Alan993S

Hi there,

My car is parked more than a half an hour away. I just received a call from a friend that the left hand side cabin light was left on. Unfortunately the car is locked so the friend cannot turn the light off. My question: how long would it take for that little lamp to suck my battery dry. I will be able to get back in about 10 hours which will mean that the light would have been on for more that 15 hours. Need to make a decision on whether to head there now or wait until morning. Any chance of the bulb burning out or other problems if i leave it?

Grateful for any prompt response/s....thanks

Falcondrivr

No idea, but I'm bumping because I want to know the answer.

Flying Finn

If you're battery is in good shape, it should be ok.

Alan993S

Thanks Finn - yeah the battery is in good shape....

trickydisco

my battery is NOT in good shape.
I left my interior light on, and in 1.5 hrs, i needed a boost.

Jim

Let's see what is the greater value to you, let's look at the two options...

Option 1. Step 1. half hour to the car Step 2. Unlock door, toggle light cover ~15 seconds, start car and drive around the block, 20 minutes plus a few minutes to wipe the grin off your face Step 3. half hour back where you are Step 4. Get a good night's sleep, Step 5. do a great job on your presentation/meeting and get promoted.

VS

Option 2. Step 1. Stay there, get no sleep tonight worring about the dimming of the poor little incandescent bulb, Step 2. mess up on your presentation/meeting tomorrow morning and start looking for excuses, Step 3. pay for Tow/Jump (optional, if your friend is still around), Step 4. spend 3 hours researching on Rennlist "what's the best battery to buy", Step 5. then one hour in the archives on "how to install a longer cable to make an Optima Redtop work", and finally Step 6. (A no charge step), then one hour more reading spurious thoughts from random Rennlisters, (like myself).

OK, which is better for you?

Alan993S

Very true Jim.... I ended up taking a chance and went with the first option. The baby was burning bright when i arrived this morning and started first time.

993C4Smontreal

hey alan..your car looks nice. U have more pics.....what is your ride height?

DBYT

Alan, very nice avatar!

V

+1 on the avatar, look really cool!

Jim

The anticipation was killing us, thanks for the update. Happy motoring!

ZombiePorsche44

I keep mine in the off position but every once in a while end up hitting it accidentally and leaving it on overnight, I have a newer battery and have never had to be jumped even after almost 24 hrs.

Glad it worked for you...................ZP44

Alan993S

Hi Monty... not sure of the ride height(?), i bought it like this....perhaps someone here on RL can tell me.

Will try upload some more pics..

thanks for the comps on the avatar... photo was taken by Tony as i was overtaking him...

jimbo3

I'd figure on a draw of 1 amp (but don't know for certain). 15 hours is 15 amps. Kinda cutting it close, unless it's a brand new battery.

Amfab

the formula is P=I x E
P is power in watts
I is current (in amps)
E is voltage
so:
#Watts=#Amps x Voltage

The interior bulb I believe is a 3 watt or 5 watt bulb

5 Watts=#Amps x Voltage which is 12
5 Watts=#Amps x 12V
Number of amps =5/12
So the current draw would be .42 amps for a 5 watt bulb
A 3 watt bulb would draw .25 amps at 12 Volts

Gee I hope my math is right