best procedure for avoiding battery drain when you go on vacation

[rshazam]

My wife and I are occasionally traveling away from home for periods of 2 weeks or more. When I asked the salesperson the best procedure for avoiding battery drain in that situation, he said the car could be left unattended for "up to 6 weeks" without a battery problem...

He also presented the car with a key that did not work... so I later asked the head of service who said "it has to be started and run for at least 5 mins every 7 days." Whoa!

That may be true, but I wasn't sure he'd ever had that question before, and it's rather a pain if you have to get someone to start your car that often while you're away for a few weeks, so I'm posting to inquire if anyone else had any better wisdom on the subject. Thanks and all good wishes to allRMR

[Barry Zack]

RMR,

I have several cars and a Vespa in my garage and for years I have used the Battery Doc. What is nice about this product is that you just plug it into your lighter or acc. socket or you can hook it directly to your battery. The Battery Doc does not over charge the battery and can be left on for years.

http://www.batterydoc.com/sport_battery_doc.htm

Zack