[M47]

Hi all

I'll be leaving the country for ~ 1.5 month and unfortunately all my friends that I trust to leave my car with are also leaving with me.
I'm just curious how do you guys usually store your car for a long period of time? I will be storing the car in my apartment's basement.

[floydarogers]

Originally Posted by M47

Hi all

I'll be leaving the country for ~ 1.5 month and unfortunately all my friends that I trust to leave my car with are also leaving with me.
I'm just curious how do you guys usually store your car for a long period of time? I will be storing the car in my apartment's basement.

1.5 months isn't a long time.
1) Pump the tires up a bit - 5psi over recommended
2) Put a battery tender (trickle charger) on it.
3) Fill the tank.

Call it good.

[adhrp]

What the person above said, but what year is your car? I would say if its is 2014/2015 you don't even have to worry about the battery. Also, the tires should be just fine without needing to fill them up. I leave my car once every year for a month without doing literally anything and it is just fine when I get back.

Back in college I left my Civic in the middle of a Midwestern winter OUTDOORS for 5 weeks without doing anything whatsoever and it was just fine.

[401FlaGATOR]

6 weeks is not too long, if its not possible to use trickle charger you can either leave as is or disconnect negative leg of the battery. For 6 weeks you can probably get away with doing nothing.

[gds52]

I left my 2007 e93 328i in a car storage for 5 months Oct to Mar in NJ....the battery was kind of new....no charging...when I came back it got started in one long crank...I was shocked as hell.
6 weeks shd not be a problem.....unless F30's electronics n battery are v different from e9x

[Ali Shiralian]

I agree with most here, however if you are leaving the car in sub zero temperatures, like the place where I live, then a Battery tender is a must. Last winter I was getting a battery discharge warning and I was using the car every day.

[HFW003]

Last year I went over to Canada and the States for two months and just left my F30 as is.

Started first go with absolutely no problem whatsoever when I got back

H

[M47]

Thanks for all the replies! I think I'm just going to pump the tires, fill the tank and leave as is. Luckily my apartment has the basement parking 😀 So that I don't have to leave my bimmer outside in the winter.

[Billfitz]

Originally Posted by adhrp

What the person above said, but what year is your car? I would say if its is 2014/2015 you don't even have to worry about the battery...
Back in college I left my Civic in the middle of a Midwestern winter OUTDOORS for 5 weeks without doing anything whatsoever and it was just fine.

I doubt your Civic had the electronics that a BMW does constantly drawing power. You may be OK in a warm climate for a few weeks, but if the temperatures drop well below freezing even a few days can be a problem. A $50 charger is cheap insurance. Better to have it and not need it than the other way around.

[rking117]

Just fold it up, put it into your lunch box and take it with you. That's what i say...

[rking117]

Originally Posted by Billfitz

I doubt your Civic had the electronics that a BMW does constantly drawing power. You may be OK in a warm climate for a few weeks, but if the temperatures drop well below freezing even a few days can be a problem. A $50 charger is cheap insurance. Better to have it and not need it than the other way around.

the battery will not have an issue for a month and a half. The vehicle doesnt draw that much energy. even my Z4 which draws a lot would be ok for that short of a period of time. any longer and i would tend to agree but this is too short to be even worried about.

[Pyewacket69]

If you elect not to place a charging device on the car, and leave the battery connected, please revisit this thread after your return to let us know if the car started successfully, or if you had to have assistance (i.e.., jump start).

Enjoy your trip!

[Billfitz]

Originally Posted by rking117

the battery will not have an issue for a month and a half. The vehicle doesnt draw that much energy. even my Z4 which draws a lot would be ok for that short of a period of time. any longer and i would tend to agree but this is too short to be even worried about.

In a typical New England winter I've had two year old batteries go dead over the course of a week, and that's in a garage. If I'm not driving the car for more than a couple of days in winter it gets plugged in.

[chiefneil]

I personally wouldn't leave a charger on just because I'd be worried about somebody in the garage running off with it after seeing the car sitting unused for several weeks. But I would connect a charger when I got back and let it charge overnight just so I wouldn't have to worry about driving around aimlessly for an hour to charge up the battery.

This is the charger I use; it charges at 4.3A so it should top you up overnight (or 24 hours worst case for a dead battery).

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...=sr_1_1&sr=8-1

[Weaselboy]

Then owners manual says it may need charging anything over a month, so I would get something like the Deltran battery tender (BMW sells these rebranded) and leave that attached the whole time. Maybe slap a big note on the steering wheel so nobody drives off with it attached.

As far as disconnecting the battery, the manual mentions that stops the countdown clock for the time based maintenance, so I would not disconnect the battery.

[mithoowani]

Is there a solar charges one can use taht can be hooked to the cigrette lighter to keep the battery charged while one is away. I had problems with 740 which I could not leave for more than 2-3 days without new battery running out; Finally got rid of the car. Yet I can leave any Japanese car for 4 months and starts right a way.

[chiefneil]

Originally Posted by mithoowani

Is there a solar charges one can use taht can be hooked to the cigrette lighter to keep the battery charged while one is away. I had problems with 740 which I could not leave for more than 2-3 days without new battery running out; Finally got rid of the car. Yet I can leave any Japanese car for 4 months and starts right a way.

Current BMW's turn off the cig lighter in the cabin, so you can't charge through that socket. Some BMW's (X5, I believe) keep an active socket in the trunk that you could charge through.

Modern BMW's are a little too smart for their own good, tbh. Or maybe I should say they're a little too smart for the owner's good.

[M47]

Originally Posted by Pyewacket69

If you elect not to place a charging device on the car, and leave the battery connected, please revisit this thread after your return to let us know if the car started successfully, or if you had to have assistance (i.e.., jump start).

Enjoy your trip!

Will do.

[adhrp]

Originally Posted by Billfitz

I doubt your Civic had the electronics that a BMW does constantly drawing power. You may be OK in a warm climate for a few weeks, but if the temperatures drop well below freezing even a few days can be a problem. A $50 charger is cheap insurance. Better to have it and not need it than the other way around.

Read my last sentence again, particularly the word in caps and the two words preceding it.