QX4 Storage

[ashkan21]

Hi all,

Having 2 SUV's is killing me on gas so i've purchased an old Civic as a commuter car. I want to store the QX4 since i want to use it in the winter when going up to the snow.

I think i know what to do in general in terms of car storage, but have a question on how to maintain the battery. I'll be storing the car outdoors using a car cover. I plan to drive it about once a month to "excercise" the car. How should i maintain the battery if i'm going to be driving it once a month? Does it need to be disconnected and hooked up to some sort of trickle charger? Should i just disconnect the battery and leave it in the car? Should i not even disconnect the battery, but maybe just give it a fully charge using a battery charger?

Thanks for any inputs.

[Andrew224]

Get a "Battery Tender" brand trickle charger (wont overcharge or ruin your battery) (less than $60) and connect it to your truck until it's fully charged. No need to disconnect the battery. Then when it's fully charged (about a day) take it off and then repeat about every 3 weeks or so. Charge it up before you drive it too.

That's what I do with mine while it sits on the bench for the summer. Also, I've got it set up so the contacts stay on the battery terminals and I unplug the cord from the charger. So when I go out, I just plug the end (which goes through the grill opening) into the charger's cord. I don't have to even open the hood. You'll see what I mean if you look at one.

-Andrew
Modified by Andrew224 at 1:06 PM 7/28/2008

[ashkan21]

Thanks for the reply. I've heard good things about Battery Tender from other sources as well. I like your idea of doing a full charge before storage and then a charge before running it. I'll give that a try.

Thanks again!