Airport Parking / Battery Life

[uniblue]

Hi, I am going away for 17 days and have decided to drive to the airport and leave my car there ( taxis are expensive on Boxing day at 4 30 am ). If I used the remote to lock my car would it drain the battery? If I use the key would the imobilizer still activate? The battery is only 18 months old and never gives any trouble even on frosty mornings. Thanks, Barry

[RN3212]

It should be OK.I left mine for 14 days last year,during temps of -6,and it started first time.

[JohnDotCom]

You can always buy a UV trickle charger from Maplins,
some have had problems after that length of time, but I haven't personally and been left for longer.

[jamesgreen]

hi
i work for the aa.the amount of times i go to cars where people are surprised they have a flat battery after 10 days is crazy.
the battery is a storeage vessel of energy to start the engine on your car but if you dont use this energy and recharge it (via the alternator) then it will be consumed by the car.
a 0.05amp drain on your battery will kill it in 17 days.this is the absalobte maximum drain i would be looking for on an inistial inspection of a car electrical systym.
so be be prepared when you get back to the airport to call your breakdown agent in.
to help with the situation you could try disconnecting the negitive side of the battery but this will disarm your alarm so your insurance would be invalid (possibly)
and dont be tempted to take a set of jumpleads to use just in case because this procedure can also cause a lot of damage to the cars ecu ect ect

james

[bl52krz]

have you not got a friend to take you to the airport?
you could then leave a trickle charge going to the battery.

[DerekS]

hi
i work for the aa.the amount of times i go to cars where people are surprised they have a flat battery after 10 days is crazy.

and dont be tempted to take a set of jumpleads to use just in case because this procedure can also cause a lot of damage to the cars ecu ect ect

james

So Please.. how do you start the cars then ? Remove battery , then jump leads to charge it ? Push it ??? :shrug:

[Departed 32016]

You can always buy a UV trickle charger from Maplins,
some have had problems after that length of time, but I haven't personally and been left for longer.

i have a trickle charger solar powered if you want one, i have a spare that I can put on the for sale page...

[Dragrad]

i have a trickle charger solar powered if you want one,
I agree - a worthwhile investment. It will keep the battery in condition for a long time. Only thing to ensure is that the tricle charge rate is higher than the car's consumption rate.

[billcoleman]

I frequently park at Heathrow and Gatwick and have left my car parked for up to 3 weeks at a time without any issues.

I am pretty sure that the car electrics go into sleep mode (controlled by the BCU) to preserve the battery when it is parked-up. I know that this happens because if I try to save my phone numbers on my Parrot Bluetooth Adapter, when I get back after a few days, it has lost its memory because the power goes to sleep.

Anyway, provided you use a reputable car park (such as BAA), I believe that they are prepared for people with flat batteries and have an on-site jump-starting pack.

Bill C

[Parker]

I went to Oz for a month 10 years back had a Ford Focus at the time parked it up said bye and on my return jumped in turned the key and off to go certainly lost no battery power that impeded turning over the engine ? :shrug:

[Dave Goody]

Regularly leave mine at airports for 3 weeks with no problems:shrug:

[JohnDotCom]

I think a lot depends on outside Temperatures,
Condition of Battery in question and age.
Whether you have a "Full" alarm system with inside monitoring etc.
What level of Goodies fitted and what doesn't shut down.
Some get away with it some don't.
If you have the high line system and battery goes flat you could well finish off your sat Nav Computer.
A trickle charger is so cheap and will prevent any possible problems, the obvious answer if you are not sure.

[capese21]

I have left my ZTT for 6 weeks before and it started first go on my return.

A work colleague returned to his car (Volvo C30) after 6 months in the work car park and it started with out a problem. It is a diesel so may have a big capacity battery.

The Rover 75 battery is rated at around 75Ah. The quiescent current is around 12ma so with my limited maths that says 26 days, so about 3.5 weeks before it is flat. As long as it is in good condition and fully charged!


Ed.

[uniblue]

Thanks for all the replys. I have been to Maplins and bought a solar trickle charger so fingers crossed will not need AA man at 7 00 AM on the 11th of Jan. After being in the high 80s for 2 weeks I am sure that the Manchester cold will soon get through to me without the hassle of waiting for the very nice man. Thanks again, Barry

[capese21]

Remember the 12v cigar lighter socket is not connected when the ignition is off.

[uniblue]

Hi Capese21, I have checked the cigar lighter socket. If I push the lighter in without the keys in the ignition and then lock the doors with the key it still works. If it works this way then I do not see a problem. If anyone knows differant then please let know. Thanks, Barry

[StevenWilliams]

If you were flying from Gatwick I'd say leave the car with me and I'll drive you.. I'm only down the road.

[Bernard LPG]

If you were flying from Gatwick I'd say leave the car with me and I'll drive you.. I'm only down the road.

I bet you wouldn't offer to look after my MG if I fly from Gatwick. :D

[StevenWilliams]

I bet you wouldn't offer to look after my MG if I fly from Gatwick. :D


Bet I would...:D

I'd have to charge a handling fee.. Say 5 mins on the motorway..

[capese21]

Hi Capese21, I have checked the cigar lighter socket. If I push the lighter in without the keys in the ignition and then lock the doors with the key it still works. If it works this way then I do not see a problem. If anyone knows differant then please let know. Thanks, Barry

On my 03 reg ZTT the cigar lighter socket is not live when ign is off. If your`s is then you will be ok, worth checking though.

Ed.:)

[uniblue]

Thanks Capese21, already checked and it does work. I have a 53 reg tourer coni cdti se and do not know much about it but I have checked this out and it does work. Thanks again, Barry

[capese21]

I just checked mine again and you are right the cigar lighter socket is always live. I was thinking of the accsesory socket in the centre console on my car that is switched on the key.

I am certain your car will start after a few weeks parked as mine always does and with your solar charger it definately should.

Let us know how you get on.

Ed.:)