When my battery died, it was just about out of water. But adding water didn't help Chris's, so who knows.

I also have an aftermarket stereo, with a 75x2 amp and 50x4 amp. Along with the hot Texas weather, maybe the extra current drain hurt things some also.

 

Hooking up the cables isn't a big deal, for me,anyway. I keep the car in a heated garage. The problem is that the oem batteries are getting smaller, and you can't afford to lose power. it's not just cranking that is the issue. When the sulfation prevents a charge, the alternator raises the voltage to force a charge. This isn't good for the electrical system and it overloads the alternator. About the s2k age, true, the car isn't that old, but I use a resistance/conductance meter to check the battery reserve, and it has remained stable. I can tell you this, however, from personal experience with small batteries. I have a 1983 BMW motorcycle, which for some reason will only fit on oem battery. I used to get one season before replacement. After the Battery Tender, I got 10 years before some moron tipped the bike over during last summer's fire evacuations and spilled the acid out. If the hooking up is an issue, Solargizer makes a desulfater that uses the power from the battery itself to keep the plates clean. If you drive the car daily for the most part, this works really well. I've got one in my work truck and have 7 years on my Optima. All the other equipment is plugged to Tenders. We haven't replaced a battery since 1994 in ony other application. The Batteries Plus store franchises all carry these products in our area. It's worth checking out. They have worked for us.

 

I found a transformer laying around the house rated 12VDC at 500mA. Put some alligator clips on it and identified the (+) positive wire.

I hooked it up to my battery as a free "battery tender". I measured the current, it actually produces about 300mA to maintain the battery at an indicated 13V.

This is almost a perfect C/100 trickle charge, based on the fact that our group (size) battery is a 28 A*h capacity.

 

Now that is Yankee ingenuity!

 

gernby, "smart" chargers like the Battery Tender comes with "quick" connects/disconnects that you install on the battery terminals. You just leave the end hanging out slightly in a convenient location. Changing your battery every couple of years is your personal preference and I won't fault you for that but there is still no guaranty that a new battery will even last 2 years for any given type of useage. My concern is more for the health of the computer. They don't like dwindling voltage. My experience with "little" batteries is that a Battery Tender will not necessarily add longevity but with it, I can tell at a glance if the battery is in good health by how often the lights on it come on and which light come on. But more importantly, the Tender will keep the voltage up enough, even on a dying battery to keep the computer happy.
In fact (and you may have seen me mention this before), Honda actually has it in their motorcycle owner's manual to use a Tender on their fuel injected bikes if the bike is not used for 2 weeks or more. And (IMO), the only reason for this advisory is the computer.

 

Is this the unit that you guys are using (Here)?

 

The "Junior" is a newer product. It'll work just fine. I have the original Battery Tender.

 

I have a battery tender, a friend just bought the "international", which is very compact and uses 100-140V, 50 + 60 cycles.

It's the one I would recommend.



http://www.batterytender.com/catalog/produ...&products_id=64

 

As for battery experience, I've had outstanding results from NAPA batteries... usually 5 to 6 years, with no maintenance on cars used at least weekly.

 

Wow, all this difficulty is a surprise to me. I'm with Strike -- had the car over 3 years as a daily driver, and it starts as if new. Most of my trips are under 5 miles (3mi to/from work). And I'm in a "warm" climate.

Couple questions:
Climate: While cooler is better for a battery to maintain its charge while unused, clearly starting a car on a sub-zero day is a much higher drain than on a 100-deg day, so I'd expect batteries to last longer overall in warm climates?

Charging: In cell phones, for example, conventional wisdom says leaving the phone charging all the time while not in use is said to *decrease* battery life; it's better to let them drain a while before charging. Is that not the case here?