How many times a week should I start my car when hardly using it.
If you have a battery maintainer plugged in, the answer is zero, no reason to start the car.
If no battery maintainer, battery should be fine for a minimum of two weeks.
When you do choose to start the car, drive it, my opinion drive a minimum of ten miles to ensure all fluids are fully warmed up.
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Can you please give us some more information?
How many miles per year?
Do you even need the car?
During the COVID-19 shut down I parked my 2017 Accord EX-L with the 4-cylinders engine for up to two weeks without moving it. When I did move it, I drove a 6 to 10 mile round trip to pick up carry out on Friday night. This went on for about 4 months before I returned to work a day or two each week. You have fewer electronic systems on your Accord than I did. I suggest driving at least 10 miles every week and if that works well try every other week.
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Same experience as jtsanders, but we’re in the Mid-Atlantic so it may be different for you depending on your climate.
Just to add to some of the previous (good) answers, your battery recharges very little when idling. You need to drive it for that, preferably at highway speeds. When I wasn’t driving much due to the pandemic, I’d get a takeout lunch once a week at a place that’s about 20 minutes away.
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My Corolla was off the road for the entire Covid pandemic , 3-4 years. My remedy was to leave it parked up, but to run the engine to full operating temperature once or twice a week. Took about 20 minutes total. 10 minutes at idle rpm, and 10 minutes at around 1500 rpm. Seemed to do the job; Corolla still runs like new & recently passed the Calif emissions test, same as it always has. The upside of all this, presents a good opportunity to complete some niggling diy’er maintenance jobs.
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I haven’t started the engine in this car since May, my cars usually stored for six months without use. No starting of the engine, no idling, no short trips. When the battery needs to be recharged, I use a battery charger before driving the car.
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The problem with your question is that there isn’t really an answer that is going to give you what you’re looking for which I assume is to keep the battery charged and the engine warmed.
And the simple reason for this is Idle speed, even the fast idle when the engine is cold, doesn’t generate nearly enough heat to To warm your engine fast enough. Even if you sit there for 15 minutes, just idling your engine will still be cold or after 15 minutes then it would be if you just drive for five minutes at over 50 mph.
Similarly, when you start the engine, you’re not getting the full voltage out of the alternator at idle speed. You’re just getting a minimal amount to run the electrics, but there’s not enough extra to charge a battery.
Same reason why engine makes a lot more heat when you are on the highway, it’s at those speeds when everything is spinning, fast enough that the alternator can switch up into a different state and then provide good solid voltage worker needed to run the electric and replenish the battery.
So if you cannot for whatever reason drive the car like it really needs to be. It’s actually better that you just not bother starting it and idling it. Put a lot more tear on that engine. Just go buy a battery maintainer at least keep your battery in good condition.
I enjoy reading answers on this platform. Very educational and informative stuff on here.
When I had surgery and unable to drive for about 6 months, I would start the car using the remote and let it idle for 10 mins. I didn’t know this wasn’t enough to keep the battery healthy.
Thankfully, a family member drove the car around the block every 3 days, while I was pissed about it because I don’t share the car I drive mainly.
But now I know better based on the answer you provided here.
Different cars can vary. My 2017 rav4 has sat up to 6 weeks, parked outdoors during summer and no problem. Winter a couple or 3 weeks has been fine. Battery was going in 2023, slower cranking my clue. I think 560 cca was the standard replacement.
This has to do with the size and chemistry of the battery. A battery in a vehicle that has been unused for a long period of time will draw a charge very slowly and take several hours to charge.
The charging rate of the vehicle’s alternator far exceeds the demand of the battery, usually 80 amps at idle speed. A discharged battery will usually draw 10 to 20 amps. The charging rate while moving is no better than at idle, the capacity will be greater while driving but it won’t be used. 10 minutes on the highway is no different than 10 minutes in the driveway.
Proper charging would take hours, a battery charger would be more practical than driving for hours.
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If that person drove your car “around the block” only once, he/she is also not charging the battery, and–in fact–that type of driving will lead to oil sludging and possible premature replacement of the exhaust, in addition to taxing the battery. I would be more thankful if that person drove the car for at least 20 minutes, or if the car was not driven at all.
I have a question.
My friend on the island, his father has a 2007 Honda accord with only 45k miles. The reason for this is not because he doesn’t drive a lot but that he’s very poor and has the belief that driving his car just a little once a month or once every 3 months will let his car live for a lifetime.
His other vehicle is a beater, which I will say is junk, and he drives that instead.
My question: why is it that him driving the car so little, allowing it to sit still for months, has never caused any mechanical problems, despite buying the car new in 2007?
Also, he doesn’t change the oil as recommended and would let the oil stay in the car for more than a year due to financial reasons.
UPDATE: My friend corrected me that the car had its master cylinder changed and that the steering hose needs replacement due to inactivity.
I don’t think so
I clearly remember your emissions were not okay a few years ago, and you asked us all for advice
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Very poor? Is car insurance not required on the island? If insurance is required, why two cars?
The answer to your question, the 2007 is undergoing a slow death.
No matter what, doubt that person would welcome any advice.
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A very slow death, this will likely take 3 times longer than average. Consider those who use-up a vehicle in 10 years/300,000 miles, then replace. Dad’s car is 18 years old, might only last another 18 years.
My Corolla has always passed its bi-annual Calif emissions test. The advice I was asking was why the HC levels were so close to the allowed limit, and ideas for how to lower them. Don’t believe me? Maybe you should try the forum search feature … lol …
One could also say since your Corolla is currently registered; it passed more times than it failed.
Search result;
Depends on the def’n of “pass”. I see you found the forum search feature useful.