Bring it back. Most stores are VERY good about replacing faulty equipment. Just tell them it was a gift and that you can't find the receipt!

 

Think they'll still do it considering it is almost a year old?

 

I don't know what's down there as an equvilent, but at Canadian tire they have a nice one that goes sits on your dash and plugs into your cigarette lighter, I believe it's 7.5 watts. I've been holding out, but I don't want to wreck a battery I just put in it 8 months ago.

 

Worth a shot. I know my local store would - and wouldn't even bat an eye. They'd just tell you to go get a new one and have a nice day. They know there stuff is cheap

 

I shop at HF all the time and they are one of the best stores for exchanging stuff that I've dealt with. No questions asked.

 

I use one of those (and yes it is from Harbor Freight) and it works great. I don't use my truck a lot since gas went through the roof (back down now), but i don't have to even think about it. Just plug it in and forget it. They put out enough juice to keep a battery up as long as you don't have shorts or excessive parasitic drains. They keep my battery up fine even if I don't use it for a few weeks (I know because I load test my battery at least every month or two). Also, you don't have to worry about a solar charger messing your battery up (unless it's a solar that's too big to fit on your dash) They should put out just enough to maintain, not charge up. They also will charge on a cloudy day- doesn't have to be sunny. You can tell by how fast the LED light is blinking the rate at which it is charging. It will charge with any light source, even a light bulb.

 

thats what alot of dealers use. it works great for what there used for. all they do is maintain the charge on a sunny day.

 

That sounds good. I'm not expecting it to work miracles or anything, bhut it would be great to help off-set the draw on the battery while it sits. I will be installing switches to shut-off all power to my LCD screens and Sattlelite radio. Not sure what to do about the door solenoids, maybe a hidden shut-off switch. something pretty heavy duty. Sorry for the thread jacking and thanks for the help!