CottageLifer

So I plan to store the RVR for a couple months (max) this summer. It'll sit in a nice garage, out of the elements. Its had a recent (under 200 kms) oil change and I'll probably add some Sta-bil to a full tank and pump up the tires. Should I disconnect the battery? I am hesitant to do this due all the airbag etc. lights. I doubt there is much of anything to drain the battery. PLus there is a slight chance I could start her up a month into storage and take it for a good run.

What am I missing?

mRVRsport

^
You should get a quality battery tender/charger/conditioner and have it trickle charge your battery while in storage.

Burtonrider1002

This

CottageLifer

I'm not keen on leaving a trickle charger on an unattended battery. I know guys do all the time but... Any way, my boat will sit from April to late June and its battery is fine. What would drain the battery if it sits (self-discharge notwithstanding) I did notice that my wife's Pathfinder has a "long term storage" plug in the relay box. Will have to figure that out.

mRVRsport

That's why I specifically said to buy a Quality charger that's not going to overcharge your battery or cause a fire and burn your whole storage down.


PS: boat/marine batteries are different that car batteries, they're deep cycle.

Landshark

i also don't like leaving one on unattended. get a Battery Tender (mine is about 15 years old, still going strong) - they have a permanent connector you can wire to the battery, and just plug it in for a little bit every week or two.

in previous cars, it was the alarm system.

Redstang69

Also, a boat has practically nothing putting a drain on it, only a radio if you have one installed. A car has the radio/clock, ECU and possibly other things.
As stated above, get a good battery tender. If you're that worried about it, put it on a programmable timer to only turn on for a few hours once a week or once every two weeks. That'll still be enough to keep the battery up.
I suggest not locking it. If the battery would go dead I'm not sure how well it would work getting into the car if you have the keyless system and since the locks are electronic I believe (no actual mechanical linkage).

mRVRsport

Don't worry too much about that issue.
Since even with a SMARTKey, there's a traditional key hidden in the remote for just this kind of situations. You can still physical unlock the door with it.

CottageLifer

If anyone is interested, it does turn out you CANNOT leave an RVR for two months and expect the battery to have juice to start it. If there is a next time I will just disconnect the battery.