[SuperBmw]

So I plan to head overseas for 7 weeks for winter and will be leaving my car in my parents garage.

Will fillup the tank, add some fuel stabilizer and give it a good wash.

Will I be able to get by without hooking it up to a charger?

I know starting it without driving is bad, but the battery lasted 3 weeks on my last trip so I was thinking I will let it stand for 3 weeks and then call home and ask my dad to start it up and take it for a short 1km trip and park it again until I get back - I'm not sure if that is a good or bad idea.

[m@rco]

I believe that your car and battery will do perfectly fine for 7 weeks. Just make sure the battery is fully charged before storing, meaning, not too many short trips with headlight on, rear window heater on, etc.. My car has been in a shipment for 6 weeks or so without any issues. I would NOT ask your dad to take it out and drive it for 1 km. That is most likely not enough time to recharge the battery. A full charge probably takes around 30 minutes... Plus then you only create condensation (albeit very little...) in the oil etc.. If your dad takes it for a ride, he needs to fully charge the battery and fully warm up the engine, drive train etc.. A warm up will take approximately 12-15km (see my post in the technical forum http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=593312, yesterday) and a charge about half an hour...

[RaceBlood]

There should be no problem at all. I left my 335i in the Cold Chicago winter from Dec 20 to Feb 15 and it started on a -5 degree day like it was summer. A 4 year old OEM battery at that.

Turn off everything, auto lights, AC/Heat, Radio.

[RaceBlood]

and if anything, just let it idle to warm, no need to drive, 15 minutes with a few light revs once warm is all you need.

[m@rco]

Originally Posted by RaceBlood

and if anything, just let it idle to warm, no need to drive, 15 minutes with a few light revs once warm is all you need.

?

Don't really agree. Idle to warm is NOT ok. Especially if done often. The warm up process takes much longer than under normal driving conditions and moist builds up in parts that do not get to operating temperature... And eh, revving the engine a bit?!? What does that do? It doesn't charge the battery for sure. I'm sorry but I am not sure what the rationale is behind that.

I've mentioned this before but think of it this way: how much does your engine and drive train weigh? How much gasoline do you need to warm up all these kilograms to 100ºC or more? Think about how much time and natural gas it takes to boil 1 liter of water for some hot tea. Now, compare that to heating up a couple of hundreds kilograms of steel... A few minutes idling simply does not do the work.

[John 070]

Originally Posted by m@rco

?

Don't really agree. Idle to warm is NOT ok. Especially if done often. The warm up process takes much longer than under normal driving conditions and moist builds up in parts that do not get to operating temperature... And eh, revving the engine a bit?!? What does that do? It doesn't charge the battery for sure. I'm sorry but I am not sure what the rationale is behind that.

I've mentioned this before but think of it this way: how much does your engine and drive train weigh? How much gasoline do you need to warm up all these kilograms to 100ºC or more? Think about how much time and natural gas it takes to boil 1 liter of water for some hot tea. Now, compare that to heating up a couple of hundreds kilograms of steel... A few minutes idling simply does not do the work.

I agree, and I don't think idling does the battery any favors either. My car was undriven for 4-5 weeks last winter, and I drove 24 miles to work on the highway. When I went out to the car at lunch and talked on the bluetooth, the entire electrical shutdown in a seemingly orderly fashion until the batt icon went on. Flash forward to that weekend--I drove 2 1/2 hours on the highway, and then back, and never saw the battery icon again until this winter.

If it were me, I'd leave the vehicle alone, until you can take it out for a longer drive.

[avocet]

I was doing 6 week rotations with work, and I never had a battery issue.
But when I would start it when I got back, it just seemed a little ... Different.

I went and got a 30$ trickle smart charger, and it would start like, well, the battery just came off a charger!

It might start just fine, but putting a battery through those long cycles in not good for the batt. If you're planning on leaving the car often for long periods, I would suggest a charger.

[Tom K.]

Originally Posted by m@rco

?

Idle to warm is NOT ok. Especially if done often.

+1. If your dad can do at least 15 km drive, that should be fine, otherwise, I'd invest in a Battery Tender type maintainer to be on the safe side.

Tom

[evangelion139]

i have heard that you can simply disconnect the negative pole of battery after you charge it, and it would probably be the easiest way to store your car. but i havent done it before so im not so sure. any comments ?

[roadkillrob]

I would put a tender on it - it might not require it to start, but these cars use a lot of juice laying around and it can be hard on the battery, the tender is only 15 bucks and will only help your battery life, cheap insurance in my book.

[fdriller9]

Originally Posted by m@rco

I believe that your car and battery will do perfectly fine for 7 weeks. Just make sure the battery is fully charged before storing, meaning, not too many short trips with headlight on, rear window heater on, etc.. My car has been in a shipment for 6 weeks or so without any issues. I would NOT ask your dad to take it out and drive it for 1 km. That is most likely not enough time to recharge the battery. A full charge probably takes around 30 minutes... Plus then you only create condensation (albeit very little...) in the oil etc.. If your dad takes it for a ride, he needs to fully charge the battery and fully warm up the engine, drive train etc.. A warm up will take approximately 12-15km (see my post in the technical forum http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=593312, yesterday) and a charge about half an hour...

If your car was being shipped, they normally short the battery to prevent discharge.

Also cars don't charge the battery. Alternators MAINTAIN a battery. On average, cranking a car will drain the battery 1-3%. The alternator will maintain that voltage and bring it back up that 1-3%. It will never fully charge a battery.

That's why if you drive short distances, you are draining your battery 1-3% every time. And your car doesn't have enough time to bring the charge back up to the state it was in. In this case, it's recommended to retrofit an AGM. They have better deep discharge performance and aren't prone to sulfating plates from having a low charge.

OP, I would put it on a tender. They are around $50-$60. I use a CTEK 3300.

I've also heard you can just disconnect it but I personally wouldn't.

EDIT: Also if your car has a lead acid battery, the plates inside will begin to sulfate with a discharged battery. This decreases performance of the battery and the ability to hold a full charge. There are charging programs that will help de-sulfate a battery, but it will never perform like a properly maintained battery.

Also bumere90 makes a good point, a 5 year old battery will struggle to maintain a charge.

[Tom K.]

Originally Posted by evangelion139

i have heard that you can simply disconnect the negative pole of battery after you charge it, and it would probably be the easiest way to store your car. but i havent done it before so im not so sure. any comments ?

Not a great idea. If you inadvertently close the trunk lid and the car is locked, you won't be able to get back in - or access the battery!

Why disconnect the battery in the first place? A float trickle charge is so much more safe, simple and elegant.

Tom

[bumere90]

being 07, your battery is almost 5 years old.
there is good chance that it will lose charge

[morphius909]

Originally Posted by SuperBmw

So I plan to head overseas for 7 weeks for winter and will be leaving my car in my parents garage.

Will fillup the tank, add some fuel stabilizer and give it a good wash.

Will I be able to get by without hooking it up to a charger?

I know starting it without driving is bad, but the battery lasted 3 weeks on my last trip so I was thinking I will let it stand for 3 weeks and then call home and ask my dad to start it up and take it for a short 1km trip and park it again until I get back - I'm not sure if that is a good or bad idea.

Crappy tire has the CTEk 3300 on sale. Easy install. Do yourself a favor and pick one up. These cars have a lot of drain on the battery even sitting around.

[fdriller9]

Originally Posted by morphius909

Crappy tire has the CTEk 3300 on sale. Easy install. Do yourself a favor and pick one up. These cars have a lot of drain on the battery even sitting around.

Lol is it really called crappy tire?

And there really isn't an install process. Your not suppose to hook up anything to the battery itself. Only at the jump points under the hood. So you just use the alligator clips.

[evangelion139]

Originally Posted by Tom K.

Not a great idea. If you inadvertently close the trunk lid and the car is locked, you won't be able to get back in - or access the battery!

Why disconnect the battery in the first place? A float trickle charge is so much more safe, simple and elegant.

Tom

ye.. it would cause another problem to come up , i havent think about that yet

[morphius909]

Originally Posted by *********

Lol is it really called crappy tire?

And there really isn't an install process. Your not suppose to hook up anything to the battery itself. Only at the jump points under the hood. So you just use the alligator clips.

With the CTEK 3300 you can actually have a permenent install with bolts...and then when you need to charge, you simply attch the electrical connector that is attached to the car.

hard to explain. On the other hand you can just use the Alligator clips too. LOL

HAAH No. It's actually "Canadian Tire", but they sell a lot of "CRAP" especially their CT Branded Tools and CT branded Auto Parts (Motomaster)...hence most Canadians call it "Crappy Tire". hehe

Oh and don't get my started on their "Autoservice". You'd be a fool to take it there for any sort of autoservice.

[fdriller9]

Originally Posted by morphius909

With the CTEK 3300 you can actually have a permenent install with bolts...and then when you need to charge, you simply attch the electrical connector that is attached to the car.

hard to explain. On the other hand you can just use the Alligator clips too. LOL

HAAH No. It's actually "Canadian Tire", but they sell a lot of "CRAP" especially their CT Branded Tools and CT branded Auto Parts (Motomaster)...hence most Canadians call it "Crappy Tire". hehe

Oh and don't get my started on their "Autoservice". You'd be a fool to take it there for any sort of autoservice.

Yea I have a 3300 for my car. I'm aware you can either use the clips or the ring terminals. But where can you hook up the ring terminals?

You're not suppose to jump or connect a maintainer directly to the battery unless you remove it from your car. Otherwise, you risk blowing the IBS or BST.

The jump points under the hood are fused in the distribution block on top of your battery so it's safe to connect an external power source to those points.

lol about the crappy tire. I was like, that's such a bad way to represent a company.

[B-737]

Originally Posted by *********

Yea I have a 3300 for my car. I'm aware you can either use the clips or the ring terminals. But where can you hook up the ring terminals?

You're not suppose to jump or connect a maintainer directly to the battery unless you remove it from your car. Otherwise, you risk blowing the IBS or BST.

The jump points under the hood are fused in the distribution block on top of your battery so it's safe to connect an external power source to those points.

lol about the crappy tire. I was like, that's such a bad way to represent a company.

Just secure the ring terminals to the under hood connections that attach to the posts themselves.


I rotated it 180 degrees after i took this so the leads comes out the bottom like below

[fdriller9]

Originally Posted by B-737

Just secure the ring terminals to the under hood posts. It takes all but five minutes.

Thanks. I never realized there was a bolt behind that positive connection. I always thought it was crimped on.

[B-737]

I thought it was a solid piece too, was a nice surprise, makes it really easy, just a 10mm nut. the negative terminal post on the fender has a metric machine thread too so it's easy to use a 1/4" machine bolt into it.

[MisterSkiMask]

Originally Posted by bumere90

being 07, your battery is almost 5 years old.
there is good chance that it will lose charge

+1, I had an '08 M5, the battery almost couldn't start the car after less then 5 weeks of neglect