12v question due to infrequent driving

[Aza]

I only drive once or twice a week. Usually small trips to the grocery store. Would turning on the climate control while parked in my garage, daily or even every other day, help maintain the 12v?

Sponsored

 

[Murse-In-Airy]

yes. Turning on the climate control is the equivalent of remote start. And when the car is “running” it will charge the 12v battery. I would think the bigger question Would be, is it necessary? Ford recently upgraded the software to charge the 12V more frequently. And I’ve often left my car for a couple weeks at a time at airports without a problem, even with the old software. Knowing that forums amplify any problem, as those with problems come to grips, commiserate, or try to find solutions and those who don’t have problems don’t show up… I tend to believe the 12v battery problem is overblown and probably already fixed. In which case starting your car just to charge a 12v battery is just wasting your own electricity. I would think it would be more efficient to get something that plug into the cigarette lighter to see your 12v battery status. Ymmv.

 

[Space_Pony]

yes. Turning on the climate control is the equivalent of remote start. And when the car is “running” it will charge the 12v battery. I would think the bigger question Would be, is it necessary? Ford recently upgraded the software to charge the 12V more frequently. And I’ve often left my car for a couple weeks at a time at airports without a problem, even with the old software. Knowing that forums amplify any problem, as those with problems come to grips, commiserate, or try to find solutions and those who don’t have problems don’t show up… I tend to believe the 12v battery problem is overblown and probably already fixed. In which case starting your car just to charge a 12v battery is just wasting your own electricity. I would think it would be more efficient to get something that plug into the cigarette lighter to see your 12v battery status. Ymmv.

At one time there was a recommendation to tie a string onto the interior door handle and run the string outside the door so the door could be opened if the 12v was dead. I've often wondered if this method was ever actually setup and used when the 12v was dead or was it more of a placebo.
Would everybody that used this method and it saved their day please raise their hand.

 

[RickMachE]

I only drive once or twice a week. Usually small trips to the grocery store. Would turning on the climate control while parked in my garage, daily or even every other day, help maintain the 12v?

yes. Turning on the climate control is the equivalent of remote start. And when the car is “running” it will charge the 12v battery. I would think the bigger question Would be, is it necessary? Ford recently upgraded the software to charge the 12V more frequently. And I’ve often left my car for a couple weeks at a time at airports without a problem, even with the old software. Knowing that forums amplify any problem, as those with problems come to grips, commiserate, or try to find solutions and those who don’t have problems don’t show up… I tend to believe the 12v battery problem is overblown and probably already fixed. In which case starting your car just to charge a 12v battery is just wasting your own electricity. I would think it would be more efficient to get something that plug into the cigarette lighter to see your 12v battery status. Ymmv.

No.

You get two 15 min remote starts before you must physically start it. 15 mins, days apart, won't do anything for the battery.

 

[Maquis]

With the current 12V BMS software, there’s no need to do anything special.

 

[garyd9]

At one time there was a recommendation to tie a string onto the interior door handle and run the string outside the door so the door could be opened if the 12v was dead. I've often wondered if this method was ever actually setup and used when the 12v was dead or was it more of a placebo.

That wasn’t for a dead battery. That was for when the LVB still had a charge, but the doors weren’t responding to the fob or button presses (presumably because one or more modules was trashing the CAN bus lines)

 

[RickMachE]

I drive my truck infrequently. Just had the 12v replaced at the 35 month mark, after testing by the dealership failed it. Mach-E tested fine.

I have Battery Tender harnesses setup on both vehicles. When we go away for 2 weeks or longer, I put the vehicle we don't take (or both if we fly and take a limo to the airport) on the battery tenders. Why? Why not?

With my 2013 F-150, I got 7 years out of the initial battery by using a Battery Tender, which was recommended to me by the Service Manager due to driving the vehicle every 1 to 2 weeks and getting the shutdown screen message in the winter. On the Lightning, I got that after each service visit to update the modules, yet never got it on the Mach-E.

Battery Tenders will fully charge the battery, over time, in days. Mach-Lee on the Mach-E forum showed (and watched mine to verify) that while a Battery Tender (or the vehicle) says the 12v is fully charged, it's not. Days later, it is.

I THINK Ford has figured it out. We'll see.

 

[knemchak]

 

[Aza]

I drive my truck infrequently. Just had the 12v replaced at the 35 month mark, after testing by the dealership failed it. Mach-E tested fine.

I have Battery Tender harnesses setup on both vehicles. When we go away for 2 weeks or longer, I put the vehicle we don't take (or both if we fly and take a limo to the airport) on the battery tenders. Why? Why not?

With my 2013 F-150, I got 7 years out of the initial battery by using a Battery Tender, which was recommended to me by the Service Manager due to driving the vehicle every 1 to 2 weeks and getting the shutdown screen message in the winter. On the Lightning, I got that after each service visit to update the modules, yet never got it on the Mach-E.

Battery Tenders will fully charge the battery, over time, in days. Mach-Lee on the Mach-E forum showed (and watched mine to verify) that while a Battery Tender (or the vehicle) says the 12v is fully charged, it's not. Days later, it is.

I THINK Ford has figured it out. We'll see.

Thank you. One more question. I previously had a 2022 Ford Maverick. Occasionally, I would get a notification on the app that it had entered a battery saving mode. Does the Mach E do the same?

 

[Maquis]

Thank you. One more question. I previously had a 2022 Ford Maverick. Occasionally, I would get a notification on the app that it had entered a battery saving mode. Does the Mach E do the same?

Yes.

 

[Aza]

Yes.

Thank you! I haven’t gotten that yet in my 2 months of ownership so I think seeing the 12v issue posts had me prematurely worried.

 

[zvez]

where do you access fordadvisor to get this 12v status? I must have missed this along the way.

 

[Aza]

where do you access fordadvisor to get this 12v status? I must have missed this along the way.

I’m not the one that posted the screenshot but I also signed up for this a while back. It is part of the Ford Promise. You can sign up through the links in this thread. https://www.macheforum.com/site/thr...xpands-to-uk-24-7-live-support-for-all.44429/

 

[zvez]

I’m not the one that posted the screenshot but I also signed up for this a while back. It is part of the Ford Promise. You can sign up through the links in this thread. https://www.macheforum.com/site/thr...xpands-to-uk-24-7-live-support-for-all.44429/

Ah, thanks I went to the links and found out I'd already enrolled and have actually texted back and forth with the service advisor, I didn't realize they could provide the 12v data! I shall have to give that a shot. I really miss not having the 12v status we used to have.

 

[Maquis]

“Ford Advisor” looks like it’s AI-generated content.

Sponsored