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Brian8

To reduce the load on my battery I tend to have the engine idling when I doing things such as entering addresses into the car navigator or connecting a tyre pump to the car.
Should I have the car in Park or Neutral when the car is idling in the driveway?

Approx how long can I have the car electronics on when doing things such as using the navigator if the car engine is not idling. I'm worried that I might flatten the car's battery if I have use electronic devices on the car for too long?

Anon

Hi there,
If you ever have the car running, it is safest to have the selector in the Park position.
If Neutral is selected it can be all too easy to bump the selector into Drive by accident.
The biggest drain on a battery is usually lights, and extended use of things like the radio.
A battery in good condition should last at least 30-60 minutes before the car would need to be started.

Brian8

The reason why I asked about having the car in Neutral while idling is I heard that there is extra strain on the engine when in the Park position, is that true?
If I'm outside the car pumping up the tyres with a electric pump then 'Neutral' might be a good option as I won't be near the gear shift lever.
I didn't know you could shift from Neutral to Drive without having your foot on the brake petal.

Anon

Some cars may or may not let you shift but it's just safer that way.
There is no extra strain on the engine in Park it just means that a lock is in place so the car won't roll away as opposed to Neutral.