Is it OK to turn on car radio for about 30 minutes with Engine OFF?

Question

In my lunch break , i go eat inside my car and i was wondering if it's totally fine( in terms of battery , etc) to use the radio/CD player.

I have a Hybrid Toyota and instead of a key it has a Power button. If you push the power button once without depressing the break then it goes into ON mode but the engines dont go on. So i guess, since the radio works, it was meant to be used in this mode.

But i'm not sure, will the battery not lose energy?

I heard people saying that it's ok if you don't use it for too long.. But how long is too long. Is 30 minutes a day, too much?

Answer 1

Running your radio should be fine....just dont turn on your air conditioning!!! =)

Answer 2

No, you are not going to have an issue with this. Especially if it is a hybrid. The vehicle's batteries are made to withstand periods of time without charge from an altenator. I wouldnt do this for hours at a time at loud columes just to be safe, but you shouldnt have an issue at all. Enjoy.

Answer 3

With a normal radio, you're fine. It doesn't use alot of power. With the goofie (my son's) amps & kicker box a good battery can drain in 30 minutes.

Answer 4

it  should not be a problem.

Answer 5

With just a normal stock radio, and the amount of battery storage in the hybrid, you will be fine for a while.

Answer 6

i dont think it would bother your vehicle now but later down the road you might have problems

Answer 7

Most if not all vehicles that have a good charging system and battery can run a radio for 1 or 2  hours with out a problem.

Answer 8

as long as you have a regular radio without any thing like big screen and no system hooked up yes but if you have a system in the car i'd give it about 10minutes for the battery to die