems with batteries and charging systems.

Very true but thinking about the case mentioned where the car lies unused for periods of time the parasitic current draw due to alarms etc could be enough alone to leave a Battery sufficiently depleted to a point where the full starting current required is not available.

I wasn't suggesting a trickle charger as a way around known Battery or charging problems but if the system is in good order a constant small charge doesn't I feel do any harm and would certainly save the hassle of jump starting where damage could occur as a result of doing so.

You can also get the new generation of Smart chargers which automatically switch on and off to keep the Battery fully charged and there is no need for the Battery to be disconnected when using them but don't forget to remove it before driving off! :o

Those portable car batteries which have several different uses these days is always a good standby especially as we go through the worst months of winter.

Mike

[bookend]

Ctek smart chargers are great and can be left on all the time.

Just make sure you select the correct one for your Battery capacity the 7000 model is the best I have used one for years and my father had one connected to his LS430 when he was not useing it as the Battery would go flat due to the drain from the keyless entry system

[abs66]

I've got one of those solar chargers and it was great on my last car which wasn't used for large chunks of time.

I would recommend getting one with a decent output though as the really cheap ones are just that, cheap.

[Parrot of Doom]

Charge the Battery fully using a good quality charger. If, once charged, it flattens after only 3 days, then I think it's fair to say you have a problem somewhere.

I've left my cars parked up for weeks at a time and they still start up first time. Your LS should be no different.

[dave1]

I have suggested this before but haven't personal experience of them but try one of those solar panel trickle chargers wired to a constant battery feed it should provide enough to keep the battery topped up even on dull days, I know they are a factory option on Bentleys so why not retrofit on a better car!

Trouble with these things is that they have the potential to mask problems with batteries and charging systems.

Very true but thinking about the case mentioned where the car lies unused for periods of time the parasitic current draw due to alarms etc could be enough alone to leave a Battery sufficiently depleted to a point where the full starting current required is not available.

But the OP said it was going flat after 3 days. That, to me, is not being left unused for any significant period of time.

[AKY-B]

Thanks for all the input.i have bought a good quality solar charger after having Battery etc checked,it's been on 2 days now.will keep u posted.£31.95 from Motorists Discount Centre