Thread: Is anyone else finding their battery flat after 5 days just sitting in the garage?

Originally Posted by Numb Thumbs

My starter battery regularly goes flat with the car just sitting in the garage, usually double locked. I get in the car and the dash has a low battery warning, "Start the Engine" and the car only just starts.

Anyone else have this issue? I have to put the battery on a charger via the Anderson plug at the rear every few day or the starter battery goes flat.

Cheers
Numb Thumbs

Not the same car, or to quite the same extent, but with both my MY10 D4 and RRC, I find voltage dropping visibly from the stabilised 12.6 within a few days - and both have newish dual batteries.
I've arranged a small north facing solar panel (30W from memory?) on the outside wall of the garage and just leave the alligator clips attached to the battery of whichever car is in there. No problem charging here in sunny Fremantle, and it didn't take many drive offs before I now remember (by leaving the bonnet up in the interim) to first disconnect. Sounds like a hassle but its a simple solution until the original problem is resolved - if ever.

I have driven off a couple of times with solar panels attached to the Auxiliary battery in the car... Very embarrassing as you drive off trailing the panel, then stop to detach it and then take it back to where it was supposed to be...

Cheers
Numb Thumbs

'Tis why I always put the panel protective cover on the driver seat. Have seen a few mishaps at camps.

Our D4 was the same short trips and sitting around did the batteries no favours,had to charge them fully every month or so.
Bonnet left open so no drive offs,but vehicle won’t lock with bonnet up which is a real pain as ours was outside under a carport.

I also used to keep the Traxide SC80 turned off as well,to help conserve the battery power,fitted a switch in the earth wire.

mine was about 3 weeks, have since connected to solar panels and through trailer plug, now have a traxide fitted and goes through anderson plug

The latest instalment....

Well, it has been interesting. I have had all sorts of weird things going on electrically - just like the earthing stud problem, but I have the new earth stud. The latest one, I checked the Voltage - 12.75 - started the car and drove for 45 minutes out to the airport. I parked in the Park and Call area and turned the engine off. After one song on the stereo, the music stops and a message appears on the dash - Battery Voltage Low - Start Engine. I start the engine - and it groans a few times and finally manages to start - and sit for 40 minutes, waiting, with the engine running.

I have even had the engine not restart in traffic after the auto start stop had stopped it. That was interesting!

I took it to the dealer today. They had a play and decided that the battery had a flakey cell. They replaced the battery - my third in 18 months - so I will see how things go.

We are off camping for Easter and then a week or so later, we have a 6 week outback trip, so I hope it is fixed!

Cheers
Numb Thumbs