All Things Mk5 > How to Guides / Troubleshooting

Battery

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Butler:
My car lives outside and does not get run very often but how long should it be left before the battery goes flat....? i fully charged it and had it tested and it was all fine but i`m not using it alot at the moment.....

grey golfster:
Because of my work rotas, my ed  regularly sits for 2 weeks at a time, often for 3 weeks parked in an outdoor compound without any problems. If your electrics are in good shape, yours sould do similar. Give it a good run every 2 weeks or so, or get a maintenance charger on it some how.

That said,  I did have a new battery this autumn, changed it as soon as the original showed any sign of hesitation on cold startup.

I've other cars that stand a bit, a boat and scooter too, and i use Maplins solar trickle chargers/conditioners to keep the batteries in reasonable shape, for longer. You can get a reasonable quality item, about 0.5 A i think, for about £25 when they are on offer. Dont bother with the real cheap ebay tat, they don't last... especially with the solar panel outdoors 24/7. Mine all have lasted several years, even on the boat near salt water. They will charge ok with the panel inside the car, if you're worried about security, but try to get thepanel aligned properly with the sun once you've parked up. That makes a massive difference to output from the panel.

Some how i don't fret as much with the battery not connected ti the mains permanently, and of course mains is not always doable.
I did use a solar charger on the ed originally, but now not needed.

grey golfster:
Sorry, to be clearer...

The ed used to sit 2 weeks ok, no charger...it showed signs of battery failing, so new battery.

Now often sits outside for 3 weeks, no charger. All fine.

Butler:
Thats makes sense but how long is a good run....? stop start shorter runs actually runs the battery down...?

JohnW:
A 30 min drive should be ok. But I'd recommend Ctek maintenance chargers if your car is parked up near to power. I use them on my cars when not in use and can't fault them.

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