how long will a battery hold its charge

[Westonboy]

Ever since I acquired my 75 CDT it has not gone more that 3 weeks without use before it has a completely flat battery. It's perfectly fine if used on a daily basis , but if not used for a few weeks a flat battery is guaranteed. I recently had a new battery fitted but still find the same issues. How long should a 75 hold its charge when not in use?.

[flying_pig]

My first call would be checking consumption after about 2-3min since arming alarm
That will tell you if something is draining your battery

[Westonboy]

Originally Posted by flying_pig

My first call would be checking consumption after about 2-3min since arming alarm
That will tell you if something is draining your battery

The car is garaged every night, with no obvious battery demand, but if left for a couple of weeks always has a flat battery.

[flying_pig]

All depends how big is demand after all systems go to sleep

[wooly12345]

Originally Posted by Westonboy

Ever since I acquired my 75 CDT it has not gone more that 3 weeks without use before it has a completely flat battery. It's perfectly fine if used on a daily basis , but if not used for a few weeks a flat battery is guaranteed. I recently had a new battery fitted but still find the same issues. How long should a 75 hold its charge when not in use?.

That question is similar to how long is a piece of string...

Even new batteries can be drained by an alarm if the car is left idle for weeks, if its in a garage and not used often i would suggest a float charger, if left outside you could try 12v solar charger left on the dash after a full charge from a 240v charger.

If these arent an option for you for any particular reason and the car is in a safe and secure location you could lock the car by the door handle and not alarm the vehicle but this would be a last resort and something I wouldn't advise if it was left in public such as busy road, airport/train car park etc

[Westonboy]

Thank you for al the advice that has been offered, I think it is important to state that the car is garaged and not locked and alarmed because I suspected that the alarm might be a source of the battery drain.

[wooly12345]

Originally Posted by Westonboy

Thank you for al the advice that has been offered, I think it is important to state that the car is garaged and not locked and alarmed because I suspected that the alarm might be a source of the battery drain.

That in mind and If you dont mind resetting the clock each time would you consider quick release 12v battery clamps? Something like this:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Quick-Rele...item5d4fc609a8

[Westonboy]

Thanks for the opinions,All I would like to know is ,should my 75 be able to go for more than 3 weeks garaged without a flat battery or should I be concerned and get an auto electrician to check it out

[alanjay]

Originally Posted by Westonboy

Ever since I acquired my 75 CDT it has not gone more that 3 weeks without use before it has a completely flat battery. It's perfectly fine if used on a daily basis , but if not used for a few weeks a flat battery is guaranteed. I recently had a new battery fitted but still find the same issues. How long should a 75 hold its charge when not in use?.

How long should the battery remain charged is a question that irks me.
For the first time ever my 75 was out of use for two weeks and battery didn't have sufficient power to turn the starter, had enough power for everything else but not the starter. Only took 30 minutes on a charger to get it going again.
My neighbour with a Rover 25 goes to Spain for three weeks twice a year and each time returns to find the same problem. In our cases we think the alarm system and clock are draining the battery, though we don't think they absorb enough power to be the cause.
We are both getting solar battery chargers to connect when our cars are standing but of course, they won't be of much use for a garaged car.

[Westonboy]

If putting the car on trickle charge is the answer that is fine, but I have had other cars that would go months without use and still start without hesitation. How long would most 75 owners expect their car batteries to be capable of starting their cars if left unused.