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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Charging car battery

21 replies

CoffeenWalnut · 11/05/2019 15:22

and WWYD

DH left "on business" this morning before it was light. he'll be away ten days.
Got into my car to go food shopping - battery dead.

Went shopping by bus. That was fun.Not.
Lovely elderly neighbour saw me hauling the bags home so I explained what the problem was.
"Do you have a battery charger?" he asked
"I don't think so, and I wouodn't know how to use it even if I did."
"No problem I'll lend you mine and come and set it up."
Which he did. It took him a while as the battery in my car is not very accessible.

I'd sent DH a message, while I was on the bus to say "you won't believe this, but..."
He must have picked it up between connections and suggested that I call a friend for him to jump start it.
So I replied that the nighbour had but it on charge... since I had done the shopping now anyway.
Back came the reply.
"No!!!! Don't do that, it'll fry the electrics of the car".
I haven't replied. It's too late. The car is wired up to the machine and neighbour is coming back in the morning to unplug it and see me on my merry way.
What would you do?
If anyone has mechanical knowledge I'd appreciate the input, but this is also a "human" situation.
The neighbour has tried to help. I'm going to look like an ungrateful cow if I unplug it.... and presumably as the car won't be charged in the morning he will realise what I've done.
On the other hand if it does fry the electronics (car is a 10 year old petrol engined VW Fox, if that makes a difference: electric windows, but I don't know what else might be covered by by "fry the electronics) my DH is not going to be happy.....
Any helpful suggestions?
Thanks.

OP posts:
GeorgieTheGorgeousGoat · 11/05/2019 15:25

I’ve no idea but why would such a gadget exist if it was going to cause such damage? Confused

Backwoodsgirl · 11/05/2019 15:25

The charger is fine, absolutely no reason it would fry the electrics. Just don’t start it while it is plugged in

PrayingandHoping · 11/05/2019 15:29

lol charging it that way is completely safe!!

It doesn't take all night though, it'll easily start sooner. As soon as it does take it for a drive and then it'll be fine!

CleverCunt · 11/05/2019 15:30

I would say its the opposite that might be true. We've got a 6 year old car and when the battery went flat on that, the man that came out to start it said that if we'd tried jumping it from another car, we might have blown the sensor on the battery, so it was better to use his starter thing as that delivered a more 'gentle' power source. Obviously, i am not at all technical, (as you can tell), but i wouldn't panic yet about frying the electrics and as you say...it's too late now.

billhubbard · 11/05/2019 15:30

Sorry but your husband is an idiot , car will be fine , fry the electrics 🙄
Much better to charge battery than jump start it .

AlunWynsKnee · 11/05/2019 15:35

It's not charging at 240 volts. The charger steps it down to a little bit above the 12 volts needed.

AugustRose · 11/05/2019 15:36

That's what battery chargers are for! Have you noticed it taking longer to fire in the mornings, if it doesn't charge or does it again then you might need a new battery, especially if it's the same one you've had in the car for 10 years.

Reddedder · 11/05/2019 15:37

I’ve used my charger a few times and my car is completely fine. Your DH is an idiot. They wouldn’t be sold if it fried electrics.

TooTrueToBeGood · 11/05/2019 15:37

I'm with CleverCunt. I stopped giving or receiving jump starts years ago after frying an alternator for the second time. Battery charges don't give anything like the jolt a jump start can and are perfectly fine.

Original poster
CoffeenWalnut · 11/05/2019 15:44

"They wouldn’t be sold if it fried electrics."

That's what I thought - but DH generally knows his stuff which is what worried me when he was so categorical about not doing it.

I'll leave it as it is and report back when I get home tomorrow afternoon.

@AugustRose

No, no warning.... but it hadn't been started for nearly a week as I have been making an effort to cycle to work.
Made me wish I'd wimped out and gone by car on Thursday when it was raining - that way I'd have known there was a problem while DH was here to sort it.

OP posts:
AugustRose · 11/05/2019 15:49

Oh well it will probably be alright, just make sure your start it for a few minutes - even if you're not driving it - every couple of days. I know it's not great for the environment but it helps keep it charged.

Snoozysnoozy · 11/05/2019 15:50

What car, what type of charger?

Original poster
CoffeenWalnut · 11/05/2019 16:40

Car is a ten year old petrol engine VW Fox.
Charger is yellow: label says sh6 (I think).

Charging car battery
OP posts:
CannyLad · 11/05/2019 16:48

If your battery's not holding a charge you will need to replace it, but if you leave the car unused for longish periods you could invest in a solar trickle charger to keep it topped up.

PrayingandHoping · 11/05/2019 16:55

Of course it is possible you accidentally left an internal light on.... there may be nothing wrong with the battery.

RottnestFerry · 11/05/2019 17:03

Oh well it will probably be alright, just make sure your start it for a few minutes - even if you're not driving it - every couple of days. I know it's not great for the environment but it helps keep it charged

It not great for the environment and it's not great for the life of the car engine either. Most engine wear occurs within the first ten minutes of starting from cold.

SpoonBlender · 11/05/2019 17:18

DH is being a noddy. Charging in place is the norm and completely safe. Some cars (eg mine) you have to disassemble a bunch of things to even pull the battery out - and it locks the stereo and stuff if you do.

It'll take all day to charge up to full, by the way. At least 8 hours.

You can take it to a Kwikfit to get a free battery health check, other places no doubt do too. Unless the lights got left on or similar obvious pwer drain, having a battery go all the way down isn't great - you'll need a new one, or (if you're unlucky) a new alternator or other bit of the in-engine charging setup.

Tucobenedicto · 11/05/2019 17:26

How long have you had the battery? I would defo be looking to get a new one soon as it won't last much longer even with a charge..

prettyLittlefool · 11/05/2019 17:29

Your husband may be right. Some cars specifically do not work well with jump starts or battery chargers attached whilst the battery is insitu. It can damage the ECU.

Original poster
CoffeenWalnut · 12/05/2019 15:30

Car started first time when the neighbour came back at 8 a.m. and I drove a 50 mile round trip, so all good.

I can't see anything "wrong" with the electrics apart from needing to reset the clock which probably requires an A level in electronics.

Thanks for reassuring me yesterday.

OP posts:
Casympere · 16/12/2019 04:55

My DH also has worried about the safety of his car and its’ battery. That’s why he used to charge the battery with a charger or with the help of other cars very rare. But I think the other forum members are right: it's definitely safe for a battery.
Then the battery died after 4-years working, and we bought a new one (ours is EXP121000 if I’m not mistaken) which charges from the solar panel (it’s quite expensive, but after a few months you realize that bills are being lower). Surprisingly, but after switching he doesn’t worry about the safety of the car battery.

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