Car battery charging - solar panel huh?
Question:
For now I am going to try letting the engine idle every few days for a little bit to at least charge the battery a little bit.
Are there any other maintenance issues I should be aware of to increase the life of my battery and make sure nothing bad happens?
Thanks)
Answer:
these work pretty well, aren't expensive and are easy to install. Usually they simply plug into the lighter or 12vpower socket and you place it on the dash. keeps a low trickle charge to the battery. Google it.
If the car is inside you can buy a product called Battery Life Saver which keeps the charge topped off all the time. It plugs in. It sells for about $30.00. If the car is outside then you can use one of the RV battery chargers that plug into the cigar lighter socket and can be placed on the dash. They sell for about the same price.
http://www.batterylifesaver.com/battery-...
http://www.siliconsolar.com/solar-batter...
The little 10 watt panels you see for sale are pretty much worthless for charging car batteries. If you keep a good battery and don't make lots of half mile trips, don't worry. It would take months for your battery to die if everything was working right.
Don't lets the engine idle every few days. Nothing short of driving over an anti-tank mine is worse for your car than running for short periods like that. The exhaust and engine don't get hot enough to burn off the condensation and acids that form when you run the engine. Take it for a 10 mile drive once a week if you're worried about the battery.
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