I have a 2020 Kia I will not be driving till June. It’s with a family member in a gated community, and I’d love to just leave the battery disconnected. However, the family member has said, that’s alright, no need to disconnect. He’ll start it up regularly. It’s an awkward situation because he’s kept another unused car’s battery connected in the recent past and run it completely down. BUT he is letting me leave a car on his (very safe) property, so I am trying to be flexible.
The question is how often does he need to start it up and for how long? If you only start a car twice a week for 5 minutes, are you shortening the life of the battery?
Thank You in Advance. I’m sure you folks can handle this one.
I didn’t watch the goss clip but starting and running it for a few minutes will likely not replace what was used. Just leave it alone and don’t let the trusted friend run it. We’ve heard this story before. Be ready to jump start it at the end but likely not needed. You could always put a solar battery maintainer on it, and lock the car up. That’s a pretty short period of time. Worth what you paid for the advice.
This is nowhere near enough to replace the charge used to start the car. Hook up a battery maintainer, disconnect the battery, or have the family member take the car for a drive of 20 or 30 minutes each time.
I don’t know how your car will hold charge, my 2017 rav4 may go 5 weeks at a time, and never had an issue. If I cared and had the help I would go for once a month for 20 minutes.
And I’ll reiterate, I would not let someone else drive my car for want of a dead battery. Somewhere hidden in these posts is a guy that let a trusted friend exercise his car and somehow major engine or trans Damage just happened, unexplained. Friends don’t borrow money from friends or let them drive their cars.
If an AC outlet is available you can connect a battery maintainer with the battery still connected in the car.
If an AC outlet is available you can get a solar panel to sit on the dashboard if it gets some sun.
5 minute runs would be bad for the battery and the engine.
I would leave the battery in place and ask the person to not start or drive it unless there is an emergency. There’s a small chance it will need a boost or an hour or two on battery charger in June, so best to leave it parked where it’s convenient to get to the battery, with 120V power within the reach of extension cords.
I would fill up the tank and add some Stabil to the gas to be on the safe side. Otherwise, I would let it sit for the few months and be prepared to give it a jump if needed.
One more question, new cars and used cars sit on lots for weeks or months without a problem. I thought there was a switch or fuse that is pulled for long term storage?
Thanks, this seems to be the most thoughtful answer. So, to clarify, true or false:
1: Leaving a battery disconnected keeps it from draining any power.
2: Starting it up once a week for only a little time is actually hurting the battery life.
1 is true. The car’s electronics will not drain power from the battery. The amount of that drain varies among cars. There may still be some small loss of charge, just as if the battery was sitting on the shelf in a store for months.
2 is not so much a matter of battery life/longevity, but of how fully charged is it. It will lose charge every time it starts the car; it will regain charge as the car is driven. How much charge for how much driving? Not a clear cut answer there. I sense you would prefer the car not to be started and driven. I would, too.
Will you be more at ease if you disconnect the battery? Will your relative agree to this and let it be? You will almost certainly be able to start the car when you reconnect the battery.
Your radio/etc. will probably need a code keyed in to revive them, so be sure you have that number and the procedure at hand. I write mine down on a post-it in the glove compartment, and the owners manual’s instructions are there, too.
This is not correct. All batteries have internal resistance and will self discharge over time. Depending on the original condition of the battery, this can take months but it will continue to discharge even if disconnected.
When the battery gets low enough, it will begin to sulfate.
If the car is stored outside, a solar charger may be enough to keep it charged up during non-use.
It’s actually possible. Let’s not forget about the very high theft rate for both Kias and Hyundais, due to the absence of an engine immobilizer in many of those cars.
