Battery problems
Discussion
Finally got into my Chimaera after the battery went flat(thanks for the tips!).
I only left the car in the garage for 6 days before it went flat. I've been told that the alarm uses alot of juice and you can only leave the car for a maximum of 10 days before it will run the battery flat! Is this so? And if so how do you cope with it as second car without having to go through the hassel of digging out the battery and jump starting it every time you want to go for a spin!!!!!
I only left the car in the garage for 6 days before it went flat. I've been told that the alarm uses alot of juice and you can only leave the car for a maximum of 10 days before it will run the battery flat! Is this so? And if so how do you cope with it as second car without having to go through the hassel of digging out the battery and jump starting it every time you want to go for a spin!!!!!
Seems to be a common Tiv characteristic! Three solutions come to mind:
fit an isolation switch which cuts off all the electrics. OK if its parked in a secure place but messes up the clock & radio settings.
use an intelligent charger such as Accumate which keeps the battery ever ready without cooking it.
drive it more often!
If its any consolation my Griff 500 does the same. Something - I've not worked out what yet - pulls about a quarter of an amp at rest.
Graham
fit an isolation switch which cuts off all the electrics. OK if its parked in a secure place but messes up the clock & radio settings.
use an intelligent charger such as Accumate which keeps the battery ever ready without cooking it.
drive it more often!
If its any consolation my Griff 500 does the same. Something - I've not worked out what yet - pulls about a quarter of an amp at rest.
Graham
This seems to be a bit of a perennial problem with Tivs that only get occassional use. Don't despair though because there are a number of things you can do to successfully get around the problem.
Number one - consider the use of a trickle charger (and I mean TRICKLE) fed through the cigar lighter. Ideally marry this up to a timer switch so that it charges once or twice a week whilst the car is not being used. The charger sits on the seat with the mains cable fed through gap between hood and window, allowing you to set the alarm as per normal.
Second option - you may want to investigate the use of an Optimate or an Accumate. These devices plug into the mains and are apparently more sophisticated than mere trickle chargers, monitoring the condition of batteries whilst applying charge when necessary.
In my experience complete discharge after only 6 days may be indicative of a failing battery (typical life on occassional use cars is around the three year mark) or you may have a current drain because of microswitches on boot/doors not fully closing.
Check out the following links www.shadowfax.co.uk/it050006.htm
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/shpub/battery.pdf
Hope this may be of some use
Regards Preston1990
Edited by preston1990 on Monday 5th November 21:52
Number one - consider the use of a trickle charger (and I mean TRICKLE) fed through the cigar lighter. Ideally marry this up to a timer switch so that it charges once or twice a week whilst the car is not being used. The charger sits on the seat with the mains cable fed through gap between hood and window, allowing you to set the alarm as per normal.
Second option - you may want to investigate the use of an Optimate or an Accumate. These devices plug into the mains and are apparently more sophisticated than mere trickle chargers, monitoring the condition of batteries whilst applying charge when necessary.
In my experience complete discharge after only 6 days may be indicative of a failing battery (typical life on occassional use cars is around the three year mark) or you may have a current drain because of microswitches on boot/doors not fully closing.
Check out the following links www.shadowfax.co.uk/it050006.htm
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/shpub/battery.pdf
Hope this may be of some use
Regards Preston1990
Edited by preston1990 on Monday 5th November 21:52
Couldn't agree with that more. You should get more than 6 days out of a fully charged battery - even locked with the alarm on. It may be that the battery is on its way out. My car was OK one day - then the battery died overnight and would not charge properly ever again. I really recommend the Optimate/Accumate route. See Leven Technology's website for details. They are 'intelligent' chargers - and they can be connected to the cigar lighter socket for simplicity - voila, no more dead batteries. As these are trickle chargers, they can take 3-4 days to fully recharge a completely flat battery. The beauty is, you can leave them connected and with the car locked and the alarm armed. The car is ready and waiting for when you want to use/abuse it.
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