Is there any other way to charge a car battery besides Jump Start?

Actually, I drive a 1997 VW GTi VR6. Sometimes, I have to go to other countries for a few months and my car battery runs out every time. I cannot get my car to start. Is there any way that I can deal with this situation all by myself? Buying a battery chargers? What kind? How many voltage? Thanks!Is there any other way to charge a car battery besides Jump Start?
You have several options here. One is to disconnect one of the battery cables, (accessories like clock, security alarm, and other stuff can run battery down when car not it use!) A battery with a good charge can probably survive for 3 months and still start the car (most of the time).



There is a "jumpstart" pack, - that can be caried to car and will boost the battery enough to start the car. It has a charger that plugs into regular "house outlet" and then unplugs so that you can carry it around. The unit is about as big as an "old time" kids lunch pail (maybe just a little larger). This is a great thing to have while traveling, as you can just put it in your trunk, and if you (or anybody else) forgets to turn off your lights, - you just get the pack out and hook it up and you are on your way!! This will run you around $40-50, - depending on how big and what brand it is! Sears, Wal-Mart, and auto supply stores have them.



Now if the car is staying at home, you can buy a "trickle charger" and hook it up to battery and forget it, it puts out a very low current output, - which keeps your, battery "topped up" all the time, when you get back, just remove the charger and go on your way! This will run you in the range of $8.50 -$15.



Since your car has a 12 volt syatem, - naturally the voltage will be 12!



Now there is a third alternative, and that is a "solar charger" you can plug it in to the cigarettte lighter, and put it on the dash. They work pretty well (most of the time), - and they essentially will do the same thing as the trickle charger. They are pretty well available where car accessories are sold. And they run from about $20-up, - here again it depends on where and how you buy them. You probably only need one capable of putting out 1 amp under full sun,light. Obviously this isn't going to work in a parking garage or shaded ares! Note don't put it on outside of car,-(or it will be gone when you get back!)





There is one more thing to keep in mind, and that is if you have a computerized theft prevention system, - you want to know the "combination code" that re-arms your car so that you can drive it away! Otherwise it may think you are trying to "steal your car" and "lock everything down"! If your battery has been really (100%) dead before, you will already know this! Since you would have had to get it re-programmed before you cold drive it!!
get a battery tender they will charge and maintain you battery without the damaging effects of a trickle charger.Is there any other way to charge a car battery besides Jump Start?
Alot of good answers here, 1 that no one has mentioned is a solar charger that you can plug into your cig lighter, and keeps your battery charged, I hope this helps
I would check at Sears or Walmart for an inexpensive charger. Some chargers will charge faster than others, but if you don't mind charging overnight get a less expensive one.Is there any other way to charge a car battery besides Jump Start?
that is normal for it to die

buy a 5-25 amp trickle changer
Sounds to me like you have a constant voltage drain on your vehicle for a quick and inexpensive repair to keep your battery from running down you can purchase a battery cut off switch that mounts on your battery it's like a light switch that will stop the battery from running down Now as for battery chargers I would recomend one that has a trickle charge and boost charge it is always best to slow charge a dead battery but when you have to go you have ty go so this would give you the best options

the switch at autozone sells for about ten dollars and a good charger about fifty-a hundred and fifty bucks
The do sell little rechargeable jump starters that you charge up and then leave in your car. Then if you come back and your battery is dead, you just hook it up and it jumps it without the need to have anyone in another car. If you look around you can find one easily enough.

By the way- the other way to get your battery charged is to drive the car. What I would suggest to you is to have soemone drop you at the airport and then pay someone you could trust to come over and start the car and let it run for 10 minutes or so a week while you are gone, that would be the best approach, really. Be sure to add some sta-bl to your gas too, after a few months it also becomes stale, and is really hard on your engine. Adding sta-bl will help keep it fresh while you're gone.
They sell battery chargers just do car batteries. I'm not sure if the band really matters. I would go to Autozone or NAPA or some place like that. Those guys will give you a better idea of which one to buy