Trickle charger
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Jun 20, 2024, 05:36 AM
CF Community Team
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From: Pittsburgh
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My suggestion would be to use a battery tender anytime the car will sit for a week or more
CF Community Team
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 14,181
Likes: 7,456
From: Pittsburgh
2025 C6 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2024 C6 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2023 C6 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2022 C6 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
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My suggestion would be to use a battery tender anytime the car will sit for a week or more
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2017
Posts: 2,196
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From: Massachusetts
Avoid problems. You might stretch to anytime longer than 2 weeks.
Also check when updates are allowed on your car. If done without permission, you definitely want a maintainer on the car.
Enjoy.
Best wishes to all.
Moderator
Joined: Dec 2002
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From: Lakewood Ranch, FL
I have, for many years now kept my Corvettes on a maintainer when it is in the garage. Now I do it on all my vehicles to prevent low charge levels on all our vehicles. This becomes important if your norm is multiple short trips which will not allow the vehicle battery to fully recharge. From experience!
Pro
Joined: Jul 2023
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I never store the car without having a battery maintainer plugged in. IMO GM batteries are pretty much junk and don't last more than 2 or 3 years. However, my C6 was always plugged in and I sold it after 7 years with the original battery. Go figure. I have maintainer plugged in everything I own with a battery. Boat, tractor, riding mower, generator and my Jeep CJ7, but not my daily driver.
Pro
Joined: Dec 2023
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I never store the car without having a battery maintainer plugged in. IMO GM batteries are pretty much junk and don't last more than 2 or 3 years. However, my C6 was always plugged in and I sold it after 7 years with the original battery. Go figure. I have maintainer plugged in everything I own with a battery. Boat, tractor, riding mower, generator and my Jeep CJ7, but not my daily driver.
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Michael S. Palmer
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From: Ft Lauderdale
Tech Contributor
i’m not so much worried about batteries that are relatively new, meaning less than two years, When a do a quarterly test for battery drain and see that it’s negligible, I don’t use a maintainer. But once I get to about two years, I start suspecting the battery. , down here in Florida, we see batteries go bad after three years all the time, on every model out there. AAA does amazing business with batteries here in Florida. There is a AAA truck replacing a battery monthly in my 400 car condo garage.
Intermediate
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From: NW Indiana
Race Director
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Lots of urban myths regarding the C8 and battery drain. One of our own forum members did a very comprehensive parasitic drain test on the C8 and found out that it is very, very low. Much below GM's standards, and no higher than any other modern car (and probably lower than many). If you don't keep your other cars on a maintainer, there's really no need to do it on the C8. Especially not every single night. If the car's going to sit for an extended period of time, using one will prolong battery life some. As a test, I let my car sit for three weeks while I was out of the country. It started up just the same as if I had driven it the day before.
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2013
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From: Ft Lauderdale
Tech Contributor
agreed, I just went five weeks without a start when I was up north visiting relatives. it started perfect when I got home. Think about it, a car can’t really be designed so that it only goes a week or two, otherwise you would have cars with bad batteries littering long-term storage at every major airport in the nation. I’m sure the design spec on every car is that the battery has to last a month if everything is in good shape.
Race Director
Joined: Aug 2016
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From: Garden Valley CA
While I agree with the recommendation to use a maintainer if you often go more than a week without driving (which is consistent with GM's guidelines) I often go more than a week without connecting a maintainer. I plan to drive my car more often but life gets in the way and have gone weeks without driving it. But if I know beforehand that the car is going to sit for weeks at home without being driven I will connect a maintainer.
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2023
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E-Ray, 3LZ, ZER, LIFT
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 35,042
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From: NE South Carolina
Lots of urban myths regarding the C8 and battery drain. One of our own forum members did a very comprehensive parasitic drain test on the C8 and found out that it is very, very low. Much below GM's standards, and no higher than any other modern car (and probably lower than many). If you don't keep your other cars on a maintainer, there's really no need to do it on the C8. Especially not every single night. If the car's going to sit for an extended period of time, using one will prolong battery life some. As a test, I let my car sit for three weeks while I was out of the country. It started up just the same as if I had driven it the day before.
Yep all the silly paranoia is crazy! As you note, Andy Bump measured the paratactic draw of a C8 after it shuts off essentially most power after ~10 minutes. He measured 15 milliamps. Thats less power than your TV in standby waiting for you to turn it on with a remote! Or and LED night light!Don't believe what it does? Open Frunk, Truck, turn on Interior Map lights. Watch in 5 to 10 minutes and they all go out! Was the same for my two C7s. Was on vacation for 3 weeks with both C7s and my C8. Did not use a charger and started just fine. From table below in GM 2014 Service Manual states it will start an 80% charged battery after >33 days.
All my 7 Vettes have been DD's. Don't need to mess removing or installing a charger when I want to drive. Been retired since 1999, don't have to drive every day BUT still drive a minimum ~3 days a week. Silly to plug it into a charger. If I let it sit for ~week it does take 30 miles to get back to 80% charge (BTW that is all the car will charge it, like most modern cars to reduce energy use!)
Now my street rod that only goes to car shows stays plugged into a maintenance charger 24/7!
Last edited by JerryU; Jun 20, 2024 at 11:52 AM.
E-Ray, 3LZ, ZER, LIFT
Joined: Sep 2007
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From: NE South Carolina
Heck my Corvettes, since two C7, C8 and now my E-Ray are far better than other cars and trucks. Silly to think the Vette is worse as it's equipped with circuits that shut down ALL significant power after ~10 minutes. As I said, test it for yourself and watch!!
They are NOT like my 1st of 7 Vettes, a 1988. With it, leave an interior light on and battery dead in the morning!
They are NOT like my 1st of 7 Vettes, a 1988. With it, leave an interior light on and battery dead in the morning!
Last edited by JerryU; Jun 20, 2024 at 12:35 PM.
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2007
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And, my measurement of the parasitic draw appears here:
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...e-battery.html
For the record, my battery maintainer is connected whenever the car is parked in the garage. Mainly, its because it is right there and it is easier to do it than to think about it. I could offer technical reasons, but you can see from other responses that practical experience seems to say you can more than a week at least.
