Your Gadgets Are Wrecking Your Car Battery

Thu Mar 15, 2007 1:22PM EDT

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GPS, iPod connections, satellite radio... all of these gizmos make your commute more pleasant, but it turns out they're probably taking their toll on your car's battery. Makes sense: These devices use juice (sometimes even when the car is turned off), and the heavy drains on your car's electrical system are causing battery life to diminish. The Wall Street Journal has details on this interesting phenomenon, noting that batteries in heavily gadget-modded cars are dying in two years instead of the usual three to five.

Admittedly, a couple of gadgets aren't the big culprits in killing your battery. It's probably more power-hungry items like DVD players and in-car coolers that put a heavier strain on your ride. And of course, the car itself requires more electrical power than ever: Ignition, security systems, climate control, and more all keep a constant tether to the battery, sometimes even if the car isn't running.

What can you do? The WSJ story mentions trickle chargers, which can help extend the life of your battery, but that's really about it. In a nutshell, your car is just another gadget you'll have to contend with: Replacing the battery altogether when it gets weak. Fortunately, doing this with your car is much simpler than doing it with your iPod.

LINK: Why Car Batteries Are Dying Young 

Comments on Your Gadgets Are Wrecking Your Car Battery

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  • 6 Posted by rufrch on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:55PM EDT Report Abuse

    I somewhat agree with part of everyone. the only thing I know IS true. Is when you run your in car coolers or DVD system with the vehicle off. It will run your battery down. That is, if you leave it on long enough with the car off. Both have happen to me, thats how I know its true. But of course it will depend on the draw of the device you are running and how long you leave it running with the vehicle off. As for the article, for the most part. I consider it just filler for someone in need of a story. Nothing more.

  • 7 Posted by ryanahl on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:57PM EDT Report Abuse

    I have found shorter battery life due to the use of electronic devices, especially coolers, power converters for dvd or tv. Often these devices are still used when the vehicle is not running. The battery gets cycled more than they are made for. Car batteries are not made to be discharged, charged, discharged, and may never recover the charge they once had. I have found that using a deep cycle battery eliminates this problem, but not all vehicles will accomodate a deep cycle battery

  • 8 Posted by abce2j on Thu Sep 3, 2009 2:44PM EDT Report Abuse

    I think whoever wrote this story should re-think this coz its all B.S. I have all what he's talking about in my car. GPS, DVD player, AMP, Speakers, Subwoofers etc. my battery is still ok. As long as your car is running you are ok, dont use em with the engine off or u'll pay big time. A piece of advice to anyone using these gadgets...get a dry cell battery. It will cost you more but will serve you right. So Mr writer go do some more research. Cant believe he said an ipod can drain your battery d'oh.

  • 9 Posted by sabapathy4402@rogers.com on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:59PM EDT Report Abuse

    There are Battery Chargers which could be plugged into a wall outlet and the terminals clamped onto the battery terminals to charge a weak battery overnight, when the car is not in use.They prolong battery life. Some compact models can be permanently fixed under the bonnet,for use whenever necessary. These are used in UK.

  • 10 Posted by richarda01@rogers.com on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:39PM EDT Report Abuse

    It's the alternator thats taking the hit,while the car is running,unless your driving around with the engine off:),all power/voltage is supplied by the alternator,you could actually disconnect your battery and unless your pulling more amperage than the alternator is producing(which is rare)and is usually around a 100 amps everything would function normally.I find it's the alternators that are wearing out quicker,but as the alternator starts to go it usually takes the battery with it because most people do not notice the amperage drop and this puts an added load on the battery,so by the time the average Joe's car won't start because of a weak alternator the battery is either fried or close to it.If you run your accessories alot with the engine of,one simple hint would be to switch to a(or even 2) deep cycle battery and switch to a higer output alterator 200 amps plus when it's replacement time.

  • 11 Posted by croy85@rogers.com on Sun Mar 18, 2007 10:57AM EDT Report Abuse

    What a crock! If you hooked up your i-pod to a car battery on the table and never charged the battery, the i-pod would expire before the battery. Car battery technology is that good and i-pods are crap. What you should do is run a story on the lousy warranty that Apple gives out with their product. That would merit some screen space.

  • 12 Posted by mzupancic0113@rogers.com on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:32PM EDT Report Abuse

    well, an ipod connected through my 'lighter'...killed my alternator.. as a result I no longer use this adapter

  • 13 Posted by johnson.12@rogers.com on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:39PM EDT Report Abuse

    Talk to the humble battery sales rep. at Wal Mart or Canadian Tire. They have been trying to tell customers / car owners this simple piece of information for the last 30 years. Now that someone from the Wall St. Journal gets a hold of it and finds its way to the internet maybe people will listen!

  • 14 Posted by robertlee13@rogers.com on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:45PM EDT Report Abuse

    Go figure, batteries die when you use electronics while the car isn't running (cause the alternator isn't generating power) GO FREAKING FIGURE!

  • 15 Posted by da_crumster@nl.rogers.com on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:38PM EDT Report Abuse

    i agree with post 8. it is true that the typical car battery is not meant to be charged and discharged completely, whether or not it is by use of electronic devices, headlamps, etc. A deep cycle battery, like what would be used with an RV would be more up to the task to being constantly drained and recharged. just make sure you leave enough juice to start the car!

  • 16 Posted by chiawang@rogers.com on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:23PM EDT Report Abuse

    While we are on the subject I have a van with battery that allows me to open the cap on each of the 6 cells. I check for fluid levels each year and top up with distilled water. I was able to get 12 years out of the original battery in the now 14 year old van (but with only 170,000Km on it). The alternator is still original. I have the usual AC and cellphone charger but no heavy extra drain on the battery. The car does get parked for sometimes 2 weeks at a time over the years. When that happens sometimes I use a Canadian Tire battery charger to recharge for a few hours (or when I hear the battery boil vigurously).

  • 17 Posted by blnkng on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:09PM EDT Report Abuse

    all that you do is watch amperage wich tell if the battery can handle the load placed on the battery so look at while is running and if dips below 14volts then go and get cca900volt battery cause it has the most amps to use.unlike most of the stuiped people talking iknow for a fact that car makers use the cheapest battery and alternaor avaible they don;t use 100amp altrnators or the best batterys with 900cca amps so ask yhe car parts to get the 900cca amp battery

  • 18 Posted by jim_15014 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:35PM EDT Report Abuse

    I guess it depends on what gadgets we're talking about. I had installed an in-car PC for a while (mini-ITX with DC-DC power supply). My battery would be too dead to start the car if I didn't drive it every day or two. I found out that, even in the off state, the PC consumed around 2 amps continuously. After I determined the current draw, I installed a switch to shut off the 12V feed to the power supply when I was not going to be in the car for some time - problem solved. However, I imagine that an iPod consumes less power (when not charging its internal battery) than the car's own PCM. It'll take a lot more than leaving an iPod on in the car to shorten the life of the battery by nearly 1/3.

  • 19 Posted by jacob_feugate on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:27PM EDT Report Abuse

    what is true about the ac or the rear defrosters but they only operate when the car is on, or run. The gps or onstar will sometimes operate while the car is off pulling power through the battery while the car is off. They made cracks on i-pods and stupid little gizmos that truely wont do any harm but if people imagine what their stero systems are actually pulling and then they might think twice as to hooking them up. A car company make their cars with a certain size battery because that is all they need in the amount of power. Stock cars with stock batteries arent at all ready for the extra aftermarket stuff that people put on them. And if the altenator is only design to runs so ften and not as much as it has to to run the extra stuff then you damage that. If that goes bad then your battery will go bad to.

  • 20 Posted by ford205gti on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:01PM EDT Report Abuse

    that is all a load of bull, all of it. i am a battery technician and such items do nothing to them

  • 21 Posted by nevers2 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:36PM EDT Report Abuse

    This story drained more battery power from my laptop than it was worth

  • 22 Posted by danigriff on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:35PM EDT Report Abuse

    Hey author of story........... Should you be having a guy in his car with head phones on? I thought that would be dangerous and more news worthy than about battery drainage.

  • 23 Posted by gbh1993 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:06PM EDT Report Abuse

    what`s the big deal ? . just get a new car battery and stop being a wuss . it`s so simple .

  • 24 Posted by adammarturana on Thu Sep 3, 2009 2:45PM EDT Report Abuse

    I got one of those Ionic Breeze air fresheners for the car for Christmas and plugged it in my new Mini. The car started running VERY poorly after that and no one could figure out why. One day I pulled the thing out to make room for something else and all of a sudden the car started running great again! I tried plugging it back in and sure enough the car went back to running like crap. Turns out the thing puts so much RF interference into the cars electrical system that it was screwing up the computer! Don't ever buy one of these things and beware that there may be other products out there that can cause the same problem.

  • 25 Posted by wcllinville on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:42PM EDT Report Abuse

    i have found that the reverse inertia of the ipod will deplete the blinker fluid levels in cars that were made before 2000. another problem with the ipod is its negative affect on the alloy ratio of the muffler bearings.

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