“Can you leave Garmin connected to your car when you leave or will it drain the car’s battery? I was reading a few reviews and one of them said it drained their car’s battery. I’ve been disconnecting it for now but it’s a hassle.”
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BE VERY CAREFUL! There's no warning from Garmin about this anywhere. My car battery has been completely drained on 3 occasions because I left the camera plugged into the lighter socket in my Mazda. The first time, AAA thought it was a bad battery and replaced the battery (i was gone for a week so figured this wasn't crazy). The second time they said they must have given me a bad new battery, so they replaced it (i was only gone 2 days!!). So i talked to my auto shop who said many Japanese manufacturers allow the cigarette lighters to continue to draw power when the car is off because of the prevalence of smart devices (as other reviewer noted). So DO test your product, and I've written to Garmin to request that they add a warning in their setup details for those who are attempting to use the in-box cable, as there's none at this time. Unfortunately for me, due to Covid-19 I'm WFH and forgot to unplug my camera a day and a half ago. Remembered to unplug it, and in less than 2 days, the brand new car battery is dead... and i'm supposed to be socially distancing. Good thing is, the only place i have to go (for now) is the grocery store... hope i can figure out how to get back up and running by the time i need my car.
Sorry, there was a problem. Please try again later.Whether it drains your car battery or not depends on your car's socket. Most cut the power to the socket when the vehicle's ignition is turned off. In this case, even if you leave the Garmin in the socket when the vehicle is turned off, your battery will not be drained. If your vehicle's socket continues to be powered when the vehicle is turned off, then if you leave the Garmin plugged in, it may continue to use power and so will drain the vehicle's battery. A simple way to check if your vehicle's socket can provide power when the ignition is off is to plug your phone charger (I assume you have one) into it when the vehicle is off and charge your phone. If it does not charge, then there is no power provided to the socket and you can safely leave your Garmin plugged in. However, if your battery is healthy and power is provided to the socket even when the vehicle's ignition is off, I would not worry about the minimal drain even if you leave it plugged in for half a day or less. Just don't leave it plugged in overnight or longer. The Garmin Speak Plus does not have a parking mode so it stops recording a short while after you stop driving and are parked. Parking mode generally allows a parked (ignition off) vehicle's dash cam to record based on motion sensor or other detection technology. I was hoping it would keep recording even if it didn't have parking mode if I kept it plugged in to a portable battery. It doesn't. It records for a few minutes after I am parked (with my phone in the car still connected to the Garmin) until it senses that I am no longer driving and then it stops recording. How many minutes it continues recording, I do not know as I did not bother to check. While the recording function stops, I am not sure if the Alexa function also stops. If it doesn't then it may continue to use a minimal amount of power waiting for you to tell Alexa to do something.
Sorry, there was a problem. Please try again later.I haven’t had that issue, my vehicle cuts the power to the power plug when the car isn’t running.
Sorry, there was a problem. Please try again later.Yes, it will drain your battery IFthe plug continues to be powered after your ignition is cut off. Easy way to check... leave your Garmin plugged in, turn off your engine. If the charger is lit up and stays lit up, then there is power going to the plug. Even if the Garmin is turned off, this leeches power from your car battery. I have a 2003 vehicle and the "cigarette lighter" junction is wired active at all times as most older vehicles are. If your plug is wired to turn off with the ignition is the ONLY way Garmin will not pull juice from your battery. I know, I have lived this. The charging recepticle can be wired differently to turn off when the ignition is off. If you don't want to do that, just unplug it between uses. I learned the hard way on a battery less than a year old, a good battery, GOLD SERIES battery. I left it plugged in for 3 weeks after reading it won't discharge a battery. It WILL drain it if that socket stays on when the ignition is shut off! The reports of it not draining the battery are from people who's car shuts off the power to the "cigarette" lighter plug when the ignition is cut off.
Sorry, there was a problem. Please try again later.Yes !! The Garmin Dash Cam will indeed drain your battery. I have proven this over and over. Usually takes 3 or 4 days and the car is dead. Leave the dash cam unplugged and no issues. Garmin definitely knows about this problem.
Sorry, there was a problem. Please try again later.Yes, leaving your GPS plugged into a live socket will drain your car battery.. Purchase a USB + Socket on Amazon or E Bay and wire it into the ignition on position. Now the only time the GPS is on is when your car is running, no need to disconnect GPS , and it will not drain your battery. On Amazon - Quick Charge 3.0 Cigarette Lighter Outlet Splitter, 12V USB Charger Waterproof Power Socket Adapter DIY Kit with Blue LED Dual USB Ports for Rocker Switch Panel on Car Boat Marine RV, etc
Sorry, there was a problem. Please try again later.It will for sure drain your battery. I have the Tandem model, which has totally drained my battery twice. RAC said it shouldn't have, but after the second battery in two weeks and taking the car back to the the showroom. It became apparent that it was the dash cam that was draining my battery. I have now had it hard wired, If there is still power going to your 12volt socket when the car is turned off, plug it out.
Sorry, there was a problem. Please try again later.As long as your car has a good battery, this would be fine left on for days. If you’re going to leave the car parked for weeks or months, it could draw the battery down, but at a very slow rate.
Sorry, there was a problem. Please try again later.My power socket shuts off with the car and doesn't drain the battery at all. However, I'm going to hardwire my Garmin Speak so that it charges the unit's battery while the car is off. I consider that a negligible power drain.
Sorry, there was a problem. Please try again later.I had mine installed three (3) weeks ago, direct wired by Best Buy. I am retired and do not use the car everyday, and it did not effect the battery. The other reviews with problems draining the battery are incorrect.
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