Am I about to fry my battery ?

[Notanutter]

Having experienced a flat battery on my V8S earlier this year after being away on a trip for a few weeks (usual story, alarm draining it etc), and not wanting to have a repeat during a period of little driving activity this Winter (or find I'm locked out of the boot if the battery dies), I've tried this:
Disconnect top end of gas strut, and remove boot lock from boot lid. (I did this on my 3000S as a matter of course to avoid warping the lid due to too much pressure in the strut; used a plastic shoe-horn to lift the lid which is heavier than on the V8S). Connect battery charger on a time switch, to give just 30 mins charging time a day. (Car is in garage so security isn't an issue). Yes I know I could use a trickle charger but hey, this is a cheap alternative - but will it fry my battery (which won't be cheap !!!!)

[GreenV8S]

Not going to do it any great harm since you're keeping the average current quite low. A proper battery conditioner would be better though. Or, since you've arranged access to the boot now, why don't you just disconnect the battery and save all this bother?

Incidentally, you can operate the boot release with the battery disconnected by connecting the right terminal of the boot release relay socket up to an external battery. A big 9v torch battery seems to do the job nicely. If you're comfortable with basic electrics this would be slightly less drastic than dismantling the boot lock every time you the car is laid up for a few weeks.

The third option, which imo is by far the best option, is to fit a smart battery isolator which cuts the battery feed if the battery starts to run down. This protects you from a flat battery if you leave the lights on overnight etc, as well as giving you peace of mind if you have to leave the car unused for a while. Have a look for Priority Start, I got mine through Simon Bridge's adverts in sprint but I haven't seen these adverts for a while, maybe he doesn't supply them any more.

[Notanutter]

GreenV8S said:

since you've arranged access to the boot now, why don't you just disconnect the battery and save all this bother? this would be slightly less drastic than dismantling the boot lock every time you the car is laid up for a few weeks.

Three reasons: it's a really fiddly job getting at the battery terminals; last time I did that the car thought it was being stolen and the alarm went off; and I don't have the security code for the radio and would rather like to be able to continue listening to it occasionally !

(Thanks too for the other good tip).

[B16 RFF]

Halfords do a battery conditioner suitable for permanent connection for £20 - made by Draper. Look on their website if your local store doesn't stock it.

Paul.