Ford Fiesta Saloon - Maintaining battery. When left unused | Technical matters | Back Room Forum

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Mon 31 Aug 2015 13:29

Ford Fiesta Saloon - Maintaining battery. When left unused - Peterjaygee

I have a new fiesta titanium which may be left unattended for a month or so. Last time I did this the battery was flat on my return. (No surprise says the aa man, modern cars consume current even when ignition is off) I have a 1.5 watt solar panel battery charger and am thinking of plugging this into the cigar lighter socket whilst I'm away.

The question is: The car instructions say that the cigar lighter socket will only SUPPLY power for 30 mins after the ignition is turned off. Will it RECEIVE power after that. (Old fiestas are permanently "live")

Would appreciate an answer or maybe somewhere I can contact to get an answer. (Have been unable to find a ford technical department for this question)

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Mon 31 Aug 2015 14:02

Ford Fiesta Saloon - Maintaining battery. When left unused - elekie&a/c doctor

Most modern cars have some sort of power saver circuit that shuts done non essential circuits after a fixed period of time.Usually 20-30 mins.There are a few options here.If the solar panel has croc clips,attach it straight to the battery.It is possible to get the power socket re-wired to a permanent power source or have an additional socket wired in permanently.These are available with a short fly lead,so that it is not neccessary to drill any holes in the dash/console panels.

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Tue 1 Sep 2015 00:48

Ford Fiesta Saloon - Maintaining battery. When left unused - Peter.N.

If you are only leaving it for a month the battery should stay charged if you disconnect it, providing its in good contdition and fully charged.

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Tue 1 Sep 2015 11:05

Ford Fiesta Saloon - Maintaining battery. When left unused - kiss (keep it simple)

If you use a solar trickle charger think about where the panel will be situated. You might want to use the lighter socket as suggested but then I assume the panel will be on the dashboard. Sadly it won't workvery well there. It's only likely to get a short spell of sunshine (if any) before it's in the shade. Add to that the reduction caused by the tinted glass, and your 1.5 Watt panel will be useless. If the car is in a secure place, then maybe on the roof or bonnet with croc clips to the batterymight work.

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Tue 1 Sep 2015 13:49

Ford Fiesta Saloon - Maintaining battery. When left unused - slkfanboy

Some fords have a option on the fuse box to enable/disable the ligher socket switch off. Check your manual

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Wed 2 Sep 2015 13:21

Ford Fiesta Saloon - Maintaining battery. When left unused - Peterjaygee

Yes I think the croc clip idea is the best so far. (The solar panel is outside the garage cabled in and I have the option of croc clips or cigar lighter socket. I thought that was the easiest but it didn't cross my mind that it would be shut down after 30 mins - at least for supply)

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Wed 2 Sep 2015 18:05

Ford Fiesta Saloon - Maintaining battery. When left unused - KenC

As you are leaving the car in a garage

( and being new you will have the radio code)

You could disconnect the battery and either

a) ask a freind to come round and charge it once or twice while you are away to connect a battery charger for a few hours or

b) hook up a battery charger to a time switch so it comes on for about 15 mins daily or once a week ( depending on your timer)

However I think if you disconnected the battery it should hold its charge during this time of the year for a month, if it does not maybe the battery is suffering from being discharged from long periods prior to you buying the car

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Thu 3 Sep 2015 17:49

Ford Fiesta Saloon - Maintaining battery. When left unused - quizman

Just stop the car and go away for a month and don't worry, because your car will start when you get back. Even if the battery did go flat you could charge it when you get back or use jump leads.

A month is nothing, some cars are stored in a compound for 6 months.

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Thu 3 Sep 2015 22:22

Ford Fiesta Saloon - Maintaining battery. When left unused - alan1302