I recently bought an Android headunit, but every time it goes into standby for a while (like 6 hours), the unit loses track of time and the clock is wrong. I reached out to the seller, and he suggested changing a setting called ‘stand by every time’ (it’s under quick boot). The thing is, I don’t drive my car often, sometimes it’s 2 weeks before I turn it on again. If I let it stay in standby, will it drain my battery? Is it safe to do this? The seller assured me it wouldn’t drain the battery.
It depends on what ‘standby’ means for that random Chinese head unit manufacturer. Usually, standby means the main source is off, but the display and most of the head unit are still powered. That’s not ideal. When the car is off, the head unit should be fully off to avoid draining the battery. If it’s not, it could kill your battery. How quickly it drains would depend on how much current the unit uses while in standby, but anything different from the factory setup is a problem.
I see posts about these Android head units daily, and they’re nothing but trouble.
@Joss
I get what you mean. Unfortunately, in my country, even Chinese head units are expensive. A good Pioneer would cost me triple the price, especially with wireless Android Auto like the Android HU.
But since the seller said it won’t drain the battery, do you think it’s safe to leave it in standby every time? Or should I just let it cold boot after 24 hours and deal with the clock adjusting every time?
@Alden
I’m in Canada, and it’s even worse here. I can get a cheap radio from Aliexpress for 95 CAD, or a Sony for $450. People fall for this scam all the time, and there’s no fix that doesn’t involve throwing the unit out.
A car battery is meant for starting the car. You can drain a car battery in just 2 hours if you leave the hazard lights on with the engine off. It’s absolutely not okay for the radio to draw more than 20 milliamps when the car is off.
@Lyle
Trust me, it’s not worse where you live. I live in Brazil, and a decent HU costs about 3 months of minimum wage here lol.
Do you have any idea how much current it could draw with the engine off? I know it’s hard to guess, but I left the car overnight, and it started just fine today.