Cowhorn

If I leave my i-pod connected to my car, will the i-pod drain the car battery when the car is not running? I guess what I am asking is, do I need to disconnect the i-pod each time I turn off the car to prevent it drawing from the car battery?

'09 Turbo

CarGuy21

Any appliance be it an iPod or Radar detector if left on and connected long enough will contribute to discharging the battery on my car. However, if you're only leaving it connected and turned on for a short period of time such as overnight or while you're at dinner, etc. the power drain is not significant enough to be a concern. The parasitic load of the car's electronic systems is probably greater than that of your iPod. I wouldn't worry about it.

Cowhorn

Thanks!

I was wondering as well whether the i-pod turns itself off when the car shuts off. As you can see, I have absolutely no idea how these things work.

Domer911

In short, no.

I drive my car very little. I leave the iPod connected and on, every time I turn it off. I think (though won't swear to it) that my iPod drains, but since it's connected via the universal cable, it recharges when the car is on.

Either way, I have not had any issues with the iPod draining the battery.

CarGuy21

The iPod does not turn itself off unless you turn it off using the power button on top of the device. If there is power to the connection, then the iPod will continue to charge or play music or whatever.

stevepow

iPod is off (standby - iPod uses minimal power in standby) as soon as the car is turned off and locked or fairly soon if you don't lock it. You can tell this by the fact that whatever song is playing when you locked the car will resume the next time you get in.

I keep a CTEK on the car and even with the iPod always connected the CTEK typically goes "green" (not charging) within an hour or so - unlocking the car immediately sends the CTEK back to "orange", so I'm taking that to mean that a fully charged and not-playing standby iPod has no substantial drain, if any, on the battery.

Cowhorn

Thanks, all.

Domer911

yep, it sure does stay on the same song. thanks!

Minok

The iPod will still be operational (the PCM doesn't allow the iPod to go totally to sleep).. so in all likelyhood, since the 12V power signal to the iPod will be disconnected when you turn the car off, the iPod will be totally discharged. The car battery will be fine. Test it, if you can leave your ipod in the car and the not drive the car for a week or two (with an older iPod that has a worn battery).

BC-997

If your using the proper Y cable and you have PCM 3.0 the iPod goes to sleep after a short period of time and there is very little draw. It should be on the song you left off at even after a prolonged absence. I've left my car and iPod connected for up to a week so far with no issues.

When I used the older single cable, my iPod kept playing and draining itself down pretty quickly - much sooner than your car battery. You'll know that happened when you go to play your iPod and you need to find the playlist you were on and start over. Just disconnecting the cable will cause your iPod to stop playing and turn off, in that case.

jhbrennan

Not sure how this applies to the iPod hook-up but the owner's manual has this to say about load managment:

Load switch-off after 2 hours or 7 days
If the ignition key is removed, loads which are
switched on or are in standby mode (such as the
luggage compartment light, interior light and
radio) are automatically switched off after approx.
2 hours.

I know that if I leave my hood open the light does go off after about 2 hours. Also, I noted that if I pop the hood or engine compartment and then lock the car with the remote, the lights go off after about 10 minutes. You could try this with the iPod visible through the window and see if that works too.