forfour.co.uk

Forum => General Smart Chat => Topic started by: CrazyG on April 27, 2012, 01:42:03 PM

Title: What to do for your ForFour when you go away.
Post by: CrazyG on April 27, 2012, 01:42:03 PM
To anyone going away (and leaving their car) for a period of more than 10 days, the following
is offered as a 'guide', not a Gospel....ok.  It will depend quite a lot on the age
and condition of the battery in your car, and also if you have any other security devices fitted
(such as a Tracker) as well.

Dependant on where the car is......
(a) Put the battery on a trickle charger.
(b) Hard wire in a solar panel trickle charger to the battery.  Do not plug it into the ciggie lighter.
     Why not ?....Cos the ciggie lighter circuit is disconnected 5 minutes after igntion off.
     Oh, and get a big solar panel, as the little narrow one's are totally naff to say the least.
(c) Have a battery jump starter pack to hand/available and follow the 'guide' below.

Why all this you may ask ?
The alarm draws current, and depending on the state and age of your battery,
it may or may not hold sufficient charge to disarm the alarm and/or start the car
after a period of more than 10 days or so.
If the battery is low on charge; or possibly flat; and you use the remote/keyfob to unlock n
disarm it, it may not have enough charge to unlock the car, and the alarm may well go out
of sync with the keyfob !   You won't want that to happen as it will then cost to have your pride
n joy taken to an 'indie' or MB to have it reset/re-coded.  That will be a double cost to you
on both counts... but only possibly.

If the car is away from home, and you don't have a solar panel trickle charging it, or if you
have a jump start pack handy, for 'safety' sake, unlock the passenger side door using
the key, open the door and the bonnet. The alarm may may go off, but even if it does
it is no indication that there is sufficient charge in the battery to unlock the doors AND disable
the alarm  !
Slap on the jump pack leads, then you can use the keyfob to disarm the alarm.
Start the car, and then finally remove the jump pack.

PLEASE NOTE.........
This is only meant to be a guide.....it is not 'The Gospel'....it might just be of some help one day.