To remind you to turn your car over every now and then

[DuckyMcDuck]

Friend's DH works for a breakdown company and they're getting loads of calls to dead batteries from cars that are only being started once in a while when people need to go shopping.

Sorry, didn't mean to enable the blasted vote.

Thank you YANBU

Also, if you're leaving it parked up for a length of time, leave it in gear and take the handbrake off otherwise it will seize on.

Ok. My car is on its roof now

What do next?

@araiwa

No! Starting up the car from time to time could actually make things worse and drain a battery that's weak.

@araiwa
I'll give you my friends DH's number!

Don't just start it. The drain to start a car is quite significant, you need to actually drive it.

Also a reminder to those who park in residents parking streets without allocated slots, please check your car isn’t taking up 2 spaces, can easily happen when you don’t move it for a few days while others are moving around you :)

Put it on a trickle charge if you can to maintain the battery.

Yes my mechanic told me to start and drive for at least ten mins, just starting it and turning it off kills your battery.

Yes, by turn over, I meant go for a short drive.

I’m not strong enough!

It’s too heavy. Sorry.
#jokesbeendoneiknow

I started a thread yesterday asking if I should taket my car for a drive and got mostly short shrift! [big grin]

Would it be good or bad to turn on the ignition and leave it running for 10 mins in the driveway? I don't need or want to drive anywhere, but don't want to be left with no transport for disabled DH in emergency.

If you drive to a shop at least once a week (to a shop that's further than just around the corner), then in this weather your battery won't drain unless it has pre-existing issues.

Oooh, is it like the eggs being turned over once a week to keep them fresh??!!

Mine hasn't been started for nearly 2 weeks now. We used DH's car on the one occasion we went out and I've no intention of moving it if I don't have to as I've got a parking space outside my house for once!

When my battery died in the driveway, the engineer said that short journeys / just turning it on for a bit drain the battery - you need to do a journey of 30+ min at a reasonable speed to recharge it. Batteries can eventually die if the car is only used for short journeys.

No idea if that's true, but that's what he said.

We’re technically not meant to just take ourselves for a drive though, are we? There are so many threads on here where we’re being told not to leave our houses unless we have a leg hanging off (only a slight exaggeration!!)

I haven’t driven my car for almost two weeks, and probably won’t need to for another two

I said I went for a drive for this reason and got slammed.

Same here @tiredanddangerous - we don’t really need to go food shopping and when we need fruit and veg have been walking to the local small co op as exercise. Haven’t driven the car for two or three weeks.

When I managed to drain a battery once on the driveway, iirc per the AA mans advice once he'd got it started I had to run it with my foot a bit on the gas and/or take it for 50 mile or so motorway run.

This may be a misremembering, and note that was from flat.

You have to turn eggs over??