Flat battery again Suzuki Swift

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xyeovillian

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#306527 1-Aug-2023 12:20

I have a 2021 Suzuki Swift Hybrid and this is the second time to find totally flat battery, we always leave key in the ignition at home in the integral garage, perhaps that's the problem?
Called the AA guy got it started boost box cables and advised to go for a 40 minute drive to which we did, also asked if I had a charger I said I had an old British charger yes made in England and said probably would not be suitable for a modern car.
I used the old charger for about 3 hours and seems fine. Must remember to remove keys in the garage.
Do I need a new charger or will my old one still work?

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#3110399 1-Aug-2023 12:33

I certainly wouldn't leave the keys in it, just out of principal. I'm not sure how the hybrid element works, but perhaps it thinks keeps some components ready?

Leave the key in the house, I'm not sure if insurance would be that keen if it got stolen. That said, someone still has to break into your garage.

Edit. My car uses a proximity key, but it will light up when I walk up to the car in the dark, so I think even that would drain the battery if it was detected nearby.

I wonder too if now that it's been flat twice the battery may be defective and need replacement?

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JPNZ

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#3111108 2-Aug-2023 16:20

My work has a 2012 Ford focus as a runabout car and it goes flat if you leave the key in with the ignition on off.

Its a terrible habit, put your keys in the house somewhere safe.

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timmmay

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#3111111 2-Aug-2023 16:33

When the keys are in the ignition some parts of the car definitely stay active, we had similar happen. It also makes it easier to steal. Take the keys out of the car. Buy a new battery if it becomes more difficult to start.

A garage recently told me that car batteries need to be charged overnight, rather than for a few hours.

Azzura

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#3111197 2-Aug-2023 19:13

I can only think if the anti theft mechanism is staying active with the key in the ignition.

Linux

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#3111228 3-Aug-2023 07:11

Don't leave the keys in the ignition lol

mrdrifter

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#3111268 3-Aug-2023 09:27

Most of the keys these days have a transponder chip in them. When in the ignition it will be making a constant connection with the car, that will be initiating some of the circuits and consuming power.

frankv

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#3111272 3-Aug-2023 09:37

JPNZ:

Its a terrible habit, put your keys in the house somewhere safe.

You may find that your insurance won't pay out if you have left the keys in the ignition, even if it is in a locked garage.

Back on topic... my car does things like keeping the radio on so long as the keys are in the ignition.

Nothing's changed about electricity in the last 100 years, so your battery charger will still work, so long as it's putting out the appropriate voltage and current. It will take twice as long to charge as a modern "smart" charger which senses the battery state and pumps out more current if it's low.

WWHeisenberg

36 posts

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#3111281 3-Aug-2023 09:58

We purchased a new Polo Gti back in 2018 and the battery kept running down quite low after the first 6 months. After a lot of testing by VW and then having an indepth chat with a technician we identified that the problem was that we needed to lock our car (which was parked in our locked garage) so that the electronics close off a loop and go into a alarmed state which uses a lot less power. Obviously being in a secured garage our first thought was not that we needed to lock the car as well. But now we know better.

RunningMan

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#3111443 3-Aug-2023 14:31

frankv:It will take twice as long to charge as a modern "smart" charger which senses the battery state and pumps out more current if it's low.

You shouldn't make that comparison without knowing the specs of the OP's charger, and of the charger you are comparing it to, neither of which are listed in this thread.

tweake

1052 posts

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#3111515 3-Aug-2023 15:36

as above, leaving keys in keeps the bcm and other modules active as it thinks your using the car. so it uses power. some cars have a power save mode so will turn things off after awhile even if you leave keys in to avoid battery drain. easy way just take the keys out.

tweake

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#3111517 3-Aug-2023 15:40

frankv:

Nothing's changed about electricity in the last 100 years, so your battery charger will still work, so long as it's putting out the appropriate voltage and current. It will take twice as long to charge as a modern "smart" charger which senses the battery state and pumps out more current if it's low.

the problem is they don't put out the appropriate voltage and current with a lot of the battery types. also the really old ones where never that good to start with and often went to high and off gassed the battery. later ones brought out voltage cutoff before the multistage ones came out.

trig42

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#3111521 3-Aug-2023 15:44

frankv:

JPNZ:

Its a terrible habit, put your keys in the house somewhere safe.

You may find that your insurance won't pay out if you have left the keys in the ignition, even if it is in a locked garage.

Back on topic... my car does things like keeping the radio on so long as the keys are in the ignition.

Nothing's changed about electricity in the last 100 years, so your battery charger will still work, so long as it's putting out the appropriate voltage and current. It will take twice as long to charge as a modern "smart" charger which senses the battery state and pumps out more current if it's low.

Off topic I know, but this isn't true.

We had our car stolen out of our driveway. It worked with a proximity key card (so no key, but a credit card sized plastic fob - Mazda), which I had left in the car. The car wasn't even locked.

I told the insurance company the card was in the car, and that it wouldn't have been locked.

No problem they said. The perpetrators had come onto our property, and stolen something so therefore it was actually classed as a burglary.

We got the car back, key was where I'd left it, Insurnace company paid for it to be serviced and checked over once we got it back (no damage luckily).

We're with AA.

tweake

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#3111522 3-Aug-2023 15:44

xyeovillian:

I have a 2021 Suzuki Swift Hybrid and this is the second time to find totally flat battery, we always leave key in the ignition at home in the integral garage, perhaps that's the problem?
Called the AA guy got it started boost box cables and advised to go for a 40 minute drive to which we did, also asked if I had a charger I said I had an old British charger yes made in England and said probably would not be suitable for a modern car.
I used the old charger for about 3 hours and seems fine. Must remember to remove keys in the garage.
Do I need a new charger or will my old one still work?

it will depend a lot on the type of battery. many now days use a calcium battery or an agm/efb type. they require special chargers. even for normal batteries i would recommend a decent charger that turns off as that stops the battery being overcharged. your old one will probably overcharge it if left long enough.

BlakJak

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#3112092 5-Aug-2023 16:11

You should be able to leave your car idle, locked, for an extended period (weeks) and the battery should not drain. Aftermarket battery charger should not be required in pretty much any circumstance that sees the vehicle used for more than 15 minutes a week.

Once you cold start the vehicle you should drive for a decent amount of time in order to let the alternator restore the power that was taken from the battery by cranking. The usual advice is 15-20 minutes.

I've never ever had to run an external battery charger on a vehicle which didn't have another electrical problem causing a battery to get sunk whilst the car was idle.

Even during the COVID lockdown I made an effort to start the car and idle it for several minutes every 7-10 days and it was never, ever an issue. And some will recall how my battery was not exactly new even then (I recently replaced it after 8 years).

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fe31nz

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#3112178 6-Aug-2023 00:26

BlakJak:

You should be able to leave your car idle, locked, for an extended period (weeks) and the battery should not drain. Aftermarket battery charger should not be required in pretty much any circumstance that sees the vehicle used for more than 15 minutes a week.

Once you cold start the vehicle you should drive for a decent amount of time in order to let the alternator restore the power that was taken from the battery by cranking. The usual advice is 15-20 minutes.

I've never ever had to run an external battery charger on a vehicle which didn't have another electrical problem causing a battery to get sunk whilst the car was idle.

Even during the COVID lockdown I made an effort to start the car and idle it for several minutes every 7-10 days and it was never, ever an issue. And some will recall how my battery was not exactly new even then (I recently replaced it after 8 years).

If your car has a security system, then it will likely only last a week or so before the battery is flat. The security system has to draw power in order to operate. Most modern cars have security systems. It is really only ancient cars that are electro-mechanical rather than electronic that will have long battery life when not in use, as they really do draw zero amps when switched off. And even then, car batteries will lose energy gradually just sitting on the shelf, and will do the same in a car that is not drawing any power at all. So after a month or two, they will likely be unable to turn over the engine.

Not all cars have good alternators - a lot of cars with good ones will charge the battery rapidly, and 10-15 minutes running a week will ensure the battery is fine. But some have quite weak charging systems and it will take more than an hour to charge the battery properly.

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