Car Won't Start After Sitting? Why It Happens | Broward FL

Car Won't Start After Sitting? Here's Why

You came back from a trip, or the second car has not moved in two weeks, and now it is completely dead. This is one of the most common calls we take in South Florida, and there is a specific reason it happens here more than most places.

Your car is never really off

Modern vehicles draw power continuously even when parked. The alarm, the keyless entry receiver, the clock, the onboard computers, telematics, and any dash camera all pull a small current around the clock. That is called parasitic draw.

On a healthy battery it takes weeks to matter. On a battery that is two or three years old in Florida heat, it can take days.

Why heat makes it worse

People assume cold kills batteries. Cold exposes a weak battery, but heat is what actually destroys it. Sustained high temperatures evaporate the electrolyte and corrode the internal plates. A battery that would last five years in a cooler climate often lasts two or three here.

So the battery that survived a week of parking last year may not survive a week this year.

Common situations we get called for

• Returning from vacation to a car left at the airport or cruise port
• Seasonal residents whose car sat all summer
• A second vehicle, work truck, or classic car that only moves occasionally
• A car parked in a condo garage while the owner was traveling
• A vehicle left at a shop or storage lot

How to prevent it

• Drive it for at least 20 minutes every week or two, short trips do not recharge much
• Use a battery maintainer or trickle charger if the car sits regularly
• Disconnect the negative terminal for long storage, though you will lose radio presets and settings
• Replace a battery proactively at three years here rather than waiting for it to strand you

Will a jump fix it?

Usually yes. A battery drained by sitting is normally still good and will recover once the alternator charges it back up. Drive for at least 20–30 minutes after a jump rather than shutting it straight off.

If a battery has been flat for months, it may not hold a charge. We check voltage after the jump and tell you honestly which situation you are in.

Flat $70, 24hrs, we come to you

Airport lots, cruise port, condo garages, storage lots, driveways. Average arrival is about 15 minutes, in a clean sedan.

Serving: Fort Lauderdale | Hollywood | All of Broward County