Minimal Driving to Maintain Battery?

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Nov 25, 2018

GBDeluxe

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Minimal Driving to Maintain Battery?

So, the 2005 Civic is my second vehicle and I'm not driving it a lot. I'm curious what the minimal amount of driving should be done, on a weekly basis, so as not to drain / damage / kill the battery.

If I have a working alternator, and a new battery, can you give me a distance / speed / time I should be driving, on a regular basis:

ie: "You should drive it for at least 20 minutes every week, preferably on the highway at least 60mph the entire time, if you want to make sure the battery doesn't drain."

Thanks in advance.

Nov 25, 2018

ezone

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Re: Minimal Driving to Maintain Battery?

Quote:

"You should drive it for at least 20 minutes every week, preferably on the highway at least 60mph the entire time, if you want to make sure the battery doesn't drain."

That sounds reasonable.

Or you could just buy a battery maintainer to keep the battery at full charge while it sits. That's what I do with my toy truck, which gets driven maybe one tankfull of gas per year now.

Nov 25, 2018

Slumpertcivic

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Re: Minimal Driving to Maintain Battery?

Always good idea to put fresh oil in it before storage and disconnect the battery to minimize draw.

As noted, simple battery maintainer would be good option.