Battery Tenders and New Trucks

[Panik]

So about 6 months ago my wife got her dream vehicle - 2000 Land Rovery Discovery with pretty much all of the off road goodies.

 

It also came with a bit of parasitic drain, which after replacing the worn out Optima we have been managing with a battery tender. The tender we purchased came with the bits and pieces to wire up two cars with on board connectors.

That got me to wondering if it is worth wiring up the '14 1500 with a plug and occasionally giving it a night hooked up to the tender. I would think that with these trucks should be able appropriately maintain a battery charge. On the other hand it's 10 minutes worth of wiring and maybe a little additional battery security.

Thoughts?

[SteveBBB]

I don't think it's necessary, but it couldn't hurt anything. Like you said, it's 10 minutes of your time and someday it could come in handy.

[RyanbabZ71]

If it's not sitting for any period of time it's not really worth it

 

 

Ryan

[Panik]

LOL! Two responses and two opposite opinions, both of which have crossed my mind. I'll probably install it one of these days when I'm bored and have nothing better to do. Truth be told, out of my family I'm usually the one replacing other family member's batteries or jumping the other household cars with my vehicle.

[RyanbabZ71]

Two opposite opinions?

 

Not worth it and not necessary are similar. It won't hurt anything but not sure you will gain everything if the vehicle isn't sitting.

 

My battery tender doesn't kick on for a few days after I hook mine up to my car when I put it away

 

 

Ryan

[fondupot]

Honestly, if the truck isn't going to be sitting for longer than a week or two at most....its not worth the time and effort to wire up the tender.

[Panik]

Two opposite opinions?

 

Not worth it and not necessary are similar. It won't hurt anything but not sure you will gain everything if the vehicle isn't sitting.

 

My battery tender doesn't kick on for a few days after I hook mine up to my car when I put it away

 

 

Ryan

My apologies you are correct about the opinions. Was reading and posting before the coffee kicked in.

 

In general I didn't think I would be receiving a huge benefit out of it such as with my wife's car where it absolutely helps preserve battery life. Thought it might be useful as a topping up type of thing, but it sounds like it's more trouble than it would be worth.

[KARNUT]

I have two vehicles one with factory alarm and one with aftermarket. They are toys that don't get driven that much, if it goes close to two weeks the batteries are low. So if that's sounds like your deal a tender is a good idea.

 

 

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[Lawnmower2020]

I use a battery tender, but tend to agree that if it's a daily driver you probably don't need it. Judging by the activity of the tender, these trucks don't have a heck of a lot of parasitic drain. OTOH, using a good tender will definitely prolong the life of the battery if it's used consistently. My Boxster is 13 years old and still has the original battery which is in perfect condition. Porsches are notorious for parasitic drain and requiring yearly battery replacement. Once again, the tender activity confirms this, as it's frequently in charge mode (1.5A). One other thing to consider is how helpful the tender can be in sub-zero starts, which we've had quite a few of the last couple of years. With the tender working, the starter spins the engine at summer-like speeds at 10-below.

 

It's kind of interesting that nearly all Corvettes produced these days come automatically (and for $100) with a high-end battery tender. You might infer that GM thinks they're a good idea for vehicles that don't see daily use. Or you might infer that GM has discovered a way to sell a $35 tender for $100. Your choice!

[waumo1]

The typical vehicle parasitic drain is about 30 mA or .030A. This works out to about 0.75 Ahr/day. No need for a Tender unless parking for about a month.

 

Adding aftermarket equipment can kill you though, tuner, obdii monitor, cell phone charger left plugged in to always hot outlet, etc.

 

For example a cell phone charger we had drew almost 200 mA even without the cell phone plugged in. My Trinity tuner draws about 100 mA even when dormant.

 

If I think the vehicle is going to set for more than 2-3 wks, I plug in the Tender.

[POS VETT]

Panik - there is no need for float-charging a vehicle such as your K2 truck which is used daily; even when not driven for 2-3 weeks, especially if you're diligent about electrical usage. Reconsider the issue when down time is over a month in the cold weather.

[Panik]

Reconsider the issue when down time is over a month in the cold weather.

 

I like the way you think. Out of necessity I'm going to have to table the idea of doing it regardless as I have enough I need to get done out in the heat right now. Assuming I don't lose the connections I will may put it in this winter when things are a bit more comfortable.

[2018GMC]

You could always get one of those solar chargers that plug into cig lighter. Some are supposed to work on cloudy days or with minimal sun.

 

 

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[morrislee]

should not be required for new batteries. You can tell the battery voltage when you insert the key and turn to run (just before start)

 

I left my truck in the garage for 16 days, no problems - I do have dual battery hooked up though (in parallel)

 

FYI 2G OnStar (on most 2014 and older 2015 models) will shut off in 5 days, the newer hardware with 4G will stay on for 10 days.