So this morning, I get in my car and realize I left an overhead light on for over 2 days. Shockingly, the car started without any trouble... slight stutter but no struggle at all. The battery is less than 2 years old and the car is low use. Despite that, I'm still shocked that the battery survived. I drove it around for about an hour to recharge it, but I'm still thinking the battery is weakened. Aside from driving it around, what is the best way to recharge? Should I just buy a charger?
You can buy a charger if you want but the battery is probably fine. Overcharging it can hurt it more. If you get a charger get one that can jumpstart your car if you do it again and need to get to work.
I had my car check for maintenance the other day and the guy said I had some corrosion on the battery. I went home and my dad sprayed some WD-40 and said I don't need a new battery. Should I be okay?
It will be fine. Doesn't hurt to own a cheap battery charger just for emergency purposes, but your battery will be fine.
You can buy a home battery charger and it will work fine, just make sure it has a internal cut off when the battery is fully charged. If you don't want to purchase one of those, O'reilly's and Autozone both charge batteries for free. They can also test it to make sure it it still good. The average auto battery lasts around 2-4 years.
Not sure if serious, but WD-40 is a lubricant, not an anti corrosive and especially not something you want to use on electrical terminals. Should only use terminal cleaner and then grease the terminals with white lithium grease to prevent corrosion from returning.
I use a Battery Tender similar to this one for the cars and motorcycles that I don't drive a lot. It is a smart trickle charger, and won't overcharge your battery. I leave mine connected all the time. It has a little indicator light to show that the battery is fully charged. I have also seen these at Costco occasionally. http://amzn.to/1QaCFDP You can hook up these quick disconnects to the batteries and leave them connected in the vehicle. Then pop the hood and simply plug the Battery Tender to the quick disconnect harnesses whenever you want to charge. http://amzn.to/1ONByty
It is possible that your overhead light was not actually on for two consecutive days. Many modern cars nowadays automatically shut off an overhead light if left on for more than 20 minutes with the doors locked. When you unlock or start the car- the particular light turns back on giving the impression that it has been on the whole time.
No, it was definitely on for 2+ days. It's not an auto-turn off. This is the third time that I've left that stupid light on. But the battery somehow did not die. I'm still shocked.
Why? It is a tiny light bulb, possibly LED. I have a flashlight that runs on AA's for 4.5 days. A car battery has hundreds times the capacity.
I have 5 total. 3 cars, 2 motorcycles. Nothing real fancy. The daily driver is a 2012 Honda Accord. The other 4 are 1996-2005 model years. An Infiniti G35, a Triumph Speed Four, another Honda Accord, and a Suzuki GS500. Two are with a friend in another state, that's why I have them on Battery Tenders. So when I visit I don't have to pay for a rental car.
Had a bad battery in my truck about a month ago. Took it back to Auto Zone, and it turned out that I was three days before the end of the warranty. Walked out with a brand new Duralast Gold. #Profit
