Here is a question for the Vanagon electrical gurus out there. I've always been of the understanding that the folk wisdom of "If the vehicle is going to be unused for a period of time start the vehicle and let it idle for a while to keep the battery charged" was a bad idea because it took more energy from the battery to start the engine than you got back with a 'few minutes of idle'. So the question is, just how much engine running (at idle) or how much running on the road does it take to replenish the energy used to start the Vanagon? BTW, this assumes easy starting, a healthy engine/FI/electrical system. |
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