Battery life.

[Harvy500]

Around 13 to 14 months ago I fitted a new battery.
Now, when the cars parked, standard alarm set and internal Nextbase dash cam plugged it but only activated by a bump or knock. That doesn't happen.
From a good drive and park up, leave it 2 weeks and it should start.
3 weeks left standing, (3 weeks and 3 days since I last drove it). Right now, the cars dead.
Is it simply the Griffith alarm is thirsty to the point the battery loses quite a bit of start up ooommph?
Should i dig out the receipt from Halfords and get another. Seems to remember it had a 3 year guarantee.
Or, will a new one die as quickly?
Yes, my alternator is working.

[BritishTvr450]

Standard practice with alarms fitted to TVR of the era.

When I used my car almost daily for many years the battery stayed healthy and never failed.
The moment I left the car stood for usually 3 weeks with alarm activated it would drain the battery.
The secret is to use a trickle charger or dis connect the battery as even without using the alarm there tends to be a parasitic drain associated with the interior lighting circuit.
So in answer to your question it’s probably the car rather than the battery.
It might be worth using an intelligent pulse repair charger but if it’s been drained to zero probably unlikely to ever be quite the same again.

[Harvy500]

I agree. Right now I can't run a trickle charger to my car.
We are moving home soon then I can and will.
In the meantime, as again l, I'd agree, current discharged battery won't be as good as it could be. I'll grab a new battery and just be mindful to start the car at least once a week.
House move is imminent so that won't last for long.

[Loubaruch]

My battery bought in 2008 has just failed due to me leaving it on charge overnight and boiling. I cannot complain though as 16 years is fair enough.
As BTV said the internal light relay ( yellow one) can be faulty also the Meta alarm drains a fair amount on standby.
If you can install a battery cut off switch you will not need to have a trickle charger. My car has only ever been on the road from March to November and has only been given the occasional charge so has stood for several months without attention but has never failed to start in the Spring when fired up.

[nigelj77]

Harvy500, if you don't have power in your garage you could look into a solar powered charger, they're not hugely expensive and should be capable of keeping your battery topped up.

[Belle427]

You should get at least 5 years from a modern quality battery if looked after, i normally go for Varta as they have been great for me.
Conditioners do help a lot if you can use them, saves having to start the car every few weeks which can cause its own problems.

[NiaLaurie]

Before I had a garage my Griff used to drain very fast. I installed a battery isolator (from a chandlers) in the passenger footwell and hidden above the upper carpet section. The worked well. Battery lasted much much longer. Later I also fitted a modern alarm system with much less drain. Now I keep it on trickle charge anyway as its good for the battery if one does not use the car that often.

[Toffer]

I get around six years from a Bosch battery that has a five year guarantee, when not in use, the Griff is garaged and the battery connected to an intelligent float charger. Hope this is helpful. :-)