Have you ever used a battery tender to prevent a battery from dying, for a car that you don't run too often?
Asked by
jca2 (
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7 hours ago
I have my mom’s 20 year old Volkswagen in my driveway. My daughter wants to keep it for sentimental reasons. I am the only one that knows how to drive it because it’s standard shift. If I don’t start it at least once a week, or maybe a week and a half at most, the battery will be dead. Then I have to call AAA to come give me a jump start. It’s a total chore because I have to make a special effort to start it, run it, drive it, which could take an hour. What I have done the past few months is let it go for a month or two without getting it jumped, because it saves me all those times of having to deal with it.
Someone recently suggested a battery tender, which hooks up to an extension cord. I don’t have a garage so the cord would be in an external outlet. Someone else said this is not the best solution, the best solution is just to start the car more often. However, as described above, it’s a chore, especially with cold weather coming, and it’s a chore that i have to remember to do.
Have you ever had a battery tender hooked up to a car? Do you recommend it? Is there anything I should know?
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4 Answers
I bought one of those for the first time recently. But when I first tried to use it, I discovered the battery I was hooking it up to was entirely dead.
I shopped around and read reviews and saw there were a few better models than others. I got a recommended “Battery Tender” brand, and it seems pretty good. I liked that it is pretty hard to do anything bad with it, but there were a few possible desirable features, and it didn’t have all of them. Other good features to choose for included more diagnostic detail, and the ability to not just recharge but somewhat repair a messed up battery.
I think it is a reasonable thing to do, but if no one really wants to drive it any time soon, I think I’d consider unplugging the battery altogether until someone wants to drive it.
” If I don’t start it at least once a week, or maybe a week and a half at most, the battery will be dead.” Something is draining our battery down. Modern-ish VW’s have pretty crappy electrical systems so this is not surprising.
But to answer your question, yes. I use them on motorcycles when I park them in the winter months. They work well. I do use “battery tender” brand. They have standard quick connects that you can attach to your battery when you want to get them on charge without removing the battery terminals.
I have my Mini in the garage all winter hooked up to a trickle charge battery. It starts first thing in the Spring when I take it out unless I forgot and turned the power off.
I have a neighbor with a late 1960s Corvette, that he takes to car shows from April to October, doesn’t drive in the winter., It is in a garage on a battery tender year round. Starts every time.
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