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Not just for highly computerized cars, I have a 97 Ranger where literally everything is manual and I don't even have a dome light anymore. There's a parasitic drain I can't quite figure out so I just make sure to start it every once in a while. Since I'm a year round bike commuter the truck can sit around for a long time, especially in winter when there's no house and garden projects. I've considered adding a manual battery disconnect, the only thing I'd lose are the pre-programmed radio stations.


Solar panel? Depends how big the draw is.


After the pandemic started I was using my car about once a month or two and the battery was getting drained enough that the car would not start. This solar panel fixed that problem:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07Y5TKMZ4

It is powerful enough to actually charge the battery instead of just maintain it, and it has a charge controller so it won't overcharge the battery. It did fail me once when we had a couple months of rain and overcast weather, but kept the car going otherwise. Eventually replaced the battery with an AGM battery and that plus the solar charger has worked very well.


Good idea, solar panel for trickle charge. Could power a few other things like a wildlife cam and weather station.




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