Disconnect battery to avoid drain?

[Thadeus1991]

Hi guys,

I was hoping for some advice: I’ve got an e85 that I only use as a weekend toy. I want to avoid battery drain as far as possible, however, the car is always parked on the road, so trickle charging doesn’t seem to be an option.

My question is, can I just disconnect the battery if I know that I won’t be using the car for a few weeks or are there any disadvantages or problems this could cause (e.g. the car getting in transport mode)?
Or maybe someone is aware of a way to keep the battery topped up on the side of the road?

Any thoughts would be much appreciated!

 

[brillomaster]

A solar trickle charger if your car is in the sun. Though a good battery with no abnormal parasitic drain should be good for a few months parked up and still start the car ok.

 

[kis]

I’ve the same issue on mine. Not sure why, maybe because it’s an SMG, or maybe because of the extra nav/audio equipment. But a couple of weeks and it will struggle to start. It’s an older battery too, so that doesn’t help.

What I’ve done is hooked up a second battery. It’s a massive (old too) one from my dads X5. I have both batteries connected up in parallel when I’m not using the car. Obviously I disconnect if I’m going for a drive. It’s worked for me... can last in excess of 2/3 weeks I think. Never done a proper duration test. I tend to try use it more now so that helps.

I have a battery Heath check tool which tells me the voltage (among other things). If it’s getting close to 12 I’ll take a battery out and top it up properly using a ctek. Then when charged, swap and top up the other one. You could say it’s a bit of a faf but it works for me.

 

[buzyg]

Hi guys,

I was hoping for some advice: I’ve got an e85 that I only use as a weekend toy. I want to avoid battery drain as far as possible, however, the car is always parked on the road, so trickle charging doesn’t seem to be an option.

My question is, can I just disconnect the battery if I know that I won’t be using the car for a few weeks or are there any disadvantages or problems this could cause (e.g. the car getting in transport mode)?
Or maybe someone is aware of a way to keep the battery topped up on the side of the road?

Any thoughts would be much appreciated!

The E85 is happily old school tech and battery. You can disconnect the battery and charge it in doors, then pop it back in. Just be sure if you do disconnect it, to leave it a few minutes before reconnecting. I understand reconnecting straight away can cause issues, particularly with sat nav. I am also assuming you do not have a tracker fitted either.

 

[Zulu4]

A solar trickle charger if your car is in the sun. Though a good battery with no abnormal parasitic drain should be good for a few months parked up and still start the car ok.

I'll second that.
I've got one permanently fitted to the rear shelf of my other car and it works well. You can get them to plug into the OBD socket for temporary measures.

 

[patriot66]

I have used a battery isolator switch like this on several cars in the past, particularly my old Minis back in the 80/90s and the 318ti Sport rusting away in my Mums garage as we speak
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Battery-Isolator-Switch-Power-Leakage/dp/B07J34S5DH/ref=asc_df_B07J34S5DH/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=224431698442&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=15266719721232759383&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006633&hvtargid=pla-757317365237&psc=1

 

[DMike]

or are there any disadvantages or problems this could cause (e.g. the car getting in transport mode)?

Hi,
Only the clock and one touch window open/close has to be reset. Used to do this when I had to park in a public garage in a similar setting.

 

[Thadeus1991]

Hey all - thanks so much for all that feedback! Really helpful!

I like the idea of the solar charger quite a bit. Any idea what sort of wattage I’d need? There seem to be all sorts of options out there…
Also, it looks like batteries can be charged through the cigarette lighter if it stays live after turning off the ignition. Does anyone know if I can use the lighter socket in the e85 or will I have to feed the cables from the engine bay into the cabin?

 

[Smartbear]

Hey all - thanks so much for all that feedback! Really helpful!

I like the idea of the solar charger quite a bit. Any idea what sort of wattage I’d need? There seem to be all sorts of options out there…
Also, it looks like batteries can be charged through the cigarette lighter if it stays live after turning off the ignition. Does anyone know if I can use the lighter socket in the e85 or will I have to feed the cables from the engine bay into the cabin?

E85 lighter socket remains permanently live
Rob