Hi All

 

Looking for a little advice as will need to leave my Yeti parked up outside for a few months. Will do usual basics like pumping up tyres and leaving handbrake off to avoid brake binding and potential flat spots, but I'm concerned about about potential consequences of  a flat battery on return. As I won't Have access to an electricity supply I am considering a solar battery trickle charger, but reviews of their effectiveness are a little mixed to say the least.

 

I would appreciate anyone sharing their experience or advice on this subject and whether recharging a flat battery on return is likely to cause me problems with things like keys, radio, etc.

 

Cheers

 

 

I have a solar charger installed on my garage roof...it kept the battery in our old "spare" banger (Honda Civic) topped up between its rare outings,  before we sent it to the great car-park in the sky.  Bought the charger from Maplin,  and it worked fine.  Had to install it on the roof because the garage has no windows,  so was dark inside;  but I think the charger said it would work sitting on the dashboard inside the windscreen,  and I've no reason to doubt that.  I think it cost about £30,  but it was well worth it to have a battery that was always fully charged.

https://www.edmunds.com/car-care/how-to-prep-your-car-for-long-term-storage.html

Uncle had flat battery problems whenever his E class Merc was left for his 3 to 6 week winter jaunt. The tracker was draining the battery so he bought a cheap solar powered plug in charger and has had no problems since.

 

Colin

I kept the 12v battery on my motorcycle charged with a solar charger through the winter months. Even with short dark days it kept the battery tip-top. It was from Halfords, about £35 if I remember correctly.

Could you not just disconnect the earth lead (neg side) of the battery? A disconnected battery will last a long time. It's the continual drains (clocks, radios) that do them in.

Just replaced the battery on my March 2011 Yeti 140 4x4 and 90,000 kms - onset of winter - it just died

 

always "conditioned" it twice a year with an optimate and checked regularly with a voltmeter, (or whatever are they called) and have always removed the battery if the car has stood for more than a couple of weeks, (trips back to the UK)

 

with the diesel engine you will be in trouble starting if your battery is "down" - more so than with a petrol ...... and the diesel Yeti's are a bugger to "bump" start

 

If it is older than 5 years, (check the build date, not the reg date), keep a close eye on it

 

 

Edited 8 November, 20178 yr by BillN_33

My wifes fabia diesel was still starting happily with an 8 year old battery with a dead cell, so it has to be pretty bad to fail completely.

Just a bit sluggish on the starter motor as only indication anything was wrong.

I was thinking about one for my 53 Reg Fabia 1.4 16v. I am in my 80s and make hardly any use of the car for other than short trips, and the car can stand idle for more than a week.

Some solar units can work via the cigarette lighter ( as well as with croc clips), but I'm not sure whether the  connection via lighter method will work on my car.

Can anyone, please, advise me on this?

Should do, the lighter socket on a mk1 Fabia is permanently 12V. 

Thanks.

Only thing I would say is buy a big one if you buy anything. I had one that measured about 10"x5"  on an old Golf I used to own. In bright summer sunlight it managed about 10mA, not even enough to cancel out the quiescent current of the stereo.

1 minute ago, Wino said:

Only thing I would say is buy a big one if you buy anything. I had one that measured about 10"x5"  on an old Golf I used to own. In bright summer sunlight it managed about 10mA, not even enough to cancel out the quiescent current of the stereo.

It would only need to cover the ‘decay’.......?.

If the radio's drawing 20mA and the solar thing only manages 10, it won't stop the battery going flat, it'll just take a bit longer.

Is the a master fuse that can be pulled.....one that disconnects the audio?.

Are you all saying that the radio draws current even when switched off? Quiescent stereo has me confused.

As to size, one being considered has versions for up to 50 Amp/hr. another for over. Could using the larger on a smaller battery not have any downside?

That was a 80s/90s carburettor car where the radio was one of the only electronic things in the car, it was just an example. Modern cars have a lot more electronic modules in them, many of which will draw a little current even when the car is off. The total quiescent draw should still only be around 20mA though, designs are optimised for low 'sleep' currents, back when my Golf was built it didn't matter so much because there wasn't such a proliferation of electronics in cars.

 

I'd be very surprised if any feasible size of car-installed solar panel could cause overcharging of any normal car battery, especially in the UK.

 

Edited 11 November, 20178 yr by Wino

If the radio doesn't draw current,  the alarm certainly does,  hence the battery drain.  Solar chargers are, I think,  only ever meant to be trickle chargers,  so output is relatively low; but I doubt if they are very "smart",  so it might be wise to be cautious with those giving higher outputs over extended periods.  My Maplin one measures about 30cm x 40cm and I never had a problem with it over-charging on a 45 Ah battery as fitted to the little Civic.  (Sorry,  can't remember what the rated output was.)  It made no claims to be a smart charger AFAIR.

I use these on my old cars which are not used in winter

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cocar-Battery-Disconnect-Switch-Master/dp/B019XQRFNG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1510403691&sr=8-1&keywords=car+battery+isolator

 

also an additional security device ..albeit easy to see

Edited 11 November, 20178 yr by BillN_33

Are Solar Trickle chargers OK to use on cars equipped with AGM / EFB batteries as I think these need a smart charger 

I know of plenty of boat owners who use solar panels with AGM batteries, with no problem.

How many of these gadgets work through the cig lighter and ahve no need for croc clips? The descriptions in ads are not clear, and could be saying both lighter and crocs have to be used.

 

The AA offering works via OBD socket, but with my Fabia that's not easily accessible.

My Maplin one came with both croc clips and cigar lighter plug,  interchangeable.  Packaging should indicate what is included in the box.

Sorry, if you consider this to be raking over old coals, but my battery conked out mid-February, and was replaced. As said previously, the car is not used much, yet even during and after the Beasts from the East all was well. But this morning zilch. Ten days ago a family member had taken some heavy stuff to the tip, a 9 mile return journey. My car wouldn't start, but the radio and wipers were live. If my 2003(53) car's wiring is fully off once the key is out, and the battery is only a couple of months old, is something else amiss?

T

9 minutes ago, solidtyre said:

My car wouldn't start, but the radio and wipers were live.

 

What was the battery voltage?
Radio and wipers will work at a voltage that will not start the car.
There is never a zero draw from the battery in the Yeti even with keys out.