Thanks for the prompt response. As I am in lockdown I will try your suggsetion next time i am able to use the car.
Didnāt know what to expect TBH - my fridge doesnāt have a switch to force the light to be off though. And no other car Iāve had has ever had a separate switch on the light in the bootā¦
If you have a boot light there is a switch to turn it off and on
this is all cars
you may not see it as I lot of the time the switches are built into the boot latches which is the same with the doors for interior lights
And for the sake of not going off topic I leave a ctek charger on all the time when car isnāt used
There best left connected thou as everytime you switch them on they start there battery charging sequence again so leave them on and let them do there thing otherwise you may as well just have a low amp standard charger and switch it on and off when you feel the need .
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I have a āmetalā battery cover!
Although the paint work needs redoing, i might even change the cover colour.
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Hi Rob, I think the bootlight switch is there in case an owner needs to leave the boot open for a long period (e.g. drying out any dampness), the light can then be switched off to avoid draining the battery.
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Yes, that had crossed my mind when I was thinking about it earlier.
I wonder how that conversation in the design studio wentā¦
āI know the drain holes will get blocked and the third brake light will let water in. Oh, and the boot lid isnāt insulated so will collect condensation which will fall onto the carpet and rot the floor, so I have an idea - we will put an extra switch on the light so the owner can leave the boot open to dry everything out without the light being on to stop the battery going flatā¦ā
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Worse than this it is possible for the interior light on some Mazdas (eg my Mazda3) to be left on! I thought it would automatically switch it off after a while, like it does the headlights if you forget to put them back to Auto. Not so in one switch position, eg reading a map, or in our case checking a bit of paper to see if we had arrived at the correct address!
It was still on four hours later when we went to the car to go home again.
So now we make sure it is Off before opening a door.
I have two cars like you and am using the bigger one for this lock down period. I invested the minor sum of Ā£6.99 on Ebay for a great set of jump leads and I start my 2008 MX5 every couple of weeks using these from my bigger car then run it at varying accelerator settings until the temperature reaches normal so the oil has circulated. The MX5 battery is the original from at least June 2008 so i canāt complain that it doesnāt keep its charge whilst parked up on my drive. I also run it forwards and backwards a few times to prevent flat spots on the tyres and stop the brakes from seizing upā¦
Hereās to the easing of this necessary lock down and the start of journeys in my Opentop!
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Do yourself a favour and buy an Optimate battery charger/maintainer. info as below.
OptiMate 3, the all-in-one tool for 12V battery care at home. Diagnoses, recovers, charges, tests and optimally maintains, automatically. The OptiMate 3 recovers sulphated batteries and then tests after charging. The maintenance program delivers only what the battery needs, never overcharges, never undercharges.
Taken from an advert for the 3 version but any of them are good. You donāt need the latest most expensive version as they all do the same thing. I have two, one for the motorbike that is seldom used in bad weather, and the other should any of the 4 cars in my household need a bit of TLC.
You
Hi,
As everyone says invest in a Ctek battery charger. I have one for my bike which is connected all winter. Once the charge has reached full power then the charger just maintains an automatic top up when needed. I have my āpop upā connected also over the winter but sunny, dry days then sheās out and about then gets reconnected once sheās back in the garage.
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Yes their batteries tend to die if they sit too long without a run. Disconnect the battery, jump start when youāre able to go out. Mine had same problem I used her to keep am eye on vulnerable person once a week, thatās essential travel and you kill two birds with one stone.
Good luck!
Another vote here for a Ctek charger (or similar) - I bought one shortly after getting the car (2012), although the MX-5ās my only vehicle it isnāt used for work so (prior to the current situation) regularly spent up to a week without being driven - longer now! Whenever Iāve used the car I connect the Ctek straight away when I get home - unless I know Iāll be using it again within the next day or so - then itās always fully charged & ready to go.
I fitted the wiring loom, which came with the charger, to the battery so itās just a case of opening the bonnet, plugging in & switching on then the charger looks after itself until I need to use the car again. No issues at all during the last 8 years - can thoroughly recommend.
I am fortunate though that this is an easy process for me because my carās always garaged.
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Hi,
A Ctek conditioner is the way forward, they come with an additional small loom that you fit so its a 5 second plug in jobbie
I have one on my Mk1 and MK3 and have never had any issues, on the other hand mm daily car is a Audi TT that I have had problems with. I live 1/2 a mile away from work and often walk, If left for 3 to 4 weeks the battery is flat. I have had it checked by an Audi specialist for volt drain and it well within tolerance - basically to much electronics in modern cars.
It now has a brand new Varta HD battery and have a Ctek on it when I know im not going to use it for a week or so.
As for essential use, you could use it for shopping ?
Stay safe everyone.
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Hi another vote for the ctek charges Iāve decided to Wall mount mine this week as it keeps them out of the way hereās a pic of one of them mounted. One in the pic is the small
The other is
And I leave these connected all the time when not driving 
Hope this helps
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Hi my 06 mk3 if left for a couple of weeks the battery used to drain and would have to be jumped started even with a good battery fitted a nuisance airport parking etc and .my garage is not attached to the house but ajdjacent.I fitted an isolater switch to the negative terminal to disconnect the battery and manually lock the car have left the car idle for three weeks or more and when the isolater is switch on it starts every time and it does not effect the electrics.
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It has now been seven weeks since either of our cars moved!
The NC gets a boost in the garage every couple of weeks, and the Mazda3 is now being gently topped up by the sun thanks to a weedy solar panel talking to the OBD2 port. Being a simple plug-in inside the car the panel will work on either car when it is left locked outside, and on average will just about cope with dark-current losses.
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The Ctekās I have are XS 0.8 even on my TT where technically its not powerful enough but I only use it for maintenance. They are Ā£36.99 on Amazon
Get a CTEK MXS 5.0 they are brilliant, just plug it in and leave it to recondition or straight forward charge. the lights show what stage the battery is at. They also have a 5 year warranty, so for about Ā£70-79 you canāt go wrong.
Go to the Halfords web site and there are a couple of videoās (short) on exactly how to sort your battery
I us an AA smart charger, came with a hard wire kit and have put the connector in the front grille and have put an outdoor power point by the car. Even though the unit is IP rated for water i put it in a tupperware box and slide it under the car. Had so many folk ask if its an electric car.
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Mine isnāt seeing much use either; the CTEK battery conditioners referred to in a previous reply are very good. Our 5s donāt have particularly large heavy duty batteries, Iāve found the CTEK MXS5 is is more than adequate for maintaining a level of charge, and can be left connected for long periods without detrimental impact.
Regards
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