How to prepare car to sit a few months?

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2014 CX-5 GS AWD
So I'll be travelling outside of Canada. I live on an acreage and we have a perfect spot to put the CX-5, it's like a carport. I have access to solar panel trickle chargers, should I put one on the CX-5? It sits on the dash and plugs into the OBDII port, will this work? What else should I do?
 
So I'll be travelling outside of Canada. I live on an acreage and we have a perfect spot to put the CX-5, it's like a carport. I have access to solar panel trickle chargers, should I put one on the CX-5? It sits on the dash and plugs into the OBDII port, will this work? What else should I do?

My Miata is put to bed for 5-6 months every year. The storage is indoor, unheated, concrete floor. My process is: (a) add an appropriate amount of fuel stabilizer (b) fill tank with top-grade fuel (c) fill tires to maximum allowed by tire manufacturer (d) drive for a few km to mix in the stabilizer and have the mixture reach the engine (e) remove anything of value from the vehicle (f) place in storage (g) remove the battery to be placed on charge at home every two months (h) install a dust cover. That's it. In the spring pop in the battery, deflate the tires to Mazda recommendation, and drive away. Nothing to do with storage, but it also gets an interior/exterior cleaning and a wax just before storage and if it rains on the day a wipe down before the cover goes on. I've been doing this with this Miata since the fall of 2011 and there have been no problems and none with the previous Miata either.

Just sayin'

Brian
 
not sure about leaving the car on the tires at the same exact spot for a few months, isn't there such a condition called "tire slapping" when a tire has been holding up the weight of a car at the same spot for long periods of time in cold weather and it develops a flat spot and on highway speeds you can feel the "tire slapping" I'm not sure, I might be wrong , I'm sure dealers have new cars sitting around for a month and have no issues. Just bringing it up for discussion, go to youtube and search "tire slap"

for reference: https://www.tires-easy.com/blog/flatspotting-when-your-tire-sits-too-long-in-one-place/
 
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For only a few months? I do nothing but, remove valuables and lock it. Ed
(lol) I'd do nothing too! But if the battery is weak, I use battery charger charging the battery up then re-start the engine.
 
I would park it and walk away. The battery will be fine sitting for 2 months. Living on an acreage, I would be more concerned about rodents making a new home.
 
My Miata is put to bed for 5-6 months every year. The storage is indoor, unheated, concrete floor. My process is: (a) add an appropriate amount of fuel stabilizer (b) fill tank with top-grade fuel (c) fill tires to maximum allowed by tire manufacturer (d) drive for a few km to mix in the stabilizer and have the mixture reach the engine (e) remove anything of value from the vehicle (f) place in storage (g) remove the battery to be placed on charge at home every two months (h) install a dust cover. That's it. In the spring pop in the battery, deflate the tires to Mazda recommendation, and drive away. Nothing to do with storage, but it also gets an interior/exterior cleaning and a wax just before storage and if it rains on the day a wipe down before the cover goes on. I've been doing this with this Miata since the fall of 2011 and there have been no problems and none with the previous Miata either.

Just sayin'

Brian

What kind of turbo is on it?
 
Do the solar panels trickle charges have any voltage regulation? That is what I would be after so it wouldn't overcharge the battery.
 
Battery tender shuts on and off, keeping it at the best charge. I would do it and have done it for my 2nd car I don't use much in the winter. If you are not comfortable leaving it on all the time put it on a timer to run lets say 4 hours a day.
 
I use battery tenders on everything as well. I was just thinking where OP was parking there may not be an outlet.

I've had great luck with this line. I've got some AGMs nearing 10 years old now.

720x_BM1510_BatteryMinder_12v_Charger_lg.jpg
 
not sure about leaving the car on the tires at the same exact spot for a few months...

Yeah, I've seen that too. The point of tire inflation to the maximum allowed by the maker is to reduce the footprint to address the issue. Again, doin' it for years no problem.

Brian
 
Curious as to the reasoning for putting in "top-grade fuel" for storage. You're putting in fuel stabilizer anyway, so what is a higher octane doing for you that regular octane fuel would not?
 
why all the hassle with battery tenders? Why not just park, unplug the battery terminals and when coming back re-attach and good to go? Lived in a 3rd. world country for many, many years and everyone did that.
 
why all the hassle with battery tenders? Why not just park, unplug the battery terminals and when coming back re-attach and good to go? Lived in a 3rd. world country for many, many years and everyone did that.

Maybe car batteries have lots of extra reserve to make this work but on AGM batteries in powersports equipment you will end up with a no start condition especially in the cold.
 
Curious as to the reasoning for putting in "top-grade fuel" for storage. You're putting in fuel stabilizer anyway, so what is a higher octane doing for you that regular octane fuel would not?

THe hope is that the increased detergents and higher octane will promote easier start after 6 months. Does it? I certainly can't be sure, but it does fire up immediately.

Brian
 
THe hope is that the increased detergents and higher octane will promote easier start after 6 months. Does it? I certainly can't be sure, but it does fire up immediately.

Brian

I don't think different grades of fuel of the same brand have different detergent levels. But the higher octane, which means it's harder to burn, could make a car that's been sitting for a long time actually more difficult to start. Lower octane burns easier and theoretically should be easier to start.
 
Maybe car batteries have lots of extra reserve to make this work but on AGM batteries in powersports equipment you will end up with a no start condition especially in the cold.

Good point. The country in question never saw temp dropping below 20 Celsius.
 
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