Artfuldodger128

You can find that information via their website.

wellinever

yes it is on website, but park P4 is €7.00 a day, and is a bit closer than P3. P4 is where car rentals is.
And I did got ahead with payment on the website rather than risk no spaces, and further down it does ask for car reg and make/model.
You get a QR code emailed to you, either for phone or print out..

riv

Could you provide more details of this device ? And / or a link to supplier ?

Is it wired to the battery in situ in the engine bay ? Or do you have to remove the battery and leave it inside the car ?

Score76

This is the one I use from Amazon Spain. You clip the crocodile clips to the battery terminals, pass the wire out the top of the bonnet, shut the bonnet and leave the solar panel on the windscreen. If you put them inside the windscreen it seriously reduces their ability to generate power.

riv

When you say 'leave the panel on the windscreen' ~do you mean tape it or whatever to the windscreen to stop it blowing off in the wind ?? Or is there some other method for securing it ?

I would be leaving it for sometimes a couple of months at a time : would there be any danger of over charging the battery ? or other danger ?

Do you know how long it would take to recharge a discharged battery ? I am wondering if one could just leave the battery to discharge and then would a day's charge with this device be sufficient to re charge the battery ?
Thanks for info. I had no idea there was such a device.
Is there a Halfords equivalent in Portugal where one could source it ?

BillBullock

Why not just disconnect the battery whilst you are away? A good battery will still have enough power when reconnected to start the engine. My friend does it all the time when he leaves his car at my house and last time it started after 3 months. With some modern cars, you need to check your handbook to see what the consequences of disconnecting the battery might be.

liveaboard

Some cars use quite a bit of electricity from the battery when the car is not in use (+- 100mA), that will drain the battery over a few months. That can easily be checked with a multimeter.
If you disconnect the battery, your odds of the car starting after a long spell of non-use is much better, but you will probably lose your radio stations and that sort of thing.

Make sure the battery is clean on top. Muck buildup (particularly if the car has been parked near the sea) can conduct a small amount of electricity, draining the battery over time.

The small solar chargers produce a small amount of power; I'm sure they wouldn't harm your battery.
Parking your car in the sun for months will result in damage though. In summer, the Portuguese sun is strong enough to lift the clear coat. And the plastics inside the car shrink and go brittle after some time.

BillBullock

As I said, check your handbook to see what the effects are of disconnecting the battery. I have had many cars and never had a problem when changing the battery, and certainly not with the radio. The handbook will warn you of any problems.

Score76

If you look at the listing it has suckers in each corner. It's fairly heavy too, it won't blow. It's not supposed to charge a discharged battery, just keep it topped up. It won't ever over charge the battery, the voltage isn't high enough.
Halfords equivalent is Norauto.

riv

Thanks for the useful info.
Am intending to get cover to protect against sun asap. ( I suppose I will have to cut a small hole in it for the charger wire ? )