"Two Week" Miata Battery?

That's a flat out lie. My Miata is on a five-year-old OEM battery and it starts just fine after sitting for 2-3 months. I've never bothered disconnecting it. I've heard similiar stories from other owners.

I do have an old-style AGM battery which is supposed to be better, but I don't know of any car that won't start after sitting for two weeks on a new battery. It's small, but then again, you're only turning over a 1.8-liter engine.

Baloney. Do you have a car alarm, or some other device that presents a constant battery drain? You could disconnect it, or just use the trickle charger and keep moving onward.

You must have something draining the battery, maybe an alarm, or leaving a light on or something. Were the doors closed properly?

Even in the cold, a Miata battery should be able to start the car within the two-week period. The only time I had to jump-start the Rollerskate was after

10 days with no activity, and a bitterly cold battery. The battery does drain because I have a Boomerang device installed, but battery charge wasn't the problem - it was straight downright COLD. Since then, I've used a battery-warming mat and never had a problem.

I think it would probably takle longer than a 30-minute idle to charge the battery adequately.

My 95 R with a new AGM battery had a similar problem -- I don't drive it that often, since I commute on my motorcycle, and the battery would die after about three weeks of non-use. Then a nice supportive soul broke in and stole the radio. Now the car starts fine after being idle for six weeks or more.

Bottom line: even some digital radio/CD decks draw enough current to deplete the battery in a relatively short period.

-- Larry

Keep in mind when Nora says cold, she means COLD!

She's up in the great white north!

I believe you said yours hangs out with a low of about 38. Hers is probably a low of about 38 below 0!

Chris

Yeah, I also live in the great white north, and mine sits for months at a time with no charger and starts right up like it was only a day or two. My trick is not to try and start it when it's -38 degrees.

-- Tonyrama Crystal White '93 A

Yes, I had an aftermarket car alarm installed a month after I purchased the car this past Summer. I recall the alarm installer told me it would only cause a minimal drain on the battery, but I guess it's a contibutor along with other electronic devices, standard on the car. I think I'll try 0.5 amp trickle charger trick and hope that my wife (or I) doesn't forget it's plugged in and drive off into the Wyoming sunset with a new tail dragging behind the car.

Judging from yours and other folks' responses, I should either live with this or be vexed that my battery won't hold a charge as long as others' experiences. BTW, the dealer told me today, after he trickle charged the battery overnight and failed to fix a rattle in the left door, that the battery is a gel-pack. I don't know if that means it's a "two week" battery, or won't last as older Miata's batteries which may be lead-acid, but he did say any new car on their lot, including Subarus, have batteries which would discharge in two weeks as well.

Alan MiniMi, the '03SE

Again, that's simply not true. I'm sure there are a dozen posters here that have left cars (*older* cars, mind you) sit for several months and not had a problem starting them right up.

He's just giving you the answer that means the least amount of work for himself.

Been there done that, allbeit unwillingly.

It was -31C (-23.8F, 242.1K) and all the warming devices had been accidentally disactivated. It turned over for a very long 7 seconds, but it did start.

This was with a new and fully charged Mazda replacement battery, an Excide AGM.

Jeez. I sure wouldn't wan to to do that again...

Gel batteries should last longer than regular batteries. And the dealer is a liar. Pure and simple. Cars simply do not discharge a battery in two weeks normally. The dealer is unscrupulous, at best, to try to pawn that obvious falsehood off on you. Run away from him as fast as possible.

Tom

01 Crystal Blue

Not necessarily. Many dealers install an alarm in every car on the lot. That means a lot of dead batteries.

I have a 99 that has been stored for 3 to 4 months at a time without starting or charging and it starts right up... this is in MINNESOTA where it has just warmed up to 11 degrees!

OPTIMA Spiral cell battery, my truck sits a mponth or two, and cranks right off like I parked it the night before..... never failed to start in 2 seconds