Maintaining Car Battery in Winter

[Sleepy Pete]

Hi all, I'm just looking for a little advice please.

I hardly ever use my car recently but need it to be ready to use in case of emergencies. So, as you would expect, the battery has packed in. I'm about to fit a new one and to prevent damaging that one, I'd like to know your opinion on...

Roughly how much should I drive my car to keep the battery in good condition?

e.g. is 15 mins once a week enough?

[shorod]

Welcome to the forum!

There are a few options for you. Driving the car for 15 minutes once a week is probably sufficient, but that assumes those 15 minutes do not involve stopping at red lights every other block, running the heater and blower fan on full speed, using your headlights, and running a heated seat. Those electrical loads, combined with starting the engine, will not give the alternator much chance to get a good charge on the battery in that 15 minute drive. Plus, if the weather is nasty, crumpling in a fender or two also will not do the car any favors.

But, getting the fluids circulating and up to temperature is better on the engine than if the car just sat stationary for a few months at a time without being started.

Assuming you don't have a need to drive at least 15 minutes once a week and your primary concern is keeping the battery ready in the event you need to go somewhere, you could use a battery maintainer or even a trickle charger to keep the battery charged up during storage. You would just need to make sure you remember to unplug the charger/maintainer before driving off.

You'd also want to check the tires every few weeks to make sure they are properly inflated per the car manufacturer's recommendation which can often be found on a sticker in the driver's door jamb or behind the fuel cap door.

-Rod

[maxwedge]

Not a fan of occasional starts during storage, these can cause more engine wear than regular use. How about a battery tender if power is available.

[Siene George]

Maintaining car battery is an often a concern for every car owner. Often the car battery goes down during the cold season. My battery is almost three years old and last time we done a CCA ( cold cranking power test). This measures the amount of power the battery can produce for a half a minute when the temperature is 0 degree Fahrenheit. It is always recommended to protect your battery from freezing temperature and for that you can park your vehicle in a garage.