How long does it take for a good (?) battery to go flat - I didn't use my 06 Nissan X Trail (3+ years old) for just under a month, and while the battery wasn't quite flat it wouldn't turn the engine over - nothing left on - is this normal - or do I have a problem?
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Colder weather + alarm/immobiliser probably sufficient to flatten a battery over 1 month.
Son's IS had a similar problem over a 6 week period - charged and now OK
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Some batteries only last about 3 years, then show similar symptoms. It can be heat that causes batteries to deteriorate, even though it is often in winter that a battery is found to be underperforming. Depends where the battery is, if in a relatively hot part of the engine compartment then the battery will have a very short life.
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Do you know the battery's state of charge when the car was last used?
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Top up the battery, clean the terminals and give it a charge/jump start and a good run
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Thank you for the comments - yes it had had a longish run when last used, also it's located at the front n/s so shouldn't get that hot, and yes again I jump started it, and went on another longish run and it was OK to return home, but now "its goodbye in case it starts" not what you want with a newish car.
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If the battery is three years old (possibily coming up to four years since it was made and first fitted) then it will almost certainly be past its best but still perfectly servicable. If you are leaving the vehicle standing for almost a month at a time then I am not surprised it is struggling to hold enough charge to start the vehicle.
You have two choices - the first and most obvious is to use or start the vehicle more frequently, possibly every couple of weeks at the least and let it run for at least 10 minutes. The second is to buy a new battery of the biggest capacity that you can get and stick that on and risk that from month to month.
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