I planned on using my car seven days out of the month but it seems like due to the cold weather possibly, every time I start it up it barely turns over. Its almost four years old. I had it tested at Autozone and they said it was bad. I took it to two other places and they said it was a good battery. I don't have any problems with it when I use the car ofter. If I don't plan on driving my car for a while, whats the best way to keep my battery from going bad, removing the negative cable or taking the battery out completely?

 

Just take it out and put it on a trickle charger. I have the Battery Minder on my battery all winter since I don't drive the car.

Here's where I got mine 2 yrs ago. http://www.jdheritage.net/DeerelyDep...Items/5004.asp

Also, make sure your electrolytes reservoirs are filled with distilled water.

 

^so I cant just let it sit in my basement for a month, it should be on a charger? I thought those chargers were only recommended if it would be over a long period of time.

 

I have the same problem. If I don't drive my car at least once a week, the battery dies...and I'm running an Optima Yellow top. So, I take it out once a week

 

so whats the purpose of taking off the negative cable then, or is that only recommended in warmer climates?

 

removing the neg eliminates any load on the battery. ie: clocks, radio memory, etc.

 

Just out of curiosity, what inspires people to take their batterys to autozone or wherever to get the battery tested? When my car doesn't start I check and see if something got left on...either way I take it in the garage and put it on the charger; Put it on a slow charge for about 4 to 6 hours. Put it back in, if it holds a charge and is fine, cool. If it can't hold a charge after that it's bad. Common sense. Of course autozone is going to say it's bad, they want your money.

 

^ isn't that the proper way to identify what part of the charging components is causing the issues. For the four to six hours it may take to charge the battery, you could limit that time by having the battery tested. I mean how would you know your charger is not at fault? I think that going to a place to have it tested is more convenient because you don't have to remove anything from the car and they can usually diagnose the problem on the spot.

 

^ I agree. I don't have a battery charger and no one I know nearby does, either. But I've got 6 generic auto stores within 5 minutes, and I don't test my battery unless I know it's dying (ie, already having problems starting up several times a day). Even then, it's just for confirmation's sake.

 

It's not hard to rule out other stuff. If the alternator is having trouble you see it coming ahead of time.

 

The best thing to do with most 4 year old car batteries is to get a new one.

 

Get an Optima.

/thread