If you drive short distances or infrequently, like I have been, you’re going to come across this issue sooner rather than later (if you already have, bummer!). The fancy electronics in newer vehicles all drain the battery, whether the car is running or not – even locked up for the night! This includes amenities like the security system, GPS, USB and power ports. (If you own a motorcycle – especially a newer Harley Touring model – you’re probably already well-informed about battery drain and having to keep it on a tender when you’re not going to ride for a while) Letting a modern vehicle sit for as little as a week can cause weird things to happen, and it all boils down to a low battery charge.
With all the gizmos on my 2019 RAM 1500, this issue recently came to light. Remote start would sometimes fail to work, the air suspension wasn’t auto-leveling (when the truck was off), and the key-fob operated lowering function simply stopped working. During its recent service, the dealership load-tested the battery and lo-and-behold, it failed. A warranty replacement (RAM apparently had a bad batch of batteries from their supplier), and I’m good to go.
Their recommendation: use a tender/charger to top off the battery on a regular basis if the truck isn’t driven much. The Service Manager said he’s seen a lot of vehicles come in for battery-related issues due to lack of driving. Some research says that about a half hour of steady driving should charge the battery fully, but your mileage will vary.
As to that charger, I have a 3-amp Deltran battery tender, and at that rate on my RAM, after a week of just short trips, it takes 4 hours to get to “80%” as indicated by the charger, and about 6 hours to fully charge. Here’s some anecdotal time expectations for you, given 4 different-sized vehicles:
- Simple Motorcycles: < 1 hour
- 2019 Harley-Davidson Street Glide Special: < 2 hours
- 2015 Ford Escape: approx. 2-3 hours
- 2019 RAM 1500: approx. 6-8 hours
So, as the weather continues to get colder, expect this problem to get worse. Be fully-prepared by ensuring you have a high-quality tender/charger for at home. There’s nothing worse than hearing that “click-click-click” (or nothing) when you hit the starter on your car!
I just found this tender/charger on Amazon and with its selectable amperage, it looks interesting, but I haven’t bought it yet. Maybe I’ll ask Santa for it for Christmas!
-John