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View Full Version : how long to drain your battery when parked?



ExtraSlow
05-14-2010, 04:08 PM
While trying to pinpoint a mysterious electrical draw in my car, a service tech at an alarm shop told me that some cars drain their batteries really fast, even when nothing is wrong. he used the example of a new Honda Civic. He said that they can't last more than a week parked without draining the battery and needing a boost.
Is this total bullshit? Vote in the poll.

And, how long does your car last?

I know older vehicles can last months, but newer ones have a constant draw, which limits their life.

Twin_Cam_Turbo
05-14-2010, 04:14 PM
I let my 92' sit for 3 weeks in minus 20+ and I have a teeny tiny 250CCA battery that is not in the best shape and I had no problem starting it. I think any vehicle that is working correctly should at the very minimum have a battery last 2 months.

Tik-Tok
05-14-2010, 04:17 PM
That just means their alarms are shitty and drawing too much power.

My '91 MR2 lasted months without a start or batt. charge, and turned just fine with the alarm armed. My '98 Subaru with a really cheap/shitty alarm/remote starter only lasted a week.

edit: I should mention, it was the SAME battery, I moved it from my MR2 to the Subie mid-winter.

Tarrantula
05-14-2010, 04:19 PM
My 2003 Civic used to last a LEAST a month being parked, and started NO problem.

Had a compustar, combo. alarm/starter. not to mention a huge system.

EDIT: I did have an oddessy battery with 1500cca's though.

Cos
05-14-2010, 04:29 PM
My 07 F150 (with an aftermarket alarm that flashes LED and active monitors all god damned day long) lasted over 15 days when I was out of town for work and using my work truck. Started perfect when I came back so I easily could have made 3 weeks.

What car is it? Anything installed? Anything electrical ever repaired?


Edit: Crappy tire 105CCA battery.

ExtraSlow
05-14-2010, 08:16 PM
The car is a 2007 mazda3, and the only aftermarket thing is the Computstar alarm.
It`s done this on two different batteries, so I`m pretty sure it`s drawing more than it should, either from the alarm, or from something else.
The dealership and my alarm shop disagree about the problem, big surprise.

AE92_TreunoSC
05-14-2010, 08:21 PM
Cars are supposed to last 2 weeks without starting on a full charge. Newer vehicles especially are supposed to have a very minimal parasitic draw of 50mA or less.

You can measure the parasitic draw with a ammeter, hook it inline with your battery's ground terminal cable and leave it connected for 4 hours without opening doors or anything.

2EFNFAST
05-14-2010, 09:26 PM
he's right about the different cars thing. Corvettes EAT batteries for example.

wintonyk
05-14-2010, 09:41 PM
Originally posted by 2EFNFAST
he's right about the different cars thing. Corvettes EAT batteries for example.

I was thinking about this when I opened the thread. I think it was the 06 or 07 corvettes that you had to leave in reverse otherwise the battery would drain overnight.

AE92_TreunoSC
05-14-2010, 09:42 PM
Originally posted by 2EFNFAST
he's right about the different cars thing. Corvettes EAT batteries for example.

because they hunt for key fobs if I recall, its kinda stupid the price we pay for convenience...

Mixalot27
05-15-2010, 12:32 AM
My mom has an 09 Civic and she went away for over a month this winter, and the car still started no problem.

I have an 08 Civic and have went two weeks without problem starting.

DeeK
05-15-2010, 12:46 AM
Different cars draw at different rates of course.

I had a battery drain issue myself.
Car would die in 16 hours if not driven, I had to boost the car almost every time I drove it. Took it to a dedicated electrical shop, they told me that "it's totally normal, and then charged me for an hour labour to "charge my battery". I told them where to go, grabbed my keys and left.

Took it to my regular mechanic. Turned out to be a faulty relay drawing too much power. My car now lasts about 6 weeks before needing to be charged to start.

So yes. There you go. Electrical shops are retarded. Just find a person that knows plenty about your exact car model.

Grogador
05-15-2010, 12:56 AM
Bicycle ftw, muthabitches!

AndyL
05-15-2010, 06:39 AM
Well lets see - started the wave yesterday - first time in 2 months...

Wifes toyota never seems to get 20 minutes of peace - so unknown - when we first got it however it sat in the garage for close to a month while I did repairs without being started... Never needed a boost / top up.

POS old truck - has gone 2-3 months easy without a restart (it's big dual deep cycle batteries though).

New truck - I'm rather worried about since the clock glows bright whenever it's shut off... But it's done 2-3 day stints pretty easy...

ExtraSlow
05-15-2010, 09:00 AM
Well, sounds like a pretty strong consensus, something it wrong.
Now if only I could get my alarm shop, the dealership, and the dealerships alarm shop to agree what it is . . .

I'm pretty sure I'm being jerked around, but I don't know who's doing it. No matter what, this should be under warranty, but the dealership blames the alarm, my alarm guys blame the car, and the dealerships alarm guy is a retard.
Good times.

FiveFreshFish
05-15-2010, 10:08 AM
Have a look at the alarm specs and see what the current drain is listed at.

Swank
05-16-2010, 10:35 AM
My '07 civic has had the battery replaced twice, a lot of the factory ones are trash. I haven't let it sit more than a couple of days with my energizer, but the factory Honda ones wouldn't get me past about 5 days.

badatusrnames
05-16-2010, 10:45 AM
My 300ZX sat from November to April in the garage and started no problem after six months...