Disconnect battery while off the road
 

Hi.
Unfortunately I'm having to park up my a8 for a few months while I work away and it'll be parked up at the in laws.
Am I better to disconnect the battery to save it being drained off and dying? Can't really plug in a trickle charger and I know they won't remember to start it up regularly.
It'll be parked for about 5 months.
Thanks for the advice!

If you dont remove the battery it will almost definitely be toast after 5 months. I presume you would, at least stick it (when removed) on a smart charger till you returned? (A C-tek mxs5 cost less than a new battery - c£60). I do not know what state the car would be in after 5 months with no battery though. :-(
I would strongly recommend that if you value the car at all Get a Ctek MXS 5 (or similar) charger - I have no connection with the company! - and get it connected to the car for your absence. Or pay your rellies to start it and run it every week. These cars do NOT like being left unused. :tuttut: (I was away for 2 months and hadnt arranged a charger or friendly started/driver and the battery was gubbed and I had a string of electrical issues from fuel pump to obscure DTCs all related to battery voltage.

Yes do. Otherwise the alarm will drain the battery. I lay mine up every winter. First time cost me a battery.

Charge it fully and disconnect it. If you'll be away long enough for there to be any chance of it freezing, remove it from the car and bring it indoors.

The car will be in a little bit of a grump when you reconnect it - you'll need the code for the radio, the one-touch windows will need resetting, and the gearbox ECU will have lost its learned adaptations. A few of the other ECUs will have recorded a T30 voltage too low so its handy to have VCDS on hand to clear those. No harm will come to it though :)

Personally I would not recommend starting if its not going to be driven. That causes more harm than good as the engine doesn't get properly hot and you end up with condensation in then engine block, gearbox and exhaust, none of which react well to moisture. If it has to sit for a few months, its best for it to be completely dormant. I'd also flush out the screen wash and top it right up with fresh, to reduce the chance of any bugs growing in it.

Thanks everyone. Appreciate the input.

It's not a good idea to leave car unused for that long parked outside. I would say 3 months maximum without driving if parked outside. Oil that protects metal parts can start breaking down an corrosion can start on things like shock absorbed rods or engine valves. Rubber parts also don't like being left without use for long time. And I am not even talking about things like brake discs or tyres becoming 'square' and vibrating when you start using it again. Starting car for a short while and just idling it to charge battery can definitely be bad for cats and lambdas but it will get the oil flowing around in engine and if you let it warm up and then give it some throttle and keep 2-3k rpm for 5-10 minutes that should clear cats as well. Driving up and down the kerb or even over some wooded planks on the drive if no tax/insurance to go on road will give some exercise to shocks and coat them with a fresh layer of oil.

There are plenty of examples where cars have been standing for longer and are still fine so it depends on individual circumstances.

My neighbour had Astra without use for about 1.5 years and gave it to young relative who was studying to be mechanic as a project. The brakes were seized, brake lines corroded, and engine rusted, no compression and not starting, interior full of mould. He spent way more money on it than it was worth but still could not pass emissions on MOT and finally scrapped car in the end.

Hi,

I have used a cheap solar trickle charger successfully on my D2, when starting running for 10 minutes to get proper hot, running up and down short drive.

This has been OK and I will repeat this autumn and winter (Oct - April), got some little snags to fix... :-(

Questions to follow!

Robert

Mine is left for circa 2 or 3 months.
I also have a solar trickle charger that kicks out 7A imput.
I leave this on the rear parcel shelf and plugged into the rear cigarette lighter, which is permanently live.
This will not charge your battery, but will keep it topped up, so make sure your battery is fully charged before leaving the car.
David +++:D

Thanks Again everyone, will try the solar panel and it will be given a light run up the road every month at least.
Thanks again, I feel much better about it now.

I bought one of the AA solar panels , came with cig plug and croc clips

worked for me for 3 months