Solar trickle charger for car.

No, you never have the ignition on when charging a battery.

If we need to charge a battery we never do it in the garage, but on the drive. We usually do it overnight, with charger plugged in in the garage and the lead snaking under the closed garage door to the car. Like you we would never leave the car outside with the keys in the lock.

I thought a solar charger using the lighter socket might need the ignition on. I have to do so when using the 12v vacuum cleaner.

Why don't you turn the engine over for a about 2 minutes twice a week? You could do it when you go out for a walk. That will keep your battery charged. Also it will give you a chance to release the handbrake and help prevent your brakes sticking.

I have been moving it a few inches each day to loosen brakes and move tyres. However, I was told that it needs a journey of 18 miles to top up the battery.

I have a trickle charger on the car at HH. It doesn’t need the engine to be running. It plugs into the 12 volt socket. It wasn’t very effective, but I did buy a new battery.
Just turning your engine over runs the battery down, it’s better to go for a drive, especially with a Diesel engine.

Why not use the car to drive to the shops each week and take a circuitous route? The chances of an accident are minimal, far less than usual - and when did you last have a breakdown? These days cars are pretty reliable.

that is not enough driving to keep the battery charged. I did a 40 mile round trip last week but I have a 4x4 car that has lights always on. My new trickle charger came yesterday and I will be using it after another week of standstill on the drive and thereafter every month. My car is up close to the up and over door, no ignition on, red to red first and then black to the chassis and only then switch the electricity on. I am expecting it to take hours and will obviously pick a dry day. I have a bigger faster heavier charger but it is too heavy for me and would need the battery to be disconnected, my car manual says that a trickle charger can be used while terminals remain connected

I would rather do this than drive, I had an unexpected flat tyre a few days before lockdown

Also driving short distances with a diesel engine will very quickly clog up the dpf filter, not good

Cigarette lighter sockets can be tested easily just see if the lighter glows with the ignition off, if so you can charge there.

Modern cars use power for the alarm system and some will drain the battery in a couple of weeks, the best way to keep the battery charged is a short journey maybe 5 miles each week. A trickle charger is a much better option than a solar panel, you need quite a large panel to equal a trickle charger.

I forget how many people drive 4x4s with diesel engines.

I drive an elderly Toyota Yaris. I turned my 8 mile return journey to my local supermarket into a 15 mile journey by taking the scenic route. The car had a new battery a week before the shut down.

I don't have access to power in my car park, so solar seemed the best option. However the reviews I have read are not great.
My lighter doesn't work unless the ignition is on, so think it will have to be a weekly drive out to the supermarket by the scenic route.

yes lots do but I don`t, mine is a 1.8 yeti 4 x 4 and uses petrol, thankfully. I put the battery on charge this morning, only <5A so was fine to use both battery terminals. The battery was 80% full after the 40 mile trip, using it for short trips would not be effective enough

There will be quite a few thankful to have had a recent new battery

I was quadruply lucky. As well as the new battery, my car had its MOT, a Gold Star service and a safety related recall done in the week leading up to the shutdown, all booked weeks previously.

It also had two full cleans and valets in 2 days, one with the Gold service and the other, complementary, with the safety recall! Given I rarely wash my car, feeling once a year with the service is quite enough, the car is still in shock.

I’m not sure how you you got 80% full, how did you test that. After a run most batteries will show around 13 volts with the engine off, a cold engine around 12.5 volts. An old battery gradually looses capacity but could well still show 12.5 volts, it just runs out of energy faster.

A modern car like a Yeti would easily charge its battery to full capacity in 5 miles.

the battery level indicator on the charger and it is now at 100%

I like to go by what the service people said ie to charge it sometimes because of the relatively short runs and stand stills. It is 6 this august.

Monica, yes you were very lucky. I am going to book the service and mot as soon as the garage are taking bookings, they will be snowed under with catch ups

6 yrs is an old battery if you get any problems change it

yes TY I will, I have just booked the service and mot end of july, wanted to get the appointment before they fill up. I`ll ring before and ask for a new battery to be fitted.

I've just done some online research on this issue and apparently you can use a solar-powered battery charger by plugging it into the "cigarette lighter" socket, if that socket stays "live" when the ignition is off. (We tested our's with the in-car mobile phone charger that we'd bought a while ago; the phone continued to charge.) Otherwise you'll need to use leads that clip onto the battery directly. Clearly the first option is easier - and also more secure - especially if your car isn't in a garage or somewhere secure.