Vans

[AJH]

So does my fiesta so I piggy back fused one of the ignition controlled services and run the camera off that.

It took me a couple of flattened battery incidents before I cottoned on.

AJH

[Jim White]

I wonder if the rebadged Vivaro/Traffic Talento does that as well?

Jim

[ARW]

I like the idea of keeping it running if required when parked up. The Scudo had a wing mirror knocked off last week when parked up. If the dash cam was running it might have given a number plate of the culprit.

I parked the Skoda up on Sunday afternoon and the battery is still OK to start it up. I am not expecting to use it again for another 3 weeks so I might get out the battery charger.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Your statement needs no but. I was responding to someone who claimed roads were getting narrower. My response is that they always were.

That they are now used for parking is irrelevant as it does not affect their width.

[Bob Eager]

I deliberately piggybacked onto an unswitched fuseway.

The camera (allegedly) turns itself off if the battery voltage drops. I have noticed that the auto stop/start ceases to operate unless I've done a longer journey.

[AJH]

I retrieved one of those small solar panels that you leave on the dash plugged into a permanent live cigar lighter from a skip.

It seems only to keep a battery at 12.6V but it may save killing a battery.

I leave it plugged in to my power pack.

A slight move away from topic but I see now there are super capacitor jump packs that have a small internal lithium ion battery. I imagine the have a booster circuit to get the capacitor bank to 12V.

They claim to take a charge from a battery that is too low to turn the engine over. I suppose even if they only get charged to 11V, say, their low internal resistance allows a high current??

AJH

[Andrew]

And those were the days when TV aerials were massive too :-)

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Not much Fiat does surprises me. ;-) Really good for the 'eco' having to keep the engine running to listen to the radio.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Loved the Bradford vans. Sounded different from every other one. Until DAFs arrived.

[Tim Lamb]

In message [e-mail]>, "Dave Plowman (News)" [e-mail]> writes

Horizontally opposed flat twin engine?

>

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Yup. Got three of them in my car. ;-)

[Bill Wright]

I have a memory of erecting a double 13 element Band III thing on a steep roof and with a strong wind blowing! Never forget it!

Bill

[ARW]

I have just looked up the price of them:-)

I'll stick with my battery charger.

I'll also have to pass on the dash solar panel. The car is parked under a cherry tree and I am considering buying a car cover.

I suppose I could just take the car for a run every now and again, especially as it is getting colder. But I suspect that it needs more than a 10 mile run to charge the battery after it has been parked up for a couple of weeks. When I do use it it seldom does a run of less than 50 miles.

[ARW]

I cannot blame FIAT when my battery did actually die. Total failure without warning.

I had just left my ECS course and jump started the van with some 10mm earth cable and the help of a Polish electrician that was on the course.