4 Month Summer Storage C5
Thread Starter
Heel & Toe
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 23
Likes: 0
4 Month Summer Storage C5
I am a snow bird and plan to leave my 2002 in Florida for 4 months. It will be in a dry garage (as long as there are no hurricanes). Should I leave the car on a trickle charger or should I remove the battery terminals and trickle charge the battery independent from the car. I have seen on the forum that I should remove the (-) terminal first. Thanks
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 2,388
Likes: 403
From: Horseshoe Bend ID
Either way works. If you take the battery out you don't have to worry about an acid leak, but will lose all the memory (no big deal). What I would worry about is critters. Mice, birds and in Florida those wasps that build the mud tubes (they're called spider wasps).
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 1999
Posts: 22,025
Likes: 192
From: At the beach in little Rhody
I would personally remove the battery, charge it and then leave it off the charger while gone. I find mine don't need a charge all winter as there is no drain on them. I check once a month. Also have had two trickle chargers go up in smoke and know someone whose house burnt down using a trickle charger so I wouldn't personally recommend leaving that charged while the car is there alone.
Team Owner
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 87,298
Likes: 1,579
From: Western NY
If the car is going to be unattended for that long, I'd NEVER leave an electrical device attached to it. Too risky. If fact, if I was away from the residence that long, I wouldn't pull the battery out of the car, and leave it on a charger. I would do what "vettenuts" suggested...Pull the battery, charge it, then give it a charge when you return and then put it in the car.
Racer
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 496
Likes: 0
From: edinburg VA.
If the car is going to be unattended for that long, I'd NEVER leave an electrical device attached to it. Too risky. If fact, if I was away from the residence that long, I wouldn't pull the battery out of the car, and leave it on a charger. I would do what "vettenuts" suggested...Pull the battery, charge it, then give it a charge when you return and then put it in the car.
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 4,797
Likes: 52
From: Boise
My car stays on a CTEK all winter and my house hasn't burned down yet. Buy a good charger and you will be fine. 4 months isn't really that long though you could just disconnect the battery and charge it when you get back
Team Owner
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 87,298
Likes: 1,579
From: Western NY
That's good to hear, but it only takes ONE electrical "hiccup"......
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