{"id":4265,"date":"2020-04-02T21:36:25","date_gmt":"2020-04-02T21:36:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carexamer.com\/blog\/?p=4265"},"modified":"2026-04-15T22:24:19","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T22:24:19","slug":"car-battery-maintenance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/carexamer.com\/blog\/car-battery-maintenance\/","title":{"rendered":"A Full Guide to Car Battery Maintenance"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

<\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span>Estimated reading time: <\/span>6<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Car batteries are a tough nut to crack. They\u2019re often seen as a bit of a mystery when it comes to good car health, as they just work\u2026until they don\u2019t. You hear the dreaded grinding ticking ignition not doing the job. Most people think that unless you leave your lights on then you\u2019ll be fine, but sadly, that\u2019s not always the case. Learning how long your car battery can sit unused is a vital part of car battery maintenance, and you really could do to know about it. Before we get into all of this, however, it\u2019s a good idea to learn about car batteries in general. Understanding what they do and how they work from a brief perspective is a great way to make all of this make sense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do Car Batteries Do?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Keeping things as brief as possible, car batteries are used\nto give your car energy, just like they are with anything else. It gives your\nengine and ignition system the kick it needs to start up properly, and then\ncontinues on to power all of your onboard electricals. That\u2019s a lot more than\nyou might think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The car battery is essential for absolutely all of these\nroles, so it\u2019s important stuff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do They keep Charged?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

So if you ever find yourself asking how long can a car\nbattery sit unused, it\u2019s probably because you already know this, but even if\nyou don\u2019t then we\u2019ll remind you; car batteries die over time. They don\u2019t hold\ntheir charge forever, and when they\u2019re inside your car, they use all of their\nenergy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That sounds bad, but to help stop that from happening, your\ncar has a great little trick. It is designed with an alternator that helps keep\nit charged. While your engine is running or while you’re moving, there are\nnumerous mechanisms in place to generate kinetic energy that becomes\ntransferable and tops up your battery again. That keeps them both going for\nextreme periods of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That in itself, however, brings us to a problem. When you’re\nnot using the car, this doesn\u2019t happen. Your battery charge dissipates, and it\nruns down over time. that\u2019s a huge problem, as it can cause you a lot of\ntrouble when the time comes to get moving again. Your engine won\u2019t start, and\nyou\u2019ll need to get your charge elsewhere. It\u2019s bad news.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What can you do to help your car battery life?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

That doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019re doomed if you do have to let your\ncar battery sit unused for a while though. There are still things you can do to\nhelp it, and they all mean your battery maintained gives you a better chance of\nsurvival. Let\u2019s look at some of the best:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drive your car<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The first and most obvious fix for car battery maintenance\nissues in a sitting battery is to not leave it sitting. If you need to leave\nyour car for a while, or you\u2019re unable to drive as much as you\u2019d like, just try\nto do what little you can. If you\u2019re really not able to, even consider asking a\nfriend, relative or neighbour to do it for you. Anything is better than\nnothing!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At least run it<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If driving the car isn\u2019t an option, again, for whatever\nreason, that doesn\u2019t mean that you\u2019re stuck either. Even just turning the car\non and letting it run a while can be useful. 15 Minutes even is a good way to\nlet your engine tick over and run the alternator that will give you a little\nbit of juice. It won’t be much, but it\u2019s better than nothing if you really are\nstuck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turn off Extras<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Another great way to help preserve your car\u2019s battery life if you\u2019re leaving it sitting a while s to turn off extra features you don\u2019t need. Even having your stereo system or electrics on standby is going to use energy over time. Turn off whatever you can, and you\u2019ll see a big difference in how long your charge will last you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many people think one of the best examples of car attery maintenance with this method if to stop running your security system too, but this isn’t actually correct. Your car alarm uses your battery too, but barely. In actuality, they tend to drain next to nothing after around 50 minutes of the engine switching off. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Use a garage\/cover<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Believe it or not, but your cars battery life is actually affected\nby the temperature s well as everything else that you need to remember. Your\nbattery is actually full of an electrolyte solution. That’s the whole premise\nof how batteries work. When it\u2019s cold out, that can actually result in a less\nefficient solution, and the electrolytes struggle to hold their charge as they\nshould. It’s complicated but it’s true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of all of that, another great example of car battery maintenance, especially for a sitting or unused battery, is to store your car too. In fact, it’s one of the best ways to protect your car<\/a> in general. Leaving your vehicle in a safe location like a garage or even under a quality car cover can help reduce that cold factor just enough to push your battery a little bit further. It\u2019s worth doing if you can do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trickle charge<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Lastly, one of the best things you can do for your battery in general if any part of this situation is a problem for you is to get yourself a charger. There are lots of different kinds out there that can help you out. Some help you charge from a flat and need a good few hours, and others are different still. Some actually sue trickle charging or maintenance charging, and these keep you topped up to the max at all times but without overcharging. They\u2019re ideal in situations like this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remember<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ultimately, batteries can only do so much. They will run out on you at some point or another, and that’s why they’re the most common cause of breakdowns. These things will still definitely help your car maintain once for a few years. Do what you can, when you can. If you need to leave your car sitting used for a while, don\u2019t fret too much. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even turning it on is always a great way to charge it up, and so is using a charger. Doing either for just 30-60 minutes a week will be more than great. The idea of needing to drive at speed is long gone (since the 70s in fact), and modern-day alternators replaced older model dynamos years ago. They now charge at a consistent 14v, no matter what your speed. Just turn on, sit back, and let the car do the work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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