Battery Tenders; Winter Storage

kenchan

-40F is the standard operating temp for a car. there are many areas in canada that goes beyond colder.


now watch someone from north pole to one-up canada.

ZeroZeta

Left mine stored with no tender last winter. (Battery still connected) I started the car up once every 3 weeks or so. No issues once we thawed out.

But I also had a new car. This winter I may just disconnect the battery. I don't think our temps in Illinois will be cold enough to worry about damaging it.

b15

Everyone has their own thoughts on it, but I'm of the belief that periodically starting and idling in the winter is worse than letting it sit for months. Without driving it'll never reach the full operating temps required to burn off moisture in the oil and exhaust. Last year I put my Z away first week of Nov. Hooked it to a battery maintainer and left it until end of March. She started right up.

SwissCheese

I was just about to ask whether or not I should start the car up every so often. Mine will be stored in my attached garage (non-heated with a cement floor).

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b15

Unless you can drive it and get it to operating temps, I wouldn't bother. Most people I know don't start theirs either until spring

Winn

Past winter was the first storage for me, just put tender on, no removal.
Inflated tires to max psi, put some sheet rock pieces down with carpet on top
and parked on that. For the heck of it put a sheet of plastic I had laying around under the car also. Containers with baking soda and those absorbing packets, also did sta-bil.. In MN also non heated but insulated garage.

Zero problems in the spring after 6 mo , no starting during winter etc.
Oh and covered it...

RonRizz

ronrizz winter storage procedure and tips... Pull car into garage as usual. wash, wax, cover with jersey knit sheets. carpet under tires...um, no. battery tender...um, no. Massage therapist coming over once a month to rub on car....um, no.
wake up one fine spring morning, uncover car, open garage door, and drive off.
Car no start??? take work beater to buy new battery. (2011 stock battery going strong)
I love my car as much as the next guy, but it is a car.....

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SouthArk370Z

Opinions are running the gamut.

For a newer vehicle with a good battery, RonRizz has the right idea, ie, not much is required. But, IMNSHO, it's not overkill to use a battery tender, crank it up every month or so (as long as you get it up to temp plus 5-10 minutes more), fuel stabilizer, &c.

It may be just a car, but it's a nice car that deserves a little pampering.

YMMV

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4TthAnnyZ

Wasting money on a battery because the old one froze and exploded isn't how I want my first spring day to go, as it did this year in my other car. Where I live in MN, it dipped below -30 multiple times, enough to freeze any non- maintained battery.

Plenty of good tips in here to try this winter. Battery tender is cheaper than a battery so I'll start with that.