Miata Mailing List: January 1998, Message #24
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From: 	Welch <ljwelch@access.digex.net>

Subject: Battery Experience (sorta long)...

Date: 	Thu, 1 Jan 1998 11:15:02 +0000





Right before Christmas - because I needed to put snow tires on our other

car (the Subaru Legacy Wagon) - my wife drove LadyBug to work for the

first (last?) time.  My wife has a terrible tendency to kill batteries, by

leaving headlights on (the Legacy's lights go off when the key is turned

off - what a novel idea!!), but I thought - "With those barndoors, how can

she miss them?" However, she is creative.  At lunch time she went shopping

- found herself in an underground garage - and turned on the 'parking

lights' only.  (!)  Did the shopping, drove back to work.  At about 6pm, I

get a call - "Honey, I've killed the battery."  I said a few choice words,

grabbed the jumper cables, jumped into the Subaru and went to the rescue

and recalled all of the messages here about the difficulties on

recharging, etc.  My wife (bless her heart) told me that when she came out

to start LadyBug that there was no response at all and that the red led

blinker for the security system had even stopped.  Sounded really dead to

me.  However, she did have the presence of mind to turn the lights off

before she called me and by the time I arrived and checked, the security

system led was blinking again.  I jumped the battery - started LadyBug and

drove home (27 miles)  I had the headlights on, but kept the radio and

heater turned off (really necessary? I don't know) hoping to get the max

juice for recharging.  Noticed that the clock was two hours off.  Parked

and left the next morning for an eight day trip in the Legacy for the

Christmas holidays - wondering all of the time if LadyBug would start at

all when I returned?..would a new battery be the best choice?.. try

jumping again?..  etc....  Returned from the trip.  Red led was flashing. 

Tried starting. NO PROBLEM!  She started like a charm!  I reset the clock. 

The preset stations on the radio were even all OK. No problems since -

even on cold (10 deg F) mornings. 



GOTTA LOVE this car!  (...and, of course, the wife!!)



Lester Welch

97R "LadyBug" PhRedd, Md. Plate "YNG AGN" 

Team: My REAL sig is too long.