[Kosfactor]

Among the 6 cars in our small apartment parking, 4 were idle for about 3 weeks. 2 of them manual cars managed to start on their own, but the 2 AMTs did not turn over.

Maruti's car care tips call for starting the car once in a month, it's a bit too long as the brand new swift AMT refused to start after about 3 weeks of sleep time. Maybe Maruti assumes battery is fully charged at the time of parking, which is unlikely for vehicles used for short distances.

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by boniver

Sir, all the dash lights come on in the ACC mode and then turn off when the car is cranked. In the video, I don't see the battery light staying on after the car has started. Like I've pointed out below

Oh my bad, I took a look at the video only and wasn't able to see the indicators clearly as you stepped out of the car. Yeah, that battery light does go off.

[bluevolt]

Originally Posted by Gansan

I start the car once every five days, allow the engine and AC to run for 20 minutes. Then take it for a small round locally, and park it back. Same routine for the bike too.

20 minutes idling every 5 days is overkill. You are unnecessarily depositing carbon in the engine while idling it a low RPM for such long duration. Also, wastage of fuel IMHO.

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by Gansan

I start the car once every five days, allow the engine and AC to run for 20 minutes. Then take it for a small round locally, and park it back. Same routine for the bike too.

Just disconnect the negative cable and you can go for weeks without running the car. Don't worry your car battery won't go flat in a week or two unless it is really old or damaged. However, if it goes >2 weeks then make sure you take the car for a spin or connect the battery to a bench charger.

[Gansan]

^^ Battery is fairly new, so nothing will happen to it. But I feel it is a good idea to let the oil circulate in the engine and also run the AC at least once a week. Even my normal usage is to take the car out during only the weekends. It is better to take the car for a small spin and let the tyres rotate at least once a week.

I have seen cars start in first crank even after a gap of six months in my society. So that is not an issue.

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by Gansan

I have seen cars start in first crank even after a gap of six months in my society. So that is not an issue.

Ditto here, my car started after 5 months without problems, and neither did the tyres develop a flat spot(s) The battery charge was low but enough to crank the engine. My cars are sparingly used and they have never failed to start except in Dec last year and then the Toyota's battery, under warranty, required a bench charge by the battery dealer.

Hence I am not too bothered. The cars haven't been started for 1.5-2 months already. It's cheaper and more convenient for me to take out the batteries and bench charge them instead of burning fuel and running the gauntlet of cops and what have you during this lock-down. Nearly all of Pune is a containment area and cops are cracking down on people who just go out for a spin around the block. They ain't gonna be amused if I tell them it is to charge my car's battery, prevent flat spots on the tyres or other car enthusiast's excuse.

[vsathyap]

My Car battery is dying due to the lock down - although i idle the engine daily for about 5 minutes, its not enough to keep the battery fully charged. Can I remove the battery and connect it to my home inverter / UPS so that the inverter can charge it up fully ?

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by vsathyap

My Car battery is dying due to the lock down - although i idle the engine daily for about 5 minutes, its not enough to keep the battery fully charged. Can I remove the battery and connect it to my home inverter / UPS so that the inverter can charge it up fully ?

You can provided:

a) Your inverter cable has a method for e.g. clamps that can fit the car's battery posts.
b) Your inverter is a 12v model like your battery
c) You are able to switch off the power backup function so the inverter does not inadvertently drain the battery in case of a mains/power failure

I would recommend all car buyers invest in a good smart charger. Doesn't matter if you use it once a year or once in 2 years. It's a real saviour.

[paramesh3210]

Originally Posted by R2D2

I would recommend all car buyers invest in a good smart charger. Doesn't matter if you use it once a year or once in 2 years. It's a real saviour.

I second this suggestion. This is very much required to extend the life of your battery. I regularly use a battery optimizer for my motorcycle as most of the time it is covered. I used only on a long road trips with my fellow riders. Battery is also an expensive part and an one time investment will do wonders. Oh BTW, my motorcycle is a Tiger 800 XCA.

[mithun]

Originally Posted by R2D2

I would recommend all car buyers invest in a good smart charger. Doesn't matter if you use it once a year or once in 2 years. It's a real saviour.

Are there any cost-effective alternatives to expensive Bosch chargers?

What about Aliexpress chargers, good or avoid?

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by mithun

Are there any cost-effective alternatives to expensive Bosch chargers? What about Aliexpress chargers, good or avoid?

You get what you pay for. That said, you can evaluate Indian made automatic chargers on Amazon. They start at about Rs 2-3K last time I checked. Prices may have changed and you will need to wait for the lockout to be lifted on 4th May. Less expensive still are manual chargers commonly used by workshops and battery dealers.

[boniver]

Exactly 23 days ago, I shameless bragged on this thread about how my car started right up in one crank after sitting for a month:

Originally Posted by boniver

Here's my 2004 Santro Xing with a 4 year old battery. First crank after exactly 30 days:

Went to start the car again today and guess what, it didn't start! Hence, got a new Amaron battery that came with 66 months warranty.

More details here.

[Photocanic]

Originally Posted by mithun

Are there any cost-effective alternatives to expensive Bosch chargers?

What about Aliexpress chargers, good or avoid?

I suggest invest in the good quality chargers like Bosch as that is a one time investment for years.

My Aliexpress experience says stay away from their products as there is surely a cost cutting on the quality of the batteries they use.
One of my charger died on it's first charge.

[glovins2004]

Effects of lockdown

Below picture makes me wonder whether I live in Bangalore or in torrid location, couple of days back I noticed my car mobile holder was missing but when I took a closer look, I was shocked and never seen like this before, the suction cup melted due to heat and the holder dropped on the mat.



Not sure whether the quality of the holder is in question or the accumulated heat on the glass, have any of our members experienced similar incident before?

Anyway, good lesson learnt that not to park the car under direct sunlight for a prolonged duration especially during lockdown season.

[Amrik Singh]

Originally Posted by R2D2

You get what you pay for. That said, you can evaluate Indian made automatic chargers on Amazon. They start at about Rs 2-3K last time I checked. Prices may have changed and you will need to wait for the lockout to be lifted on 4th May. Less expensive still are manual chargers commonly used by workshops and battery dealers.

Why go for additional Battery Chargers when most of us have Inverters at home. For any "Long Term Parking" Car Battery can be charged with Inverter.
If the Car is parked safely, Battery may be disconnected but any Alarm System will be deactivated.