i recently bought one of those solar panels to keep my battery charged. i only drive the car every 2 to 3 weeks and the battery was usually dead when i went to start it.
The solar panel I bought was a little bigger than the basic one. it says it puts out 5 watt/350 mA.

my problem is it either doesn’t work or doesn't keep up with the drain on the battery from the systems that are drawing power full time (stereo, alarm, computer) that's all i could think of. the battery seems to be good for about a 1 to 1 1/2 weeks, then dead.

there is a test at least for the voltage output which is 16 to 25 volts in full sun light which is OK. the car windshield faces where it would get full sun all day if it’s out but it’s supposed to work even in cloudy weather I think just not as good.

i sent an email to the manufacturer, and they said it should be OK.

what do you guys think, is it NFG or just can't keep up, or what???

Thanks for any opinions here in advance.

bob

If your battery is going dead in three weeks, THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG in your electrical system.

A solar panel battery charger doesn't stand a chance. 350 milliamps is like pissing into Niagra Falls and thinking it'll make a difference.

Time to do a proper inspection of the starting/charging power team.

I put my vehicles into storage with a fully-charged battery in October; when I come back in April or May, I expect them to start when I turn the key. I'd be angry if they failed to start. (Granted, no alarm, no radio, no computer.)

350 milliamps is like pissing into Niagra Falls and thinking it'll make a difference.

I like the way you put that :D