Keeping My Car Battery Happy While I'm Away!

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Capt Forest

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Hi. I'm gearing up for a two-week trip overseas next month, and I’m kinda torn on whether to keep my car plugged in or unplugged. I know letting the battery drain is a no-go, so I’m leaning towards leaving it plugged in. Got any tips or thoughts? Appreciate ya!
 
It doesn’t really matter if it’s plugged in or not for parking under three weeks. Once it’s fully charged, it just goes to sleep for three weeks before trying to wake up and juice back up!
 
Hi. I'm gearing up for a two-week trip overseas next month, and I’m kinda torn on whether to keep my car plugged in or unplugged. I know letting the battery drain is a no-go, so I’m leaning towards leaving it plugged in. Got any tips or thoughts? Appreciate ya!
Are you thinking about stashing your ride in a garage or just letting it chill outside while you’re away?
 
You might be wondering about the risks of disconnecting your car battery. Honestly, in most cases, there's no real harm.

Here's the deal:

If you have a garage: The best option is to use a battery tender or trickle charger. These small devices (usually around $20) keep your battery topped off while you're away.

If you don't have a garage: Disconnecting the battery is usually fine, especially if your battery is in good condition.

Important Note: Disconnecting the battery will reset your car's computer, which might affect things like radio presets and clock settings. You'll need to reprogram those after reconnecting the battery.

I hope this helps!
 
Hi. I'm gearing up for a two-week trip overseas next month, and I’m kinda torn on whether to keep my car plugged in or unplugged. I know letting the battery drain is a no-go, so I’m leaning towards leaving it plugged in. Got any tips or thoughts? Appreciate ya!
Hey! I would love to hear how things worked out for you. I am planning a similar trip soon and would really appreciate any insights from your experience. Thanks in advance!
 
For trips under 3 weeks it doesn’t matter if it’s plugged in or not. Once the battery reaches 100% it enters sleep mode and won’t charge again for up to 3 weeks.
For trips longer than 3 weeks it still doesn’t matter unless the 12V battery gets too low to power the car on for charging. In that case, it’s a good idea to use a trickle charger to keep it topped off.
 

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