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The battery in Mrs Spider's car has drained in the cold over the weekend.
Can it be re-charged or is it dead?
Maybe. But it's probably time for a new one.
Your could charge it up (or jump start it and take it for a drive to charge it) but more likely than not it if it wont hold it and youll have to do it again if the cold weather persists.
If its dead dead, and it was driven on friday, theres a problem elsewhere.
If the car lights up but its not cranking properly then yes, the cold can cause it, but it shouldnt be an issue so the battery might have had it, or there is a parasitic draw on the car somewhere.
is the battery the correct spec for the car/engine? you can get away with an underspecced one 11 months of the year.
Car was only driven a couple of times last week, and then not for long enough to put the charge back in after starting.
There is still some life in it, but not enough to turn over a cold engine.
Glad that we had a spare!
Car was only driven a couple of times last week, and then not for long enough to put the charge back in after starting.
Thats your problem right there - short journeys with full electrical load (heaters/headlights/rear demister etc) and not enough time to recharge fully.
Our Volvo does the same with MrsRNP stewardship - I have a massive 12v Leyland tank engine battery and jump leads for the when it happens. Battery is always fine after a good run or a spate on the trickle charger. Last battery lasted us 12 years and 185k miles
Slight hijack but has anyone any experience of those small solar powered jobbies that go on your dash, are they pants?
My T6 camper sits on the drive for weeks sometimes without use and I often get the smart charger on and leave it for a few hours but would one of those units provide enough of a charge to keep it usable all year round? That is what they claim.....
Not all year round. This time of year small solar panels have trouble keeping my pir garden lights charged.
Charge it, off the floor on a bit of cellotex or layers of cardboard
If you can do it on trickle for a day.
I have made batteries last through a cold spell by jamming a hot water bottle, in a fleecy cover, down the side of the battery.
Do it late evening, and wrap a fleece over both, yes its 5mins of faffage but i have always had cars start after doing this which is handy at early o clock when its below freezing
Just remember to remove the hwb before driving
Slight hijack but has anyone any experience of those small solar powered jobbies that go on your dash, are they pants?
We bought one for a car that we were having charge problems with to try and keep the new battery topped up through lockdown inactivity etc.
Didn't work at all - new battery also went flat. But before I bought it I did see a number of reviews saying they worked, so I may have been unlucky.
Car was only driven a couple of times last week, and then not for long enough to put the charge back in after starting.
If this is your regular use pattern then get a charger and use it every so often.
During lockdown, both our cars were being used too infrequently and for too short an average trip to maintain charge. Nothing wrong with the battery or car per se, simply not enough miles being covered for the car to charge whilst travelling. They both needed a monthly charge up from the mains.
Just gone and bought a charger.
We were fortunate that we had a spare charged battery, although having to swap it out at 6:30 this morning could have been better!
Will juice up the flat one tonight.
Cold kills them off.
You may find it eeeks out a little longer but!
Slight hijack but has anyone any experience of those small solar powered jobbies that go on your dash, are they pants?
We bought one for a car that we were having charge problems with to try and keep the new battery topped up through lockdown inactivity etc.
Didn’t work at all – new battery also went flat. But before I bought it I did see a number of reviews saying they worked, so I may have been unlucky.
Some modern cars isolate the 12v sockets when the ignition is off (so you can't drain the battery). However, this means you can't charge it from the socket either...
Cold kills them off.
Or rather it brings a dying battery to a head, it's been loosing capapcity for years, but you got away with it when it was warm.