Car Memory Saver: The Tool You Need When Changing Your Car’s Battery

Sooner or later, you’ll need to replace your car’s battery. To swap it out, you’ll need to remove the old battery and replace it with a new, fully charged one. Before you drop in the new battery—when the car has no electrical power to draw on—many electronic settings could disappear or return to factory reset status.

For example, your sound system will forget the preset stations. Also, your car windows might lose the auto up/down feature, and your trip odometer or gas mileage calculator might disappear. Fortunately, a car memory saver eliminates the hassle of reprogramming all those settings.

Types of Car Memory Savers

A car memory saver is a connector with a power source. It has just enough voltage and current to keep your car’s computer memory intact while you change the battery. The connector plugs into the car’s power plug or the OBD connector.

There are two basic styles of car memory savers. One connects through the car’s on-board diagnostics (OBD) port, and the other relies on the power outlet (previously a cigarette lighter).

OBD-Connecting Car Memory Saver

This type is a cable with two different plugs. One end inserts into the OBD plug, typically near the driver under the dash. The other end of the cable has a connector that hooks up to a power source. This connector might be a set of alligator clips that you connect to the terminal posts on a spare battery. Another style connects to a portable battery pack jump starter.

An AC adapter might be provided to plug the adapter into a regular household outlet. A final option is a connector with a nine-volt battery for power. Look for a car memory saver with several power options.

Power Plug Car Memory Saver

Initially, many memory car savers used the cigarette lighter inlet. Older vehicles were often designed with a power plug that is always on. This was required for the car memory saver to function correctly.

Unfortunately, most cars these days don’t have that feature, which could drain the battery.  This style of car memory saver rarely works with newer car models.

Do You Need a Memory Saver?

Using a car memory saver when changing your battery can save time and effort. If you don’t use a memory saver, your vehicle will probably lose some custom settings. You might also lose your current trip mileage, gas mileage, and power seat or window settings. Over time, the car will acquire new data. You’ll have to reset some things manually. We recommend a memory saver to avoid the hassle and aggravation.

Justin Miller does a great job explaining the benefits of a memory saver and how it works in the video below:

How Do You Keep Your Settings?

Auto batteries typically last about four to five years. If your starter is turning over more slowly than usual, that might mean you need a new battery. First, check to see if your battery is holding a charge.

Read this: What Should Your Battery Voltage Be?

Here is the basic process for using a car memory save. Also, see our tips and tricks for changing a car battery in our tutorial.

1. Turn off the car before unplugging the battery.
2. Plug the car memory saver into the cigarette lighter or the OBD connector. You can find the OBD connector under the driver’s side of the dashboard on the steering column.
3. Provide power to the memory saver.
4. Remove the old battery. Make sure that the positive battery cable does not touch the car’s body or other metal parts. (Note: We usually put the positive battery connector in a plastic bag).
5. Install the new battery and attach the connectors.
6. Finally, unplug the memory saver from the car.

This video from Christopher Lum goes into more depth on OBDII memory savers. It shows how to change a car battery without losing settings and how to take the appropriate safety precautions.

By following these steps, your car will start up with a fresh new battery, and your clock will keep the time. Your sound system will keep your favorite radio stations, and other electronic components will not need reprogramming. A car memory saver is a great convenience and time saver.