I had an interesting situation crop up with one of my snowbird clients over this past winter. Like so many Calgary snowbirds, he rode out a portion of the winter in the sunshine down south. Everything went just fine at his house (but boy, did I shovel a lot of snow!).
When he got home he called to thank me and mentioned something unusual. He left his vehicle parked in his garage for those three months. When he tried to start it when he got home, the battery was dead! I do offer to start cars over the winter and I asked him if that would have eliminated the problem for him. Nope.
The dealership informed him that his type of car alarm system sends a regular signal back to the main alarm service provider. Over a period of three months, that periodic "ping" checking in with the main system drained the vehicle's battery. It is possible to turn off this feature on this type of car security system. Who knew?
Now as part of my checklist, I mention this situation to all of my snowbird clients so they aren't met with an unpleasant surprise when they come home again in the spring.
Tip: If you plan to leave your car idle for a long period of time, check with the manufacturer to make sure your car alarm will not drain the battery.
