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always with a hat or sunscreen |
Had similar issues with my 2011 Hyundai Sonata. It remained basically unused since 10 March only being taken out for medical appointments. Had to overnight charge the battery as the car wouldn't start last month. I keep the trickle charger available as needed and have the gas tank topped off and tire pressures sanity checked. My 2003 Honda S2000 gets put up for the cold weather every year which means 7+ months around here. The sticky compound tires need a road surface of at least 50℉ to function properly. For storage we disconnect the battery and add Sta-Bil to a full tank. No issues this way. Certifiable member of the gun toting, septuagenarian, bucket list workin', crazed retiree, bald is beautiful club! USN (RET), COTEP #192 | |||
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| My other Sig is a Steyr.  |
Also, if you check your owners manual, some manufacturers have a specific fuse that you can slide out to remove all of the parasitic load from the electrical system. Mostly to allow for vehicle storage such as a few months for long term airport parking. | |||
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| Live long and prosper  |
My sister's car sat unused for over two years. We recently sold it and the buyer got it up and running in no time without any mayor glitches. I knew nothing of the subject before i asked the board but now i know six months is no biggie. GL 0-0 "OP is a troll" - Flashlightboy, 12/18/20 | |||
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Not really from Vienna |
I have a Battery Tender on an old Cadillac that doesn't get driven much. It plugs into the cigarette lighter socket in the dashboard. Easy for my bride to disconnect and reconnect if she has to use the Caddy. | |||
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| The Ice Cream Man |
Might be more headache than you are looking for/I don’t know how far you drive, but electric vehicles are well suited to minimal use. Used Nissan Leafs, with relatively short amounts of range left, go for golf cart prices. (One friend is using them on his ranch, instead of golf carts.) | |||
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Member |
We leave our S2000 and our F-150 for 6 months every year when we head south. All I do is fill the tanks with non corn premium, disconnect the battery, take liability and collision insurance off and Look forward to spring. We’ve done this for years without a problem. I'm sorry if I hurt you feelings when I called you stupid - I thought you already knew - Unknown ................................... When you have no future, you live in the past. " Sycamore Row" by John Grisham | |||
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Ammoholic |
I had the same situation on a older Honda I had. I push started it (stick) and had zero problems after that. Drove around for an hour listening to music to charge the battery, battery lasted another 6-12 months then needed to be replaced due to age. Jesse Sic Semper Tyrannis | |||
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| Member |
I would not jump start it. Put a charger on it. After its charged, fill up the tire and off you go. To save on fuel economy they cut the weight on everything, including the alternator. They dont have as much reserve as they used to. Charging a dead battery will put a strain on the alternator. As others have said, if its gonna sit, put a battery tender on it. | |||
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| Maybe not so fabulous after all |
I have a NOCO charger and they're awesome. | |||
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Member |
All great suggestions friends, thank you for your informed replies. Since I have AAA membership, I'll likely be calling out their battery service mobile unit and have them check it. If it needs replacing I'll do it. A trickle charger is in order for the future though. Now that I just completed my Amazon order for the tire inflator and everything has been delivered, I'm good to go there. I did inspect the front tire last night with a flashlight and though it needs a little air, there is no signs of dry rot. My car basically has been sitting it's life span out in the garage and with the higher humidity here in South Florida, and being in the garage I wonder if that 7-1/2 yr tire condition warrants new tires. They look new still at only 6,000 mi. I'll definitely keep the replacement thoughts in mind though. As for the oil, in the low mileage of 6k, I've already changed the recommended synthetic oil twice now, as I'm aware that I cannot go by miles driven or even the in dash oil monitor lifespan. So I've changed it just coming up on two years now. All great suggestions as usual, a huge amount of experience and a wealth of info here, my many thanks. ***EDITED*** tires are not completely out of the picture and I've been doing some online searching too. Regards, Will G. | |||
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Member |
I have a 2011 Honda Odyssey with about 8000 miles on it at a vacation home. It generally only gets used in the summer and sits unused for about 10 months each year. The first time it sat that long, the battery completely discharged (requiring electronics in the car to be reset due to antitheft systems) and destroyed itself. Also, the air in the tires started out at the low end of the recommended range, dropped a bit more, and it ended up with flat spots in the tires (thumpthumpthumpthump when driven). I replaced the battery and slightly overinflated the tires and drove it for a while and the flat spots went away. Since then, whenever we leave, I have slightly overinflated the tires and put the car on a NOCO battery maintainer. I also have always made sure the gas tank is completely full. I have never had another problem. When we got there this year, I was a little worried. We didn't make it last year at all because our third child was born after significant pregnancy complications at 28 weeks and spent most of the summer of 2019 in the NICU (he's doing great now). The car had sat for almost two years but cranked right up, ran great, and drove with no issues. I will say that if a car is going to sit like that, it seems like full synthetic oil is a good idea. | |||
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| Member |
Thanks for the reply maladat. I'm guessing that you've replaced your tires at least once? May I ask at what mileage you did, assuming that you have? Regards, Will G. | |||
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| Member |
I actually haven't replaced the tires yet, although I probably will next time I'm there. The car is kept in a garage on the Oregon coast, so there's no UV, it never gets hot, and it rarely gets particularly cold. For the last few years, I have carefully checked the tires for dry rot and cracking, and they still look almost new. That said, they're old enough now that it's time to go ahead and replace them anyway. | |||
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thin skin can't win |
Battery Tender sounds like a great idea for you, and even if the hassle of opening the hood and hooking up after trips is a hassle, consider one of those that plugs into accessory power. CTEK is a good brand, they offer an adapter for theirs to connect that way. This brand is actually relabeled by Porsche, Mercedes, etc. and sold for 150% of pricing for CTEK branded items. You only have integrity once. - imprezaguy02 | |||
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eh-TEE-oh-clez |
I have a car that is infrequently driven and I wired in a quick connector near where the hood meets the windshield. Makes plugging in the tender quick. The car has cellular internet connectivity, so the standby power drain is pretty sizeable. | |||
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| Member |
This of course is false and really not relevant anyway. Check the tires, oil level and coolant level. jump or charge it and drive it. It's not clear to me if its going right back into non use. If so you need to get the fuel freshened. 6months on today's pump gas is near the limit. If you just drive it that's the best way. To store it again I would put fresh gas in it, make sure it has a recent oil change and disconnect the batter or put it on a tender. I store a bunch of cars for 6 months every winter. “So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong, and strike at what is weak.” | |||
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| Member |
Thanks again for all the tips, overwhelming mass of info. Thanks smisig, I went ahead and purchased this NOCO battery charger. I included my American Xpress reward points and the total came to $0.00 so that was a huge plus  "It's not clear to me if its going right back into non use." Yes, hrcjon, it will be going back into a non-use condition so the tip about fresh gas is a very good idea, as I remember last I checked it was in need of fuel anyways so thank you. I foresee just going back into my normal use routine and like bald1 above, mostly doctors appts, doing bank drive-thru and just keeping on hand for unexpected travel. Regards, Will G. | |||
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| Member |
I guess you know more than a battery manufacturer. https://www.optimabatteries.co...harge-dead-batteries As to relevance, yeah jump the dead battery, then when it cooks the alternator, you now have an actual repair to make. Not a real good plan. | |||
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