Car battery advice please

[Grace212]

hi there
my father passed away and neither mum nor I are insured to drive dad's car - we don't want to get insured on it either.

in terms of keeping it ticking over before we decide what to do with it, I think the engine needs to be run for about 20 mins every other day. Mum thinks a couple of mins a couple of times a week will be fine! i think that's flat battery city!!

what wise MNers think? thanks.

You want to sit in a car not going anywhere with engine running for 20 minutes every other day?

I wouldn't like to be your neighbours but I would like to know what you would do when it runs out of fuel.

Maybe just sell the car?

I probably drive my car once every two weeks, if that, never start it inbetween and I've never had a flat battery.

yes gamer, the point is, my elderly bereaved mother is finding life hard enough without deciding to sell the car, but thanks for that input and consideration.

Planktween, how long do you drive the car? Thanks.

Probably about a 10 minute each way supermarket trip, not long at all. Also, if you haven't already, a car without insurance needs a sorn

www.google.com/amp/s/www.theglobeandmail.com/amp/globe-drive/culture/commuting/how-often-do-i-need-to-use-my-car-to-prevent-battery-death/article4490484/

Don't run the car. You wouldn't have to turn the engine over more than once a month normally, and even if the battery does go flat, you can easily re-charge it. My friend has a 'summer car' that he keeps in the garage all through winter, leaves it for 5 months of the year, then charges the battery and it starts up in Easter just fine. After having been in his garage since September. And that's a classic '80s sports car. How old's yours?

Planktween, thank you

the car is SORN, yes.

Leafy, thank you. The car is 20 years old. I'm hoping that we can make a decision in a couple of weeks - I'm not pushing mum to decide anything but she said herself today that it probably won't be an easier decision to make in 6 months etc.

Sorry for your and your mum's loss OP.

You can just start it for a few minutes every couple of weeks or so. But, if it ends up not being decided on what to do with the car very soon you might be better off disconnecting the battery. This is very easy to do, tells you how in the manual normally, but I'm sure someone you know will be able to help with this anyway.

Ideally it should be removed and kept in a warm place or wrapped in a sheet/blanket etc and stored in a shed or garage, particularly during the cold weather as cold runs a battery down quicker than warmth.

Is it possible to remove it and store it in a cupboard under the stairs or out the way in a bedroom/utility room? This would mean you/your mum don't even have to think about the car until you are ready and there is no chance of anyone stealing the car as it can't be started. If this happened you'd have to deal with police, insurance company etc and you don't want to have to do that.

Also, is the car not insured at all now? Even if it is SORN it is worth having a bit of insurance for damage caused by other people e.g. an uninsured driver/hit and run driver hitting it. Or if it is in a garage, in the unlikely event e.g. a bit of the roof falls in and damages the car it is useful to have suitable insurance for it. Or would your mum's house insurance cover it, might be worth checking in case it does get damaged.

{Ideally it should be removed and kept in a warm place or wrapped in a sheet/blanket etc and stored in a shed or garage, particularly during the cold weather as cold runs a battery down quicker than warmth.}

Do this. It takes about 20 minutes of fast running of the engine to replace what gets 'taken out' when starting the engine, particularly in cold weather.

As said, remove it completely and keep it in a shed or garage.
If you don't have a battery charger yourself, ask around now and arrange to borrow it for when you want to actually move the car.
Note that brakes and other bits will probably rust if left for more than a few weeks. Mine was parked for 6 months and apart from a totally flat battery it wouldn't move until the rust freed itself and then wouldn't stop, having got it moving either!

From what I know idling the car is illegal nowadays, I could be wrong though. (UK)