Battery drain: "To Lock or Unlock? that is the Question

[crestima]

I've had some unexpected extra battery drainage lately on two of my cars, one being the Emira, which was more surprising since it's, by far, the newest. My cars are garaged but, as it turns out, I have the bad habit of always leaving them unlocked, because: 1) I'm just too lazy; 2) I presumed no difference in drainage if left locked or unlocked; 3) I figured "my home has an alarm system, so what's the point?"

After some research in the net, however I found conventional and compelling recommendations to always lock a car when idle as it indeed helps to prevent drainage. I know that to many, this must be a "duh, you only found out about this now?", but the fact is that yeah, I did, it was a revelation to me and may also be for many other members. Hope you find this information helpful, even if f not necessarily revealing.

 

[Blackthought_]

Yeah you should always lock your car. Even in good neighborhoods you can get robbed! By the way, as long as the cars are not inside in the car, the Emira will automatically lock its door

 

[JimH]

It's also worth checking your insurance - in the UK at least, many policies are invalid if the car is left unlocked and/or with keys inside even if garaged etc....

 

[crestima]

Yeah you should always lock your car. Even in good neighborhoods you can get robbed! By the way, as long as the cars are not inside in the car, the Emira will automatically lock its door

I presume you meant to say "with key fob inside... " and yes, this too exacerbated the problem in my case. I would leave them inside or nearby the cars in the garage not allowing the auto-lock function to trigger.

 

[Dragoon]

I've noticed that the Emira electronics still run for a while after the doors are closed. I've even caught it still connected to Carplay and playing audio from my phone long after I've closed the doors. I don't lock the doors on my cars when they are in the garage, but I've started always locking the Emira to avoid any additional battery drainage. Since I started this, I have left the car locked for almost two weeks without starting it and haven't had any battery issues. I plan to get a lightweight lithium battery when mine kicks the bucket, so I'm not trickling charging this battery to see how long it will last if I keep the doors locked while it's parked.

 

[crestima]

I've noticed that the Emira electronics still run for a while after the doors are closed. I've even caught it still connected to Carplay and playing audio from my phone long after I've closed the doors. I don't lock the doors on my cars when they are in the garage, but I've started always locking the Emira to avoid any additional battery drainage. Since I started this, I have left the car locked for almost two weeks without starting it and haven't had any battery issues. I plan to get a lightweight lithium battery when mine kicks the bucket, so I'm not trickling charging this battery to see how long it will last if I keep the doors locked while it's parked.

Agreed.. I use to do the same and now, as you I began doing the same too, which is locking it.

I hadn't mentioned it, but coincidentally, I have the Anti-Gravity Lithium Battery in my Emira for a few months now and my experience with the battery drainage occurred precisely with it in place.
I think the main issue, however, is to minimize drainage to the extent possible, since any type of battery will be detrimentally affected. By the way, I can definitely attest to the worthiness of the wireless jump-start feature of the Anti-Gravity. My battery died to the point where nothing turned on, in or outside the car, and the damn thing really worked..

 

[KJWEmira]

I leave mine unlocked, but not with the keys inside for obvious insurance reasons.

I have quite a lot of experience with the Emira electrics after searching for a switched 12V Live for additional amplifiers when upgrading the Audio. I was amazed that most / nearly all the electrics remained Live, it didn't make any difference with the doors open (dashboard & touchscreen powers down after a short time), doors closed & car unlocked, or the car was locked - this was proved with a multimeter, patience and a stopwatch.

Most other car manufactures electronics go to sleep after approx. 15mins to conserve power, but not the Emira. Even the 12V supply to the OEM amplifiers remained Live. The only switched feeds I found were the fuel pump / relay, Engine ECU etc, which I didn't favor to use.

I ended up discovering & using the old-style cigarette lighter feed (behind the center console arm rest) as my switched live - This was the only thing that I found which goes to sleep / powers down after approx. 10mins.

To answer the question - It doesn't matter whether you lock the car or leave the car unlocked, this won't affect the battery drainage. My advice would be to leave the car on a trickle charger if not in use for long periods of time.

 

[crestima]

I leave mine unlocked, but not with the keys inside for obvious insurance reasons.

I have quite a lot of experience with the Emira electrics after searching for a switched 12V Live for additional amplifiers when upgrading the Audio. I was amazed that most / nearly all the electrics remained Live, it didn't make any difference with the doors open (dashboard & touchscreen powers down after a short time), doors closed & car unlocked, or the car was locked - this was proved with a multimeter, patience and a stopwatch.

Most other car manufactures electronics go to sleep after approx. 15mins to conserve power, but not the Emira. Even the 12V supply to the OEM amplifiers remained Live. The only switched feeds I found were the fuel pump / relay, Engine ECU etc, which I didn't favor to use.

I ended up discovering & using the old-style cigarette lighter feed (behind the center console arm rest) as my switched live - This was the only thing that I found which goes to sleep / powers down after approx. 10mins.

To answer the question - It doesn't matter whether you lock the car or leave the car unlocked, this won't affect the battery drainage. My advice would be to leave the car on a trickle charger if not in use for long periods of time.

Interesting, albeit a deflating revelation.
When I initially researched this subject on the internet, I presumed, as it turns out, incorrectly, that the Emira's electronics followed the same sleep functionality as most modern cars. This does pose a problem for the long term preservation of the battery's energy since modern cars increasingly rely on electronics to perform essentially everything. If each source of electronic component stays on, despite the insignificant level of energy dissipation each produces, collectively and eventually, they will completely drain and potentially damage the battery's cells.
I do have trickle chargers, but I don't like (my lazy factor once again), having to plug in the damn thing, even if infrequently. I've used them more on a recovery basis, that is, after discovering the full drainage has occurred. I don't haven't experienced this level of battery drainage with my 911 or with my MX-5 or my Lexus SUV and since I alternate diving amongst them all, the Emira sometimes may sit idle for a couple of weeks. Well, as the saying goes, it is what it is!
Your finding, regarding the 12V outlet behind the center console, is definitely good to know. Did you use that only as a source for your new sound component upgrade or for some other purpose?

 

[KJWEmira]

Interesting, albeit a deflating revelation.
When I initially researched this subject on the internet, I presumed, as it turns out, incorrectly, that the Emira's electronics followed the same sleep functionality as most modern cars. This does pose a problem for the long term preservation of the battery's energy since modern cars increasingly rely on electronics to perform essentially everything. If each source of electronic component stays on, despite the insignificant level of energy dissipation each produces, collectively and eventually, they will completely drain and potentially damage the battery's cells.
I do have trickle chargers, but I don't like (my lazy factor once again), having to plug in the damn thing, even if infrequently. I've used them more on a recovery basis, that is, after discovering the full drainage has occurred. I don't haven't experienced this level of battery drainage with my 911 or with my MX-5 or my Lexus SUV and since I alternate diving amongst them all, the Emira sometimes may sit idle for a couple of weeks. Well, as the saying goes, it is what it is!
Your finding, regarding the 12V outlet behind the center console, is definitely good to know. Did you use that only as a source for your new sound component upgrade or for some other purpose?

Please don’t panic - I would say a couple of weeks is perfectly fine not to trickle charge, obviously this will vary depending how many times you open the drivers door (dash, touchscreen, interior lighting etc come alive), or multiple cold starts to move the car around - trust me, you’ll get a warning on the touchscreen telling you the battery is low and a few non essential things stop working first

I used the center console outlet wiring as the switched live / 12v signal to bring the 2 additional amps alive in my upgraded audio.

 

[crestima]

Please don’t panic - I would say a couple of weeks is perfectly fine not to trickle charge, obviously this will vary depending how many times you open the drivers door (dash, touchscreen, interior lighting etc come alive), or multiple cold starts to move the car around - trust me, you’ll get a warning on the touchscreen telling you the battery is low and a few non essential things stop working first

I used the center console outlet wiring as the switched live / 12v signal to bring the 2 additional amps alive in my upgraded audio.

Ha ha, good one. Unfortunately it's a little too late for me not to panic or to trust anyone on this. As I mentioned a few posts above, my battery already died once and trust me, there was no prior low battery warning on the touchscreen. A big advantage of having the Anti-Gravity Lithium Battery is that at least it comes with a wireless jump start feature which actually got me out of a jam when the battery died. Ask me how I know...