[lkhonda125]

Hello,

I'm planning to leave the car unattended( uncovered driveway) for 3 weeks.

Location: Pacific North West.
Temperature: above freezing throughout the day. Nights occassionally 30F.
Precipitation: Rain is almost always present, drizzle.
Wind: < 10mph, but can occasionally go higher.

Things i read and planned to do:
1. use gas stabilizer and have the gas tank full.
2. have the tires inflated at cold 33-34.
3. disconnect the battery terminals, but leave it in the car.
4. stuff the tail pipe with a cloth to prevent rodents.
5. cover it up with a cover. ( something from amazon, not decided yet. suggestions are appreciated. )
6. Asked a friend to drive it on the 2nd weekend.

Do you think it's sufficient for the 3 week period?

 

[WiiMaster]

IMO a lot of this stuff (like fuel stabilizer) is overkill for just 3 weeks. That's the type of stuff you use if the time you'll be gone is measured in months/years, not weeks.

I left mine when I went on vacation for about 2.5 weeks. I didn't do a thing to it, I simply dropped it off at a friend's house where it sat outside under a tree. Was not driven or anything. Other than some leafs/droppings from the tree getting all over it, I had no issues when I got back.

If anything, I'd be more concerned about cat thieves.

 

[dgates01]

Hello,

I'm planning to leave the car unattended( uncovered driveway) for 3 weeks.

Location: Pacific North West.
Temperature: above freezing throughout the day. Nights occassionally 30F.
Precipitation: Rain is almost always present, drizzle.
Wind: < 10mph, but can occasionally go higher.

Things i read and planned to do:
1. use gas stabilizer and have the gas tank full.
2. have the tires inflated at cold 33-34.
3. disconnect the battery terminals, but leave it in the car.
4. stuff the tail pipe with a cloth to prevent rodents.
5. cover it up with a cover. ( something from amazon, not decided yet. suggestions are appreciated. )
6. Asked a friend to drive it on the 2nd weekend.

Do you think it's sufficient for the 3 week period?

I love that you're the cautious type versus the other way around. Not caring at all. But I would probably only do some of those things it is was more like a 3 month period, but not 3 weeks.

 

[DerekWildstar]

If you do #6, I think you can safely skip #1-5. Like @dgates01 said, it’s great that you’re being so careful with your ride, but three weeks isn’t really that long. Have your friend give it a good, long drive, and don’t worry about the rest. If you’re concerned about mice, have your friend pop the hood and look for signs of nesting. They’re more likely to attack the electrical wires than other parts of the car. The car cover is optional - I’d say just put a good coat of wax on it (it’s a lot to ask your friend to uncover and cover it, plus driving it too).

 

[lkhonda125]

If you do #6, I think you can safely skip #1-5. Like @dgates01 said, it’s great that you’re being so careful with your ride, but three weeks isn’t really that long. Have your friend give it a good, long drive, and don’t worry about the rest. If you’re concerned about mice, have your friend pop the hood and look for signs of nesting. They’re more likely to attack the electrical wires than other parts of the car. The car cover is optional - I’d say just put a good coat of wax on it (it’s a lot to ask your friend to uncover and cover it, plus driving it too).

thanks @WiiMaster @dgates01 @DerekWildstar for your swift responses.
I asked my friend to drive it, but he couldn't promise as he might come up with plans to go out of town as well. Do you think i should still not do anything? No worries if it's not driven?

 

[dgates01]

thanks @WiiMaster @dgates01 @DerekWildstar for your swift responses.
I asked my friend to drive it, but he couldn't promise as he might come up with plans to go out of town as well. Do you think i should still not do anything? No worries if it's not driven?

Nothing to really worry about for just 3 weeks. Are you off on a trip?

 

[DerekWildstar]

thanks @WiiMaster @dgates01 @DerekWildstar for your swift responses.
I asked my friend to drive it, but he couldn't promise as he might come up with plans to go out of town as well. Do you think i should still not do anything? No worries if it's not driven?

I really wouldn't worry about it. Worst case scenario, you need a jump start or you need to put some air in your tires. Neither of which are worth losing sleep over. Enjoy your trip! Going anywhere special?

 

[WiiMaster]

thanks @WiiMaster @dgates01 @DerekWildstar for your swift responses.
I asked my friend to drive it, but he couldn't promise as he might come up with plans to go out of town as well. Do you think i should still not do anything? No worries if it's not driven?

You'll be fine. Like I said, I never had anyone drive mine for the 2.5 weeks I was gone and it started right up and drove just fine. Battery was a touch weak maybe but it still started just fine.

Like @DerekWildstar mentioned, the possible issues you could encounter are all minor and nothing to be worried about in the rare event it does happen.

And since it's important (especially in your case because if I remember correctly, you've got a relatively new cat on there), I'll mention it again: focus more on potential cat theft. Try to leave no signs that you're away.

 

[20AccordEXL11]

I wouldn't use a cover if there's the possibility of rain. Water under the cover won't dry, and well, we all know what that can lead to.
Is this parking going to be in a high traffic area where people will notice if someone is messing with it?
I park my car for weeks at a time and have installed a battery cutoff switch to disconnect it. Haven't disconnected it in a while now but I'm driving the car more often too. I have to get my bike down to the beach somehow, right?
I think you're over thinking this a bit. As long as you don't have anything plugged into your AUX connection which might drain the battery more than normal you should be fine IMO. I had an old iPod plugged into mine and I think that's what killed my battery when I didn't drive the car for way too long. I've since unplugged it.

 

[lkhonda125]

Nothing to really worry about for just 3 weeks. Are you off on a trip?

thanks. yes going out of town.

 

[lkhonda125]

You'll be fine. Like I said, I never had anyone drive mine for the 2.5 weeks I was gone and it started right up and drove just fine. Battery was a touch weak maybe but it still started just fine.

Like @DerekWildstar mentioned, the possible issues you could encounter are all minor and nothing to be worried about in the rare event it does happen.

And since it's important (especially in your case because if I remember correctly, you've got a relatively new cat on there), I'll mention it again: focus more on potential cat theft. Try to leave no signs that you're away.

Thanks for a lot for remembering. Yea, now that you have said that, im avoiding covering the car as it might indicate more a signal to the thieves that the owner is away.

 

[lkhonda125]

I really wouldn't worry about it. Worst case scenario, you need a jump start or you need to put some air in your tires. Neither of which are worth losing sleep over. Enjoy your trip! Going anywhere special?

Thank you. Heard from one guy that if we have to do jump start once then that implies that the battery deteriorated and it would need jump starts often. Is this true? Also, how much would a jump starter cost me? Just curious.

 

[lkhonda125]

I wouldn't use a cover if there's the possibility of rain. Water under the cover won't dry, and well, we all know what that can lead to.
Is this parking going to be in a high traffic area where people will notice if someone is messing with it?
I park my car for weeks at a time and have installed a battery cutoff switch to disconnect it. Haven't disconnected it in a while now but I'm driving the car more often too. I have to get my bike down to the beach somehow, right?
I think you're over thinking this a bit. As long as you don't have anything plugged into your AUX connection which might drain the battery more than normal you should be fine IMO. I had an old iPod plugged into mine and I think that's what killed my battery when I didn't drive the car for way too long. I've since unplugged it.

Thanks. It's not on the road. Its inside a community, but lot of people keep coming and going. Also heard of some thefts in my area, not sure of my community though.
I just have a aux cable connected, will disconnect that too. This battery disconnector switch sounds so cool. Are there any issues for installing it?
Also is there a way to check the battery life in general? like how much of a life is left etc.

 

[lkhonda125]

I wouldn't use a cover if there's the possibility of rain. Water under the cover won't dry, and well, we all know what that can lead to.
Is this parking going to be in a high traffic area where people will notice if someone is messing with it?
I park my car for weeks at a time and have installed a battery cutoff switch to disconnect it. Haven't disconnected it in a while now but I'm driving the car more often too. I have to get my bike down to the beach somehow, right?
I think you're over thinking this a bit. As long as you don't have anything plugged into your AUX connection which might drain the battery more than normal you should be fine IMO. I had an old iPod plugged into mine and I think that's what killed my battery when I didn't drive the car for way too long. I've since unplugged it.

will this switch work for our model? just making sure there is no voltage/amps limitations

Battery Disconnect Switch

Amazing deals on this Battery Disconnect Switch at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

Also if we disconnect the negative terminal does the computer codes like oil percentage, odometer etc get reset?

 

[dgates01]

Thank you. Heard from one guy that if we have to do jump start once then that implies that the battery deteriorated and it would need jump starts often. Is this true? Also, how much would a jump starter cost me? Just curious.

Car batteries are just that. Batteries. And your car acts as the charger when you're driving. If you let it sit for a while, it's not getting the charge from your car, so it will slowly lose its own power. If you come back after 3 weeks and it needs a jump, that's perfectly normal. You just need to drive the car around immediately following the jump to get the battery juiced up some more.

Jump starting the car a couple of times here and there won't really have adverse effects on it. The age of the battery matters more. That, and either extreme heat or extreme cold.

I have a portable jump starter I got from Costco for about 50 bucks. It works well. I used it a couple of times on my Accord this summer. Usually because it was hot and I'd have the car off but the fan on and I wasn't paying attention to the voltage.

I've had no battery issues because of the jumping. You just have to get out there and drive for at least 10 minutes after.

 

[dgates01]

Also if we disconnect the negative terminal does the computer codes like oil percentage, odometer etc get reset?

Your odometer will be fine.

 

[dgates01]

Also is there a way to check the battery life in general? like how much of a life is left etc.

In addition to the jump starter charger that I have (on the left, and actually closer to $90-$100 these days), I have a USB plug adapter ($10) for the front power outlet that shows me the voltage at all times. It's a good way to keep track of the voltage in the battery and whether it's time to get another. Here in Bakersfield, where it gets really hot in the summer, the lifespan of a battery for me is about 3 years max.

 

[08 v6/6]

3 weeks? you should not be worrying about anything. I have my car in the driveway for 3 months with the manifold removed and the intake ports plugged. No charger, no stabilizer no nothing. All was fine 3 months later when it started up.

I will say though, having fuel WITH NO ETHANOL, is most ideal for any sort of storage time. That is the main cause of issues and is typically why fuel stabilizer is used. This is highly applicable to seasonal engines like lawnmowers, snowblowers, boats, etc. No ethanol is going to be a huge bonus. So this is what I do, I used no ethanol fuel on everything.

Trickle charging the battery would be a safe thing to do, because standard batteries don't like to be discharged and then jumped as it progressively hurts the battery cells.

 

[20AccordEXL11]

Here's the one I put on my car. Got it from Amazon so I didn't have to leave home to get it.
If you're having to jump your car any time at all you have a problem that needs to be addressed. Either the battery has a problem or the charging system does. Under normal use you shouldn't have to be using a jump starter at all. Get the battery checked out with a full load testing. I think Wally world and AutoZone will do that for you. Pep Boys too if you have one near you. If the battery checks out as being good, ie holds a charge and no dead cells, then the charging system should be looked at. Remember, a car alternator isn't supposed to be able to bring a dead battery back up to full charge no matter how much driving you do. It isn't designed for that kind of duty cycle, it'll burn itself up.

 

[lkhonda125]

In addition to the jump starter charger that I have (on the left, and actually closer to $90-$100 these days), I have a USB plug adapter ($10) for the front power outlet that shows me the voltage at all times. It's a good way to keep track of the voltage in the battery and whether it's time to get another. Here in Bakersfield, where it gets really hot in the summer, the lifespan of a battery for me is about 3 years max.

View attachment 545215

that plug adapter is cool. Does the volts indicate battery life?

got a cool tool/toy at $3.5 today. just want to share in the forum.

12V Alternator/Battery Checker

Amazing deals on this 12V Alternator/Battery Checker at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com