Hi guys and gals, wonder if I could get some advice please.  I need to go away for a few months and the car will not be used, i don’t really want to come back to a flat battery so I think my options will be:

 

1.  Disconnect the battery.

2.  Buy a trickle charger and leave it connected for the duration of my absence.

 

Grateful for any advice, I don’t have a trickle charger so recommendations would be very welcome although leaving a trickle charger connected for a few months scares me somewhat!

 

thanks in advance…..

Barry

One of those CTEK jobs will do a float / maintenance cycle without bother.

 

Personally, I'd just disconnect and remove the battery for the time period. Store it somewhere with a stable temperature and it'll be fine. We do this with the 'summer car' and it starts as eagerly after 6 months as it ever did

1 minute ago, Patent said:

One of those CTEK jobs will do a float / maintenance cycle without bother.

 

Personally, I'd just disconnect and remove the battery for the time period. Store it somewhere with a stable temperature and it'll be fine. We do this with the 'summer car' and it starts as eagerly after 6 months as it ever did

Thanks for that, this is my first car with start/stop and battery management etc so just want to get it right, it was sooooo easy with my old car! LOL

Clarification: if you get a trickle charger, don't connect it directly to the battery, you need to use the jump posts under the bonnet instead - something to do with the smart charging / start stop system.

6 minutes ago, Patent said:

Clarification: if you get a trickle charger, don't connect it directly to the battery, you need to use the jump posts under the bonnet instead - something to do with the smart charging / start stop system.

Yes, got that, positive to battery, neg to chassis earth.

Tried disconnecting the battery after locking the car and as soon as I disconnect the battery the alarm goes off (separate alarm battery).   Spoke to a senior mechanic at my local dealership and he said you can’t disconnect the battery unless the car is left unlocked?  The other thing he said was if the battery was to fully discharge if left for long periods the alarm would go off!

I know this is a anti theft feature but for gods sake!  I’m going to have to connect my trickle charger and hope nothing goes wrong - not a happy chappie!

Is someone able to point out the best chassis earth in a Superb engine bay?

9 hours ago, fencer said:

Is someone able to point out the best chassis earth in a Superb engine bay?

On the bulkhead is a metal plate that the negative terminal bolts to. Use that

18 hours ago, BarryJ said:

   Spoke to a senior mechanic at my local dealership and he said you can’t disconnect the battery unless the car is left unlocked? 

 

 

And you believed him?

 

I have now recalled how I did it on my Yeti to avoid the alarm going off (which would silence in 5 minutes anyway).

 

You will have a means of manually opening and locking the drivers door by key when there is no battery, a visible lock cylinder like mine or one behind a removable or sliding cover, check your door handle or consult the manual.

 

The procedure, sit in car all doors closed & turn on ignition.

 

Operate the all doors lock button (the anti-hijack one) open drivers door by internal handle leaving ignition on.

 

Operate bonnet release lever and open bonnet.

 

Disconnect battery.

 

Close bonnet, remove key from ignition, close & lock drivers door manually.

 

Job done.

 

I am fairly certain that was the procedure I used, please advise if it works.

The above will probably work even if you have removed the keys from the ignition before disconnecting the battery, you will probably feel safer with them in your pocket.

I’ve used a CTEK M5.0S for more than 5 years, first on out MKI for four years and then on our 280 for the past six months and it works fabulously.