Disconnect battery?
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 727
Likes: 0
From: Melbourne Beach Florida
Disconnect battery?
I will not be using my A6 coupe this summer for 3-4 months. I understand about using a battery maintainer, but why not just disconnect the neg side of battery? I realize that I will have to reindex the windows, but that is no biggie. I do also understand that I better leave the windows down! Otherwise, are there any negatives to doing this?
Team Owner
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 35,760
Likes: 148
From: Northern NYs Adirondack Mountains,http://www.visitsacandaga.com.
I will not be using my A6 coupe this summer for 3-4 months. I understand about using a battery maintainer, but why not just disconnect the neg side of battery? I realize that I will have to reindex the windows, but that is no biggie. I do also understand that I better leave the windows down! Otherwise, are there any negatives to doing this?
You can do that. Odds are though that your battery will be quite low as they will discharge over that period of time. Charge up your battery before you activate your car!
Racer
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 449
Likes: 0
From: Morganton NC
Now that's just a darn shame. Poor little car, all alone for the whole summer. Tell ya what...why don't you just bring that little puppy over to me and I'll keep her battery charged for you. How much tread did you say you had on your tires?
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 6,658
Likes: 827
From: FORT LAUDERDALE FL
unless you have your car in an a/c'd garage i would not leave the windows down (i actually have an a/c'd garage and i still leave the windows up). you know what the humidity/heat is like here in the summer months. leaving the battery to totally discharge for a few months may in fact "kill" it as they are not intended to deep cycle (all the way down and then full up). unless you will leave it totally unattended i would suggest the tender. that's what i do since mine is a GQ and can/does sit for months at a time. 
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 1,549
Likes: 2
From: Cambridge Illinois
Either way a $20 Schumacker 1.5 amp tender from wally world will extend the battery life by at least double. It is the cycling from discharge to full charge that eventually kills a battery. There is a finite number of times it can do that. Why not just put the tender on?
I have had 12 tenders going for years on my small collection of Vettes and motorcycles. I have not had a single failure over the past decade that I started using tenders.
I have had 12 tenders going for years on my small collection of Vettes and motorcycles. I have not had a single failure over the past decade that I started using tenders.
Team Owner
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 45,269
Likes: 8,543
From: Rochester, NY
[QUOTE=lh4x4;1569479641]Either way a $20 Schumacker 1.5 amp tender from wally world will extend the battery life by at least double. It is the cycling from discharge to full charge that eventually kills a battery. There is a finite number of times it can do that. Why not just put the tender on?
Instructor
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 140
Likes: 0
Disconnect
I left my C6 over the last 4 months with battery negative disconnected while I was working in another state. Left hood open enough to reconnect Battery and drivers window down a half inch. Got back and it started right up. Didn't have time to take it home so I kept it at a storage building in Denver with no electric plugs while working in New Mexico.
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Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 727
Likes: 0
From: Melbourne Beach Florida
Is the Corvette battery special? I have six cars which I leave in SC all winterr (= 6 months) with the battery offline (either physically disconnected or with a battery disconnect). I normally do not need to charge the battery to start the car, and the battery is not normally drained when I return. Just need to hook it up/turn the battery disconnect to on and let it rip. Why would the Corvette differ from this (other than need to reindex the windows)?
Safety Car
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 4,289
Likes: 129
From: Providence Forge, VA
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12
I agree with the above. IMHO, its a lot better for the battery to keep a battery tender on it rather than just leave it unconnected for long periods.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 8,515
Likes: 255
From: Rochester New York
Either way a $20 Schumacker 1.5 amp tender from wally world will extend the battery life by at least double. It is the cycling from discharge to full charge that eventually kills a battery. There is a finite number of times it can do that. Why not just put the tender on?
I have had 12 tenders going for years on my small collection of Vettes and motorcycles. I have not had a single failure over the past decade that I started using tenders.
I have had 12 tenders going for years on my small collection of Vettes and motorcycles. I have not had a single failure over the past decade that I started using tenders.
I like that JOHN DEER bike.
Safety Car
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 4,732
Likes: 34
From: Monument CO
Either way a $20 Schumacker 1.5 amp tender from wally world will extend the battery life by at least double. It is the cycling from discharge to full charge that eventually kills a battery. There is a finite number of times it can do that. Why not just put the tender on?
I have had 12 tenders going for years on my small collection of Vettes and motorcycles. I have not had a single failure over the past decade that I started using tenders.
I have had 12 tenders going for years on my small collection of Vettes and motorcycles. I have not had a single failure over the past decade that I started using tenders.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 8,514
Likes: 235
From: Currently somewhere in IL,IN,KY,TN,MO,AR,MS,AL, or FL
It is the charging and discharging that kills a battery and the deeper the discharge the more the damage. The closer you can keep a battery to full charge, the longer it will last. All batteries self discharge over time. Yes, there may be enough charge left to start the car even after a year disconnected but the battery has still been damaged.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 6,412
Likes: 1,295
From: Bluffton, SC
Yes, a battery tender is the best way to go since it will keep your battery maintained while the car is being stored.
If you do decide to disconnect, I would strongly suggest that you do leave the driver's side window open a couple of inches. If not, you'll have a terrible time closing and opening the door with no window indexing.
If you do decide to disconnect, I would strongly suggest that you do leave the driver's side window open a couple of inches. If not, you'll have a terrible time closing and opening the door with no window indexing.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 5,411
Likes: 2
From: N Carolina 08 Z51 Coupe
Either way a $20 Schumacker 1.5 amp tender from wally world will extend the battery life by at least double. It is the cycling from discharge to full charge that eventually kills a battery. There is a finite number of times it can do that. Why not just put the tender on?
I have had 12 tenders going for years on my small collection of Vettes and motorcycles. I have not had a single failure over the past decade that I started using tenders.
I have had 12 tenders going for years on my small collection of Vettes and motorcycles. I have not had a single failure over the past decade that I started using tenders.
The tender is the way to go..
Racer
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 485
Likes: 1
From: Texas
