Hadn't been out in weeks, decided to go to the store today

[captain queeg]

Car battery was dead. Probably won’t happen to many people but it might be a good idea to go out and start you car periodically and let it run for awhile.

[RockRaven]

1. Just yesterday my local paper had a blurb reminding people to start their car every 2 weeks or so...

I should start keeping track of that, probably.

[ProfessorGAC]

7. If You're Battery Is Old...

...weekly is likely a way better plan. Run for 15-20 minutes and done.
When I was working I had an old car for winter time. But the convertible in the garage had a 5 year old battery.
I went 2-3 weeks without starting it and I couldn't start it to get out the garage to let it run. Had to charge it for 3 hours to get it to start.
After that, it was Wednesday morning and Saturday afternoon until winter ended. Then I put a new battery in it.

[Wounded Bear]

31. Just had to replace my battery...

Yes it was old, I've had the car 4-5 years and the battery came with it. No idea how old it is.

Last few months, it's been acting up a bit, just a little bit hard to start, won't crank vigorously. The usual. One day, I came out and it wouldn't turn over. Luckily, it failed at home, not on an errand somewhere.

Finally replaced it just before the CV crisis. Funny thing, it even runs better now. I guess not having to charge that old battery while on the road and it's actually a bit more responsive.

So, yeah, people should keep an eye on this. Most of us run our vehicles at least several times a week. Keep in mind that especially in newer cars, there are always things draining small amounts of current from the battery, keeping all that fancy electronics alive.

[underpants]

2. Good idea.

[woodsprite]

3. I have a friend who has been going out in her driveway with her young kids and

going on a pretend trip. She asked them where they wanted to go last night, and they say daycare.

[elleng]

5. ;-(

[zackymilly]

11. Ha! You know it's bad when kids want daycare! n/t

[elleng]

13. They miss their friends,

as do we all.

[zackymilly]

14. I'm unsociable. I told my wife she's gonna have to hire pallbearers for my funeral! n/t

[cilla4progress]

6. Hugs to your friend

and her kids!!

[BeckyDem]

21. aww

[SWBTATTReg]

4. Ha ha heh...sorry, I am not laughing at your predictament, I just never happen to think about ...

this either, so thanks for reminding me to go out and start my car too. I hadn't even thought about it, being that we all have a lot of different things on my minds now a days.

Hopefully you got a charger for your car, or you have AAA. Best of wishes and be safe!

[mercuryblues]

8. Not only start it

but take it around the block and give the tires a spin.

[Rorey]

12. Little drives can lift our moods too

I try to get out every few days now.

[Raine]

9. I've been starting mine every few days

otherwise the battery goes dead really fast.

[marble falls]

10. My car is covered in Cedar and Oak pollen. I hope it doesn't get towed as abandoned!

[gristy]

15. Just disconnect the battery cable.

That will solve the problem of a trickle current discharging your battery.

[Blue_true]

19. For many people, that task is more complicated than you believe.

They can even get hurt or get batter pole residue on their skin.

My suggestion would be for people to buy a portable battery charger. They are inexpensive and easy to use for even those who are not mechanically adept.

[stopdiggin]

24. true. and a great invest for emergency

(and helping out other unfortunates) .. but also true that it isn't a good idea to allow your battery to become totally drained. Most mechanics will tell you that starting the vehicle every few days is actually better for the car overall.

(always kind of wondered why there wasn't a manual "disconnect" switch factory installed somewhere under the hood .. rather than having to pull the battery cables?)

[Blue_true]

34. The battery connection was designed to be one of the simplest things on a vehicle,

incidentally, modern battery setups are somewhat more complicated that those from 40, or even 20 years ago.

I guess a way to auto-disconnect a battery could be developed, but that would seem to be a complicated design. I guess even if it is complicated, if it works well, the average person would benefit, until a mechanic has to fix a broken one.

[BamaRefugee]

26. Unfortunately the alarm won't function, could be important if you have a desirable car that's parked

in public or even only semi-private.

[Wounded Bear]

32. And reset all the presets on the radio, etc...

There are numerous 'keep alive' circuits on modern vehicles. It's only a few milliamps, but over time it adds up.

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

16. That doesn't usually happen unless it has been particularly cold

In Maine here. It's been warm enough over the last month that dead battery isn't very likely. We have a car battery charger just in case too, but that takes like a day to charge.

[Blue_true]

17. One of the best investments a person can make is on one

of those portable battery chargers and you can charge at an electrical outlet. They hold a charge pretty well after being charged, so much so that it is a good idea to put it in the trunk in areas that are rough on batteries. It can be taken out and refresh charged once per month.

[mr_lebowski]

29. Those are great, but you're not referring to a charger but rather a portable jump starter

it sounds like.

I have one. The big heavy kind w/real batteries in it, not some USB-charged BS. Those are garbage as one might expect by their size.

Another investment I made is a 'kill switch' on my battery to disconnect the positive terminal.

My car drains the battery within a few days due to a design defect (thanks Acura!) with the BT/handsfree unit.

So I've been 'unplugging' my car after each use. AND I have the jumper.

I also use when I leave town for a few days w/o the car.

[Blue_true]

35. Yes, a jump starter.

One time I went for a cross-country business trip by air. Because the airport had insufficient parking at that time, I had to give my car to a person who was acting as a parking attendant. I had a car that had the multi-set light switches, the attendant apparently didn't understand that he should have just left it where I had it set. At any rate, I came back a week later to a totally dead battery at midnight. Fortunately the jump starter was in my trunk with a full charge on it. So, they can be handy.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

18. Thanks for the reminder. Just went out and did it.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

20. Best to take them out for a spin from time to time....

to drive condensation out of the engine, keep bearings lubricated and deposits from forming in the fuel system (be sure to check your tire pressure).

Also smart to put a fuel stabilizer additive like Sta-Bil in your tank once or twice a year, and NEVER buy off-brand gasoline.

Lead-acid car batteries must be periodically charged by driving or using a charger because they will self-discharge (and self-destruct) in storage. I also use a desulfating charger on all mine every few months which has avoided buying new batteries for a long time.

Doing those things should prevent some very expensive tow-in and repair shop visits in the future....

[BeckyDem]

22. Good advice. I like to take a little drive now and then.

Most places are quiet, except for grocery store parking lots. It is surreal out there, then I come back to my now very quiet street.

[sir pball]

23. That's not effective unless you idle for an hour or more

Scott concluded that this means that with all the lights, HVAC and other electronic toys off, you’re sure to have enough current left over to put some charge back into that battery. How long it will take to charge will depend on the battery capacity and how depleted it was when you started. If the battery was completely dead, getting it back to full charge might take four hours or more.
-------------------------------------
So, while idling will recharge your battery, there’s a catch: you have to commit to a pretty long idling session for it to make any sense. Starting your car, as you can imagine, uses a lot of energy, so if you’re only planning to idle your car for, say, 15 minutes or so, you’ll actually be losing more energy than you gain.

Overall, our engineer felt that while idling can recharge your battery, it’s not the most efficient way to do it. The smartest thing to do would be to actually disconnect the battery from the car, by removing the ground cable from the battery’s negative terminal. Or, the positive, I suppose, or both. Just unplug it, is the point, which is exactly what Scott informed us they do with the test cars where he works.

https://jalopnik.com/heres-the-deal-with-idling-your-coronavirus-sidelined-c-1842586603

[Wounded Bear]

33. Yeah, 10-15 minutes at highway speeds at least...nt

[zeusdogmom]

25. I pop Zeus Dog in the back seat and we go for a ride every 3 or 4 days

No place in particular - just a ride out into the country and around some sub divisions. Especially pretty now as trees are beginning to leaf out with that incredible baby green mist. Daffodils everywhere. There might or might not be a run thru McDonalds for a cheeseburger. 😁 I think Zeus can recognize the Golden Arches.

We will get thru this people. It's not easy and it sure as heck isn't pretty. I know there are many who are truely suffering. And we are all scared of the known and unknown. Both are scary. Reach out as you can. At the end of the day focus on at least one thing that made you smile, cry if you have to, and do it all over again tomorrow.

And now since Zeus and I have both had a walk and supper, it is back to the sewing room. Making masks for our beloved zoo keepers and anyone else in my circle of friends who might want or need some. I have an embarrassing stash of quilting fabrics being put to very good use right now. See - there is a silver lining to this 💩

[BamaRefugee]

27. Same thing here. I use my seldom used truck for all kinds of errands and stuff now.

[customerserviceguy]

28. Good reminder!

Even a few trips around the block would help. And gasoline is cheap enough these days, at least it is here.

[dem4decades]

30. Took my wife for a ride today, went and got some pet food at an Agway the next town over.

They offer curb side service. She hasn't been out of the house since mid March, it was a nice ride. Things seemed normal for an hour today. Maybe we'll go fishing next week.

[captain queeg]

36. As has been mentioned you really ought to go out for a 20 minutes drive

I’d gone out last week and started it and idled 10-15 minutes but today it was dead as a door nail. The electric key lock wouldn’t even work. Jumped it for about 10 minutes and it started, then I drove to a grocery store about 20 miles away on the freeway. I was a little worried coming out with groceries but it started right up then another freeway drive home. I’ll go out for a little drive every couple days. Gives me an excuse to get out of the house beyond just going for a walk.

My son came over and jumped me. He said they’re pretty sure one of his friends has the virus but he’s 19 and weathering it pretty well. Still can’t get tested if you aren’t real sick but the guys dad is a doctor so I imagine they know what they are doing. He makes the third acquaintance I know that has the virus.

[Ilsa]

37. Also, gasoline ages from what I've been told.

I'm not sure how long a tank of gas can sit, but some websites suggest that it begins to go bad at around 30 days because the system isn't airtight. A fuel stabilizer might be appropriate to manage the oxidation..