Storing my 2019 Subaru Outback for Jan thru April in Chicago.
Can I just disconnect battery or would it be better to hook_up a trickle charger.?
A trickle charger can burn out a battery, a battery maintainer would be a better idea. I do not know how much your average battery drain is, My car did 2 months just fine. The problem wit disconnecting the battery is some cars do not like it, and then you have to reprogram radio etc. and the car needs to relearn programming. Remembering auto whatever for replacing daughters battery, I am impressed you use a memory saver, Store policy he said after we had to replace the brains in a car to the tune of $1300
I would do nothing for now. Put a slow charging battery charger on it if it doesnāt start. Chances are it will start right up.
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I bought a ābattery tenderā, Iām happy with it.
A trickle charger and a battery maintainer are the same thing.
https://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tender-Maintainer-Trickle-Charger/dp/B015KBIHDU
Tester
Maybe now. Old style trickle chargers didnāt monitor charge levels, did they?
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If this was an early-2000ās or older car, Iād say do nothing at all. But todayās cars have a lot of computers and sensors which draw power even when the car isnāt in use. Iād say that after 4 months of sitting idle, the battery will be too low to start the car.
However, thereās an easy solution: disconnect one of the battery leads, and tuck it out of the way so it canāt accidentally make contact again. That will prevent any parasitic draw, and the amount of charge lost in 4 months will be so negligible that it wonāt be necessary to use a trickle charger or battery maintainer to top it off.
Contact the dealer, and ask if there are going to be any problems with disconnecting the battery.
https://www.aa1car.com/library/battery_disconnect_problems.htm
Tester
A basic ādumbā trickle charger and a household timer (like for turning on lights) set to charge an hour or two per day.
Thatās how I did it way back when.
Providing the dealer says it is ok to disconnect the battery, doesnāt affect the warranty etc, what Iād do is remove the battery from the engine compartment, fully charge it with a battery charger, then just store it somewhere safe it in a warm area. Itās only 3-4 months. Charge it again before re-installing in April, you should be good to go. Having any sort of power source connected to an automobile battery thatās not being monitored on a daily basis is something Iād avoid as being unsafe practice.