Hi,

I have to store my car for up to 4 months (and will not have access to it at all during that time) and have some questions:

1. Do I have to disconnect the battery?
2. If I do disconnect it, what issues might arise when reconnecting?
3. What can happen if I don't disconnect the battery?
4. What other things should I do?

TIA.

 

I’ve always used a Battery Tender when not driving my cars for extended periods. You don’t have to disconnect the battery and it keeps it charged. Good product.

http://products.batterytender.com/Chargers/

 

 

If you have power where you are storing it, use a trickle charge. I stored mine all winter (oct-currently) with a trickle charge and it started right up last weekend.

I also put about 40psi in all the tires, basically to keep them from deforming.

 

 

A few more questions:
1) The key won't unlock the door if the battery is disconnected, correct?
2) If I don't disconnect it, I only have to jump start it, correct?

FYI, I can't connect the car to an automatic charger while I'm gone.
TIA

​​​

 

Change the engine oil/filter and run the engine some to make sure the fresh oil is all circulated.

I would disconnect the battery. Be sure you follow directions on how to do this. Be sure you can open the hood or gain access to wherever the battery goes when it comes times to install the battery.

If you want to keep the battery healthy it must be connected to a battery maintainer. If you let the battery sit it will run down and lead/acid batteries do not like this. The battery's life will be compromised.

If you can't connect the battery to a battery maintainer then my advice is to store the battery someplace safe (and not on concrete!) and then come time to resurrect the car take the old battery in and buy a new one and return the old battery for recycyling.

Fill the fuel tank. There is no real concern about the tank developing condensation as modern automobile fuel tanks do not "breathe". But I like to store a car with its fuel tank full as this keeps the hardware/hoses in the tank submerged and this helps keep them in good working order.

Over inflate the tires to the max. pressure specified on the sidewall but no more. By overinflating the tires this helps reduce the tires' tendency to flat spot from lack of use. Be sure before you take the car out again though you adjust the tire pressures to the right pressure.

The car wants to be clean inside and out. And it wants to be dry. If you wash the car be sure to drive the car enough to use the brakes to get them hot to thoroughly dry them.

Be sure you take proper steps to prevent mice from getting into the car. I'm not a fan of mothballs, dryer sheets, or stuff you have to put in the car. I prefer to keep the mice as far away from the car as possible.

This means being sure where the car is parked the floor is free of clutter, boxes and such. Mice do not like the open and by having boxes and stuff on the floor along the walls just gives them the cover they like.

If you can use mouse traps placed along where the floor and wall come together. Bait the trap with just a smear of peanut butter in the trigger loop. You want the mouse to have to really work to get anything out and in doing it will trigger the trap. If pets/kids around use pet/kid safe mouse traps. I like mouse traps as a mouse in the trap is a mouse that is not going to get in the car.

If a trap catches a mouse throw away the trap/mouse and replace the trap with a new trap.

If the car is stored in a garage be sure to plug any holes -- use steel wool -- that might exist in the dry wall where water pipes, gas pipes, electrical wiring come through the wall. Ideally the house and garage should have all the foundation vents intact so no mice (or other critters) can get under the house/garage. The roof/attic vents should be intact too.

Come time to resurrect the car install the maintained (or new) battery -- be sure to follow the guidelines in the owners manual -- adjust tire pressures and then start the engine. My experience is the gasoline will be stale but the engine should start and idle ok and even run ok although it might be down on power some.

Then drive the car around normally and at something under 3/4 a tank you can add fresh gasoline. Or you can drive the car enough to bring the level down to 1/4 a tank. I did the latter with a car stored pretty much unused for 6 months. The engine was doggy but I thought this was "normal" but after I filled the tank with fresh gasoline the transformation of the engine was rather remarkable. It was then clear to me how stale the gasoline had gotten in 6 months.

As an aside, the battery was left in the car. Early in the 6 months I used the car a bit once or twice driving it enough to top up the battery. Then later on I just started the engine and let the engine idle for a while. So when it came time to start the engine the battery -- which was new when the car was set aside (family member took sick and was unable to drive for a year) -- was able to start the engine. But after 12 months when the family member was able to drive again the battery had to be replaced.

 

If mice are a concern, a sure fire mouse trap is easy to make with materials on hand.
https://www.backwoodshome.com/build-...ng-mouse-trap/

 

 

He's only storing it for 4 months. You don't need to replace the battery.

Just disconnect the battery and inflate the tires to at least 40 PSI.

 

My battery when flat whilst I was away for 3 weeks (not sure why battery is only a few yrs old, I charged it and it has been fine since then, about 9 months ago)
However when reading the codes at lot of the modules complained of low voltage and I had to clear the fault codes, no biggy though.

 

Thanks. If I disconnect the battery, the fob won't open the locks when I return, correct?

 

Correct, you will have to use the keys to unlock the door.

 

What a concept, a key!!

 

If you don't/can't use a trickle charger, you do want to disconnect your battery. For four months, I would just make sure it's clean and that's about it.
I put mine in my storage building before Thanksgiving with every intention of leaving it there for a month max, so I didn't disconnect the battery. No power in my building so trickle charger was not an option. Ended up taking it out of storage this last Saturday. Had to push it out of the building and jump start it because that sucker was dead as a doornail. Tried to build up a charge by driving around for a while, but it wouldn't hold a charge. Ended up at AutoZone for a new battery. Four month old gas was fine.