Going to be gone for a month. Disconnect battery?
#1
Driver
Thread Starter
Going to be gone for a month. Disconnect battery?
My car will be sitting idle for a month. Should I disconnect the battery cable? I've read somewhere modern cars with their electronics, it is recommended to NOT disconnect battery cable unless it will sit idle for months. I'm just concerned car might not start when I come back and dead batteries tend to die quickly again regardless of its age.
#2
Lead Lap
Invest in a Battery Tender accessory. I store 2 cars from November to April with the batteries attached. Keeps your battery in top shape and ready when you are. There are different models but I paid around $50.00 for mine.
#5
Lead Lap
I would also suggest using a Battery Tender or other similar trickle charger.
For the last 25 years or so, I've always had a vehicle that is not driven during the winter, and I've been using a trickle charger on those vehicles. Not only does it keep the battery charged, but it helps to extend the battery life. Most recently, I had a vehicle that had been stored for 9 winters before I decided to replace the battery, and I probably could have gotten another year out of it, but I decided it was best to replace the battery and reduce the chances of being stranded somewhere.
While the Battery Tender costs about $50, there is also a Battery Tender Junior that sells for between $25 and $30. Its low-level charge is more than sufficient to keep the battery fully charged, and it uses a bit less electricity than the Battery Tender. I've also seen other trickle chargers for as little as $15, but I can't vouch for their performance.
What I would not suggest is disconnecting the battery. If you do that, you will need to spend a good amount of time, when you reconnect the battery, setting up various vehicle systems. If the battery is disconnected, it is likely that you will lose things like your audio settings, navigation system data, vehicle custom settings, etc. And there is a chance that you will find other things that you did not expect not to be functioning properly. For example, on my GX, if the battery is disconnected, you have to go through a several step procedure to get the power windows and sunroof to work properly again.
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kamie (09-12-24)
#6
Another great use for the Battery Tender is when you are putting in a new battery to avoid losing all the settings. I connect the battery tender's 2 clamps to the car battery's cable ends so when they are removed from the battery the car's systems are still powered. Then, after I clamp the car battery cables onto the new battery I then remove the Battery Tender.
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kamie (09-12-24)
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#8
Lead Lap
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kamie (09-12-24)
#9
Lexus Fanatic
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Another great use for the Battery Tender is when you are putting in a new battery to avoid losing all the settings. I connect the battery tender's 2 clamps to the car battery's cable ends so when they are removed from the battery the car's systems are still powered. Then, after I clamp the car battery cables onto the new battery I then remove the Battery Tender.
#11
#12
http://lexus2.custhelp.com/app/answe...icle%20storage
What should be done to a Lexus vehicle to prepare it for long-term storage?
"Disconnect negative battery cable."
What should be done to a Lexus vehicle to prepare it for long-term storage?
"Disconnect negative battery cable."
#13
Lead Lap
http://lexus2.custhelp.com/app/answe...icle%20storage
What should be done to a Lexus vehicle to prepare it for long-term storage?
"Disconnect negative battery cable."
What should be done to a Lexus vehicle to prepare it for long-term storage?
"Disconnect negative battery cable."
That article does not define what is meant by "long-term" storage. Certainly, if I were storing a car for, say, the better part of a year, I would want to follow those procedures, including putting the vehicle up on blocks. However, if I were not going to be driving the car for a few weeks or even for a couple of months, I wouldn't consider that to be "long-term" storage, and I would not want to lose all of my audio system settings, my navigation system addresses, my seat, steering wheel, and mirror settings, my phone settings, all of my vehicle custom settings, etc. And I would be losing all of those things and more if I disconnect the battery.
#14
That article does not define what is meant by "long-term" storage. Certainly, if I were storing a car for, say, the better part of a year, I would want to follow those procedures, including putting the vehicle up on blocks. However, if I were not going to be driving the car for a few weeks or even for a couple of months, I wouldn't consider that to be "long-term" storage, and I would not want to lose all of my audio system settings, my navigation system addresses, my seat, steering wheel, and mirror settings, my phone settings, all of my vehicle custom settings, etc. And I would be losing all of those things and more if I disconnect the battery.
#15
I'd rather deal with resetting some settings than deal with the expense and worry about being stranded someplace on a cold wet night due to a compromised battery and alternator.