# Leaving your car at home for a long period of time

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/leaving-your-car-at-home-for-a-long-period-of-time/15566>\
**Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\
**Created:** [June 19, 2008, 5:57pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/leaving-your-car-at-home-for-a-long-period-of-time/15566 "2008-06-19T17:57:22Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![honigc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ed655f/32.png) [@honigc](https://community.cartalk.com/u/honigc)\
**Post date:** [June 19, 2008, 5:57pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/leaving-your-car-at-home-for-a-long-period-of-time/15566/1 "2008-06-19T17:57:22Z")

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Hi Gang,  
  
  
  
 I’ve got a 95 Honda Accord in good mechanical shape and I’m headed out for a month and will be leaving it idle at home. What’s the right thing to do: disconnect the battery for the duration or have my parents run the engine a couple times a week?  
  
  
  
 Thanks!  
  
 AG

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**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://community.cartalk.com/u/GreasyJack)\
**Post date:** [June 19, 2008, 6:54pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/leaving-your-car-at-home-for-a-long-period-of-time/15566/2 "2008-06-19T18:54:19Z")

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For a month, I wouldn’t worry about it too much. Your battery may or may not discharge from sitting for a month. If you don’t have any unusual drains on it, such as a fancy aftermarket radio, it probably will just run down a little and will likely still start when you get back. If you were leaving it for longer, you’d have to worry about the battery completely discharging and being damaged, but for just a month disconnecting the battery will only potentially save you a jumpstart.

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**Author:** ![SteveF](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/stevef/32/2_2.png) [@SteveF](https://community.cartalk.com/u/SteveF)\
**Post date:** [June 19, 2008, 7:25pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/leaving-your-car-at-home-for-a-long-period-of-time/15566/3 "2008-06-19T19:25:39Z")

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It’s only a month. There’s no need to do anything at all. You can disconnect the battery or not, run the engine or not, it will hardly matter.

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**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\
**Post date:** [June 19, 2008, 8:09pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/leaving-your-car-at-home-for-a-long-period-of-time/15566/4 "2008-06-19T20:09:29Z")

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No problem at all. Don’t do a thing. Just park it.

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**Author:** ![Joseph\_E\_Meehan](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/joseph_e_meehan/32/21_2.png) [@Joseph\_E\_Meehan](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Joseph_E_Meehan)\
**Post date:** [June 19, 2008, 11:02pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/leaving-your-car-at-home-for-a-long-period-of-time/15566/5 "2008-06-19T23:02:39Z")

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I would suggest disconnecting the battery. At one month it may be OK but, maybe not. Some cars have more current draw when they are off and if the battery is already low a month could end its life. Of course there would not have been much life left anyway. If you can find one of those solar panel chargers, that would be great.

In any case a month is not really long enough to get all worried about. No need to have it driven. BTW if it is driven for say 5 miles or so after two weeks that should eliminate any battery problems.