Long cruise, car question

[Marseydotes]

We will be going on our longest cruise next month--altogether almost a month. We have a house/dog sitter, but I am concerned about the cars. Should we disconnect batteries for a monthlong vacation, or take any other preventive measures?

[eddmel]

IMHO i would not disconnect the battery for a 30 day trip. But, it would be a good idea to check the car dealer where you bought the car for their expert opinion.

[LHT28]

We have left the car for 3 mths in the winter in the garage

Just be sure it is fully charged

If you disconnect the battery with newer cars it messes up the onboard computer & you do not want that to happen ...trust me ;)

 

Lyn

[tgg]

Have someone drive the car once a week while you're away. It should be fine.

[Mura]

A trip of 3-4 weeks is not unusual for us and I have left my car all alone for that amount of time several times with no problems.

[pete_coach]

Do not disconnect the battery, lots of things need to stay connected and if disconnected, special procedures may need to be followed before reconnecting and starting (depending on the vehicle type and model year). One month is not a long time for a car to be parked.

[Andee]

We've gone on lots of trips ranging from 3-8 weeks and our cars have been fine.

[Hawaiidan]

We will be going on our longest cruise next month--altogether almost a month. We have a house/dog sitter, but I am concerned about the cars. Should we disconnect batteries for a monthlong vacation, or take any other preventive measures?

 

They should be good for a good 90 days without any activity, assuming they are in normal condition.. I commonly go away for 24 to 4o days

 

 

Now here is a tip when you return... when you start your car, let it idle in netural, for 2 to 3 min to let the oil get into the galleries and all. If your oil is old over 90 days, I would get an oil change before I left so that engine parts are not left soaking in dirty oil..

 

The current change your oil once a year or 10 000 miles even with synthetic is not advised If you do stop and go driving and experience seasonal changes then I would change my oil every 4000 miles because Oil is cheap and the folks who advise you to do the 10,000 mile change also are in the business of selling you new cars..

[Paulchili]

One possible caveat.

The only time my battery died was when I turned the alarm on (even though it was in my garage - just for extra security). With the alarm "working" it drained the battery. Ever since then I do not do that and the cars are fine for even longer than 30 days.

[ronrick1943]

We were gone once 45 days, not a problem. If you did a simple charge would work.

[floridatravelersforlife]

It also depends on the type and age of the vehicle. Some cars of less than 5 years old have so many computers and devices that the battery will be drained in 3 weeks. IF you are concerned and live in a cold climate, you might investigate a battery tender that keeps the battery charged. If you are lucky to have a car that has a constantly on 12 volt plug you can plug this charger cord directly into your power plug. You can find them at any auto parts store.

 

This will get worse as internet and other bluetooth devices are added to cars

[Fam_Cruise]

I depends whether you have a key or a fob.

 

If you have a key, then it will probably be no problem.

 

If you have a fob, proximity sensors and alarms will drain your battery in a matter of a few weeks. You can purchase a battery tender which comes with leads that permanently connect to your battery so that you can easily plug it in when you're away for more than 3 weeks. I found this out the hard way about 8-9 years ago with my LS460 after I went away for 4 weeks and the battery was dead when I returned. Car was 1 or 2 years old. After that I purchased a battery tender on Amazon for about $45. I routinely take 4-6 week trips and now plug my car into the battery tender whenever I'm gone longer than 3 weeks.

[BillPizzaiolo]

+1 in cold climates use the trickle charger as mentioned. Keep it fully charged.

[Andee]

We live in Wisconsin, have cars with fobs, no problems leaving the then 9 year old car in our garage for over a month last winter.

[Marseydotes]

My fellow O cruisers are gems! Thanks for all the advice and tips!