Leaving cars Unattended for Long Periods

It won't have all the electronics draining the battery that modern cars do.

A modern car is totally different in that respect.

Graham

I've noticed it the next day after a rainy night. Just a very slight noise that soon goes away but it's there.

Graham

No, they all are

However it will be designed tocope with this. Or it would be a MorrisMarina.

Slightly. Most discs die of rust if you dont. & nobody was suggesting doing it continously.

The quiescent load on some 20 + year old cars can be quite high - some upmarket models had quite a few things drawing current and not terribly well designed for minimum quiescent. The central locking on an early SD1 took some 20 mA. By changing the control circuit for a low current 7555 I got it down to less than 1mA.

My workshop manual for my daughter's Mazda very aptly calls this current drain with keys removed "dark current". 20 mA maximum specified in the Mazda's case.

John

Crap. When my Alfa sat for 2 months, the brake disk corrosion was sufficient that I thought the disks were knackered. I had to beat the crap out of it for a few miles to clean them up.

Well, other times he's said he can't see how I manage to get places in so much less time than him but still give my passengers a smooth ride...

Me too. But sometimes I like to press on round suitable roads, and drive at a speed that *does* require hard braking. Usually I hardly touch the brakes for long periods, and apart from deliberately there are very few occasions I brake hard.

That's as maybe, but I answered it from uk.r.c.m. Thanks for the bigoted prejudice anyway.

Graham Harvest ("Graham Harvest" ) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

SWMBOs 2cv started without even being jumped - after just shy of two years in the lockup...

Google gropes innit.

-- Malc

My Nissan Almera has been sitting on my drive since February because It has a SORN (no, I haven't been banned!). I used to start it every two weeks, warm the engine and run it up and down the drive to clean the discs (I have a very long drive). I also leave it parked in gear with the handbrake off. Last month the car refused to start, although the engine turned over OK. Could this have something to do with old petrol in the tank?

I intend, after reading these posts, to start trickle charging the battery frequently. Does anybody have any recommendations for home visit mechanics in the Cleveland (Stockton-on-Tees) area? - cheap and preferably on a no start, no payment basis! I am no longer a member of any motoring organisation. Although I am an experienced DIY car mechanic, I have neither the desire or knowledge to tackle a modern car.

Actually, not having the use of a car has been a really good experience. I'm saving a small fortune on road tax, insurance, petrol & servicing. My grocery shopping is done on the internet - much easier than trawling around the supermarket, then loading bags of shopping into the car and unloading at home. Anything else I want is also ordered online - probably cheaper than retail shops. If I really want to go somewhere local, a taxi is only a few pounds and I'm also eligible for a bus pass. In absolute emergency, I also have a mountain bike! If I want to travel any distance, I can always hire a car.

Terry D.

Good for you, sadly your lifestyle won't be acceptable for the vast majority.

My mid-70s DS started quite happily last year after seven months sat untouched. My early-80's 2CV started quite happily a couple of months ago after well over a year untouched.

Ian

Yes, most of us know that. However, brakes need to be used heavily occasionally to keep them working at their best; especially rear brake discs and hand brakes mechanisms. It is quite possible that his car would never have stopped that fast.

Be careful what you use. If you use something like T-cut which has some sort of chemical polish in it, it'll rip the paint to bits. I used to know a bloke who had a Cavalier that he'd started T-cutting before he went on holiday, and when he got back, the t-cut that was left unpolished on the bonnet had turned the paint into a moonscape.

My Golf started playing up after I'd had it laid up for ages with about a quarter tank of old petrol in it. Put 2 gallons of new stuff in it and it was fine.

The DSA seem to agree as you can fail for not making good progress when it would be acceptable. I know because I failed a driving test for not overtaking a tractor. I suspect the examiner wasn't quite as accustomed to the glacial acceleration of a 1.5D 106 as I was...

I overtook during my advanced driving test, (a slow fiesta in a fifty limit), I am fairly sure I was over the limit too. After the test (which I passed) the examiner said that he had never had an overtake manoeuvre carried out during a test before!!

Mrcheerful

A few weeks ago i had to turn the engine over just as you described as i had a pinhole on the diesel fuel line and it would empty back into the tank overnight.

I had the turn it over each morning for a minute or so to re-prime the system. Of course once it got to the weekend (and daylight) i found and repaired the hole. (the first day i manually reprimed the system and spent the day at work stinking of diesel) each night i would remove the batt and connect it up to a charger.

As for my self I'm an electronic engineer, can repair most things (i take the "no user serviceable parts inside" labels as a challenge) and i too despise the "ignorant and proud of it" brigade

Andy Carr

I think the manufacturers thought of that. My Citroen goes into "power- down" mode after a while and the electronics get shut down so that only a small standby current is taken. Means you can't even listen to the radio while parked! Damn nuisance!

From theory to practice, we've just been away for 6 weeks leaving two vehicles on the drive, 04 Micra (so all electronic) with 3 year old battery and a '94 Transit (no electronics, all mechanical diesel) and a battery of unknown age but looks very old and grotty. Returning Saturday morning, while covered in frost, both started first flick, as normal. No sign of batteries about to expire.

BobC