what's the correct way to store CX5 for a long time?

P

powerrc

Member
:
CX-5
Hi everybody,
I am planning to store my car for 3 months for I am going to travel out of states.
According to the FAQ here http://mazda.custhelp.com/app/answe...sion/L3RpbWUvMTQ3MTMyODI4OC9zaWQvX0E5OU5iWW0=
I should just disconnect the battery.

But, is it CX5 different than the other cars?
Because last year , i stored my car for one month , it turned out my battery became totally dead , all lights on console turned on , and they kept on even after replacing a new battery , then I went to dealership toto fix these lights by resetting car computer.

I am wondering , will I need to go to dealership to reset the car computer again after I disconnect the battery for 3 months?

Please advise.
Thanks.
 
powerrc said:
Hi everybody,
I am planning to store my car for 3 months for I am going to travel out of states.
According to the FAQ here http://mazda.custhelp.com/app/answe...sion/L3RpbWUvMTQ3MTMyODI4OC9zaWQvX0E5OU5iWW0=
I should just disconnect the battery.

But, is it CX5 different than the other cars?
Because last year , i stored my car for one month , it turned out my battery became totally dead , all lights on console turned on , and they kept on even after replacing a new battery , then I went to dealership toto fix these lights by resetting car computer.

I am wondering , will I need to go to dealership to reset the car computer again after I disconnect the battery for 3 months?

Please advise.
Thanks.
Click to expand...

I would not consider 3 months as long storage. A lot of people often don't use their car for up to a month or 6 weeks while on holiday. Instead of disconnecting the battery, it is far better to put on a trickle charger (assuming you have access to power point) or solar charger (if there is sunlight) for the battery. Also, just check tyre inflation is slightly over recommended. Insufficient tyre pressure can cause flat spot while on long term storage. However, I don't believe 3 month will cause tyre flat spot.

Suspect your issue of car computer turning all lights on while in storage is a different problem. A normal working computer should not be doing this while under storage.
 
Agree on trickle charger if you are not running the car for over a month. Batteries self-discharge over time and there is always a small draw from the electronics even when the car if off.
 
Unplug the battery and get one of those cheap chargers and use it when you get back. I wouldn't want to leave a charger plugged up for 3 months unattended. Come back to a burned down house or some ignited battery fume or some fluke lol.

If you don't have one you can use one of these cheapie when you get back https://www.ebay.com (commissions earned)
 
Chris_Top_Her said:
Unplug the battery and get one of those cheap chargers and use it when you get back. I wouldn't want to leave a charger plugged up for 3 months unattended. Come back to a burned down house or some ignited battery fume or some fluke lol.

If you don't have one you can use one of these cheapie when you get back https://www.ebay.com (commissions earned)
Click to expand...

Let's differentiate here between a trickle charger and a battery maintenance device like a Battery Tender (tm). I've had Battery Tenders on motorcycles and aux batteries like the one for my trolling motor for years with no ill effects. One of https://www.amazon.com/dp/ (commissions earned) should work just fine for however long you happen to be gone.
 
If you can, use a solar charger. Your car will be fine for 3 months! These cars sit on the lot from 1 week to two years. They have no problems by doing that. Hell, at BMW, we have a 2014 328i that has been on the lot since December of 2013. The last time it was moved was 8 months ago. But I'll guarantee it'll start up and have no problems. Why? Because it has a solar charger hooked up to the ODB port and the solar panel sits on the windshield. In fact, all new BMW's come with them from the factory, but for some reason we don't deliver the cars like that. Also, don't park it in a grassy or tree'd area. Tree sap and crawly critters will be your worst enemy.
 
halfast3 said:
Let's differentiate here between a trickle charger and a battery maintenance device like a Battery Tender (tm). I've had Battery Tenders on motorcycles and aux batteries like the one for my trolling motor for years with no ill effects. One of https://www.amazon.com/dp/ (commissions earned) should work just fine for however long you happen to be gone.
Click to expand...

Yeah... I use lots of battery tenders on my powersports equipment. I use one to maintain 4 snowmobile batteries in the off season and the quads always have them on when not in use. My '04 quad has a 10 year old AGM in it right now. This is a really good one I use on my electric trolling motor. It even has an external temperature sensor.

https://www.batterystuff.com/battery-chargers/12-volt/0-4amps/bm1510.html

720x_BM1510_BatteryMinder_12v_Charger_lg.jpg

720y_BM1510_BatteryMinder_12v_Charger_lg.jpg
 
buyingconstant7 said:
If you can, use a solar charger. Your car will be fine for 3 months! These cars sit on the lot from 1 week to two years. They have no problems by doing that. Hell, at BMW, we have a 2014 328i that has been on the lot since December of 2013. The last time it was moved was 8 months ago. But I'll guarantee it'll start up and have no problems. Why? Because it has a solar charger hooked up to the ODB port and the solar panel sits on the windshield. In fact, all new BMW's come with them from the factory, but for some reason we don't deliver the cars like that. Also, don't park it in a grassy or tree'd area. Tree sap and crawly critters will be your worst enemy.
Click to expand...

Are you guys not worried about flat spots on the tires?
 
I'll agree that 3 months is not considered long term storage. I would park it and walk away. However, parking inside out of the weather would be more beneficial than unhooking the battery. My boat is stored during the winter for 7 months. It's an inboard GM engine. I hook up a battery charge about the 3-4 month time frame, and also for a couple hours before I take it out for the first time. It has started up perfectly without an issue.
 
PatrickGSR94 said:
Are you guys not worried about flat spots on the tires?
Click to expand...

Never had an issue with it. The most problems we have, are warped brakes from heavy rain. The rust builds on the rotors so heavily, that they it gets nearly impossible to remove just from driving, so we have to bring them into the shop and machine the rotors. It's happened a few times this year.
 
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