Battery trouble

[Steady Eddy]

I have a 2019 GT, manual, which is virtually fully loaded, magnaride, Recardo seats etc. It is only done 4000 klms. I do take it for runs to keep the battery charged. I had trouble starting it to other day - centre LED screen went blank and the motor barely turned over. Two questions. How long should the battery last and I leave it unlocked (no alarm on) in my locked garage, is there anything in the car that would draw current from the battery while in this state, as the battery is down the next morning?

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[Skye]

Reviewed several stories recently of the cyclone damage there. Hope you, family are OK.

Reads like you're coming up on 1) four years of + 2) infrequent use. It's certainly a good idea to get the battery checked out. Take it on a good drive or two and then have it checked at a shop.

If the car is not a Daily Driver, I think it's a good idea to install and use a battery tender.

Modern cars have a lot more electronics, do more monitoring and can perform reporting, even at rest.

My '08 truck just sits there; the manual says I should start and drive it at least once every six weeks. LOL. But the '22 car, needs more attention as it re-energizes, reviews and reports different bits of the car frequently.

A tender will keep the battery properly conditioned and help ensure it's long-term survival. You'll be changing batteries less while removing problems associated with a weakened unit. And if you can't take the car out to keep it topped up: fuggetaboutit; just keep it plugged in.

I've highlighted a few links and just one thread. Several threads here highlight how you can install the leads for the tender, allowing you to simply hock up when not in use.

https://www.ford.com/support/how-tos/search/Deep Sleep Mode/

https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/threads/trickle-charger-during-hibernation.182439/

Modern cars never quite shut off. After about two weeks of little to no use, the car goes into deep sleep, to save as much of the battery as possible. Even then, the battery is slowly discharging over time.

Several threads in the forum discuss battery tenders and give examples how to attach the leads permanently, so you can hock up when not driving.

For example, I've installed charging leads in such a way that the connection is external. When the car is not being driven, I just plug it in and walk away.

If you're not going to drive the car that often, it's best use a device of some type.

FYI: even after installing and using a tender, the car will still go to deep sleep. The advantage is, the tender is still there, 1) keeping the battery topped up and 2) "exercising" the battery, keeping the internals in the best shape possible.

 

[ORRadtech]

Bottom line is the way/amount you drive is virtually guaranteed to kill the battery.
Personally, I'm surprised it has listed this long.
The short trips you drive do very little to actually charge the battery. Modern cars with all the electronics and technology use most of the energy created while driving to power the car. Not much goes into recharging the battery. And since they constantly have some small drain the battery will never get a good charge with short drives.
Take your car and have the battery tested and whatever the result do as Skye suggests and get a battery tender/maintainer.

 

[skinnyb]

I agree with the above. I usually only take mine out once a week or so, sometimes only every 2 weeks. I learned with my previous vehicle to use a battery maintainer. I plug mine up every time I pull in the garage and everything stays nice and charged and ready to go. That said, when I do go out, I usually take a 200 plus mile road trip so that does help too. Sitting for long periods and taking short trips when you do drive is a recipe for a battery to go down quickly.

 

[Steady Eddy]

Reviewed several stories recently of the cyclone damage there. Hope you, family are OK.

Reads like you're coming up on 1) four years of + 2) infrequent use. It's certainly a good idea to get the battery checked out. Take it on a good drive or two and then have it checked at a shop.

If the car is not a Daily Driver, I think it's a good idea to install and use a battery tender.

Modern cars have a lot more electronics, do more monitoring and can perform reporting, even at rest.

My '08 truck just sits there; the manual says I should start and drive it at least once every six weeks. LOL. But the '22 car, needs more attention as it re-energizes, reviews and reports different bits of the car frequently.

A tender will keep the battery properly conditioned and help ensure it's long-term survival. You'll be changing batteries less while removing problems associated with a weakened unit. And if you can't take the car out to keep it topped up: fuggetaboutit; just keep it plugged in.

I've highlighted a few links and just one thread. Several threads here highlight how you can install the leads for the tender, allowing you to simply hock up when not in use.

https://www.ford.com/support/how-tos/search/Deep Sleep Mode/

https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/threads/trickle-charger-during-hibernation.182439/

THanks for the reply - I will replace the battery, which I thought was quite small for the amount of electronics. I do now have a maintenance charger which will be on from now on.

 

[Steady Eddy]

Bottom line is the way/amount you drive is virtually guaranteed to kill the battery.
Personally, I'm surprised it has listed this long.
The short trips you drive do very little to actually charge the battery. Modern cars with all the electronics and technology use most of the energy created while driving to power the car. Not much goes into recharging the battery. And since they constantly have some small drain the battery will never get a good charge with short drives.
Take your car and have the battery tested and whatever the result do as Skye suggests and get a battery tender/maintainer.

Thanks for your reply - I will replace the battery as I don't trust it anymore even if they say it is OK. It is 3-4 years old. I also have a maintenance charger now.

 

[Postal Bob]

I leave it unlocked (no alarm on) in my locked garage, is there anything in the car that would draw current from the battery while in this state, as the battery is down the next morning?

Yes!. Unless you actually lock the car, it's in a constant state of searching for the key fob, to be ready to start the car. Always lock the car, and keep the key fob away from where the car is parked.

 

[Steady Eddy]

Thanks for that - I didn't know that, but on thinking about it - that's logically. Am getting a new battery and have a maintenance charger for it.

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