We plan to be abroad for 3 months starting soon. We have a Mazda MX5 and a Renault Megane which we plan to leave sitting in the drive for that time. Anyone see any particular problems with that (from the point of view of the mechanical health of the cars, rather than security)?
TIA
Pete
Peter Grange (Peter Grange ) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:
They'll be absolutely fine. You'll probably need to jump start 'em when you get back, and you'll certainly want to check tyre pressures.
"Adrian" wrote
I have in the past read that you should over-inflate a car's tyres before letting it stand to help prevent flat spots. Dunno if it's true. If the battery is allowed to flatten then things like the radio might need to be reset.
By far the best thing would be to get a friend to take each car for a five-mile-plus drive every fortnight or so IMHO.
Shouldn't be any problem, but I suggest you disconnect their batteries. Over that period, the small drain from clocks and alarms will flatten them completely, causing permanent damage. Mike.
Apart from the problems already noted by others, it pays to think about the battery discharging over the period. Once a lead acid battery gets down to a low state of charge permanent damage results and it can never be charged up properly again. In extreme cases I've seen vehicles (OK mostly Jaguars) in which a discharged battery has resulted in damage to the engine management system. A 1990s Jag could flatten the battery if left standing for a week, and a current Mercedes isn't that far behind with my wife's Merc giving up the ghost after being left for three weeks at an airport. New battery needed when we got back.
CTEK (and others) offer a small trickle charge unit intended to keep the battery topped up when the car is left unattended for a long period. If you can work out how to arrange to have the cars connected to the mains while you are away it may be a good idea to buy a couple of these chargers.
Here's some information on the CTEK charger:
or
The battery will be totally flat and knackered. Either disconnect it totally or fit a maintenance charger if you have an outside electricity outlet.
I often leave my car for very long periods. Usually three weeks at a time, but has been 18 months. The only thing I do is to disconnect the battery to stop things like the clock, radio standby and other very low power devices flattening the battery. Apart from that, if its left outside, a good waxing would help protect body. No need to polish, just get the wax on there in as thick a layer as possible. It will look awful, but protect it from the ravages of our weather.
Graham
50 quid for a maintenance charger? And the OP will need two?
I realise the one you've said does more - but even then...
Lidl had a very nice SMPS charger that does at least most of the above - for 12 quid. And it quotes the maximum output unlike 'your' one. Also a maintenance only one for about 5. All that's needed for a maintenance charger is a constant voltage approx 1/2 amp DC supply - no more complicated than any wall wart.
If you're anywhere near Whitby leave the keys with me and I'll give them a tootle out once a week or so. :-)
Otherwise just disconnect the batteries and I think they should be OK, so long as you're free from worries about somebody interfering with the cars, problems of that nature etc.
Best wishes all, Dave.
I've read/heard the same too - can't do any harm as long as the OP remembers to check them before he uses the car again!
I left a car just for 2 weeks and found that the handbrake cables stuck. It didnt take long to free up, but assuming you're parking 'off- road' I'd consider leaving it in gear with the brake off (taking into account safety issues i.e. if a friend is going to turn the engine over periodically)
Disconnect the battery.
Modern cars have so many electronic loads that keep running even when the ignition's off that the battery may be flat after only a month or so.
If the battery then sits there flat for another 2 months, it will likely be damaged if only losing some of its capacity. It would need careful recharging to get it back to its best too.
Graham
Probably devoid of grease and only kept free by regular use. My 17 year old car happily sits on the drive in all weather for weeks on end and apart from the battery being slightly less than fully charged it starts easily and behaves just as if it was driven the day before. Tyre pressures don't drop either. I have one tyre that slowly drops, but only about 5lb in six months. All I need to do is give the battery a overnight charge once every couple of months after using it only every few weeks. Even the four hours of motorway driving I do will not restore the lost charge through sitting unused for weeks on end. It needs a good ten hours now and then to properly charge it.
However, for the OP, once the battery is charged, it will hold that charge for a year or more if disconnected from the car (providing the battery is in fair condition). There is no need to trickle charge to keep the battery in good condition, although it might need a top up charge when you come to use the car again. It will not go flat if its left charged and then disconnected from the car. As others have said, letting the battery go flat ruins it. It can still be used again, but it is never as good and once its happened two or three times, the battery is a shaddow of its former self and likely to let you down on cold mornings.
Graham
The brake disks will develop surface rust if not used for 3 months. When you do first drive the cars after returning home the brakes won't work very well until you brake HARD from speed several times to clean up the disks.
-- LSR
Dave Plowman (News) formulated on Saturday :
They are an exact copy or a rebadge of the CTEK unit, I have two here.
Steve Firth (%steve%@malloc.co.uk (Steve Firth)) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:
My mid-90s XM would _start_ quite happily after a month sat untouched.
LSR ("LSR" ) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:
Crap.
Surface rust starts to develop on disks after a day or two if you've got very "open" alloys - but even after several months, they'll clean within a mile or two of normal use - and you'll not notice much difference in the meantime.
The best advice has already been posted, get someone to use them now and again, park them in slightly different positions, other way round, in a different order, etc. otherwise a build up of dust on the windows and air blown plant and litter around the wheels will easily show and you then may as well put a flag on your house, "We are away, come and help yourself".
Assuming that you can reach the battery from the cigarette lighter when the ignition is off, are those solar cell trickle chargers any good or a gimmick? For example a quick search brings up these examples (and I've seen much cheaper ones around). The idea is you leave them on the dash and they look after the battery. Of course leaving something of worth on the dashboard while you're away may bring its own problems.
The snag with this idea is that for it to work, you would need to leave the battery connected.
Common wisdom seems to be that in the UK at least, insufficient charge is produced to compensate for the static vehicle drain even in the summer.
If the OP is unable to arrange for a mains-derived trickle charge at the vehicles, it might be best to remove the batteries from the vehicles and trickle charge them indoors. This will slightly help with security perhaps.
If those options are not available, fully charging the battery either with an external charger or a longish daytime run, then disconnecting the batteries, will probably be OK.
Note that when you buy a "new" battery, it can often have been made and charged more than three months previously...
Chris
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