How often should I start my car to prevent my battery from draining?

**dr. d** · October 14th, 2014 10:16 AM

my suggestion...
price of battery, divide by number of months warranty, equals cost per month.
then you'll see just how expensive some batteries are..

**red_one** · October 14th, 2014 10:43 AM

^check out the Amaron battery thread.

http://tsikot.com/forums/electricals...battery-87052/

**jmpet626** · October 14th, 2014 03:22 PM

Gamit ko Deltran Battery Tender with OBD Port Cable para sa 3 cars namin na sobrang bihira magamit. Much cheaper in the long run instead of running the engine to charge the battery.

**bmacavanza** · October 14th, 2014 04:03 PM

I will recommend start engine and drive your car everyday.

I am more worried of the thin oil in the cylinder walls. If this dries up, the cylinder walls have premature wearing.

You will also require frequent oil change intervals.

Besides, vehicles are not design for storage.

**jick.cejoco** · October 14th, 2014 04:21 PM

If your concern is battery getting discharged for inactivity of the car, purchase a solar battery trickle charger of at least 1 ampere of charging capacity connected to your battery.

Posted through phlpost.gov.ph

**jick.cejoco** · October 14th, 2014 04:23 PM

If your concern is battery getting discharged for inactivity of the car, purchase a solar battery trickle charger of at least 1 ampere of charging capacity connected to your battery.

Posted through phlpost.gov.ph

**jick.cejoco** · October 14th, 2014 04:28 PM

If your concern is battery getting discharged for inactivity of the car, purchase a solar battery trickle charger of at least 1 ampere of charging capacity connected to your battery.

Posted through phlpost.gov.ph

**red_one** · October 14th, 2014 05:28 PM

If battery is healthy, you can leave the car untouched for 2 months and battery will still have enough charge to start the engine.

Driving the car on weekends (30-60 minutes) is enough to charge the battery. Higher RPM will charge the battery faster. Highway driving is ideal. City driving with stop-and-go traffic will take longer.

Idling wastes too much fuel for too little battery charge that you're better off not starting the engine. Note that by starting the engine, you are draining battery power again.

Alternator produces little power during idle (low RPM). It will power up the car computer, sensors, fuel pump, spark plugs first. Only excess power goes to charging the battery.

If car will be unused for extended period of time, a battery tender/maintainer or smart/automatic battery charger would be very useful. Easy to use, it will keep your battery at full charge until your next drive.

http://tsikot.com/forums/electricals...charger-98688/

**dr. d** · October 14th, 2014 08:01 PM

Originally Posted by jmpet626

Gamit ko Deltran Battery Tender with OBD Port Cable para sa 3 cars namin na sobrang bihira magamit. Much cheaper in the long run instead of running the engine to charge the battery.

how much po?

**Sprinterspear** · November 14th, 2017 07:51 PM

Car batteries drain over a period of time. While it should be fine over a month, the key is to make sure it is charged enough to offset the drain. Some install trickle chargers but that might not be possible in a condo. As long as you take it on a reasonable drive every other week to top it up, it should be ok. If not, then you will need to install a battery isolator to save you from having to repeatedly remove and reinstall the line leading to the battery terminal.

Originally Posted by muddatrucker

I recently moved to a condo that's walking distance from my office so I hardly use my car anymore except on weekends. I was wondering, is once a week enough to prevent my battery from being drained or should I start/drive it around more often?

I have a 2008 Ford Focus (diesel) if that makes a difference.