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.
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.
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...
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