Whoops

[davidgillon]

I realised yesterday that with Christmas and lockdown I hadn't been out in the car since the 20th - so pretty much three weeks. I decided I'd better give it a run and it was as well I did. I got out to the car to find that the last time I'd used it I'd left the solar charger I bought after killing a battery in Lockdown 1 face down in the passenger footwall, which doesn't do a lot for it's charging efficiency*. And when I turned the key there was a very distinctly laboured "whhhhhhrrrr" before the engine caught, so the charge was right on the edge of not being able to turn the starter.

But it did manage, so I took it out for a drive for a while to charge up the battery and I'll try and do it a couple of more times this week, but whoops, that was close.

* The idea isn't to charge the battery enough to use, but to keep enough charge flowing into it that I don't get cells dying, as has happened regularly in the past - that way the AA will just need to jump-start me, not sell me a new battery.

Comments

[jesse_the_k]

Brilliant idea to have a solar powered trickle charger -- prop it between the steering wheel and the dashboard next time.

[davidgillon]

That's where it's supposed to live, but I keep forgetting!

[green_knight]

Hurray for cars that start!

I've taken mine out last week, for the same reason, and it simply purred into existence - I am *so* impressed by this car, my last one had a flat battery every five minutes (3 different batteries in all!) so this is a very pleasant change.

I also had to lend my jump leads to a neighbour...

[davidgillon]

I'm certainly past three batteries, I may be past six. Admittedly I've had my car for 19 years, and I'm doing everything you shouldn't do with respect to batteries - don't use it much, and then leave it standing in the cold for weeks. The irony this time is in the past I've not been able to drive it at this time of year (historically it's been about now I've had batteries fail) because I've been visiting family over Christmas, but this year I've been here, and still not taken it out.

[alatefeline]

Good catch!