01-17-2021, 12:03 PM | #1 |
How long before I need a trickle charger?
So I searched our forum and most of the discussion about trickle chargers was about how to hook them up and which one to buy.
Here is my situation (thread title)...my ZL1 is a weekend car and DOES NOT get stored for the winter because I live in Scottsdale Arizona. My "plan" is to at a minimum drive it at least every 2-3 weeks to keep fluids/fuel moving, etc. However, my question is "literally" how long can these cars sit (in-active) before you need to hook up a trickle charger. My thought would be 3-4 weeks so as long as I can execute my plan of driving it every 2-3 weeks I should not need a trickle charger...CORRECT???
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2018 ZLE - M6, Nightfall Gray
GM previously owned: 2014 SS M6 2014 ZL1 M6 2019 ZL1 M6 2016 Z06 M6 |
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01-17-2021, 12:17 PM | #2 |
Drives: 997 GTS, ZL1 A10, ZLEM6, ZLEA10 Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: NYC/NJ
Posts: 629
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That’s what I do over the winter and not had any issues
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01-17-2021, 12:26 PM | #3 |
Drives: SWXXZL1 Join Date: Jul 2020
Location: the corrupt purple state of az
Posts: 150
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There are so many computers on these cars and all draw down minute amounts of power. I lived in the valley of the damned all my life before moving north. My cars always went onto a DELTRAN Battery Tender Plus regardless of season or anticipated next drive. Batteries last a lot longer when they're always fully charged. Once they start to discharge, expect a shortened life. I've had OPTIMA batteries last ten years using a Battery Tender Plus.
I found this site https://www.themechanicdoctor.com/ho...ry-sit-unused/ which might give you some reference. The DELTRAN site used to have an FAQ section but it's not active. https://www.batterytender.com/ If you don't want to use a device, you can simply disconnect the negative side of the battery.
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01-17-2021, 12:32 PM | #4 |
Drives: 2019 Chevy Camaro ZL1 M6 Join Date: Jul 2019
Location: Sea level
Posts: 1,252
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All of my cars that sit on a tender have had about 9-10 year battery life. My daily drivers that do not sit on tenders typically last 5-7 years.
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01-17-2021, 12:32 PM | #5 |
Drives: Buick Grand National, BMW M5 Join Date: Nov 2019
Location: Suffolk County NY
Posts: 175
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+1 for the battery tender plus.
I used it on my BMW M5 when not used and the battery lasted me 10 years. When I traded in the car for my ZL1 battery was still like new. Anyone who knows how BMW batteries are that is a $500 cost at any dealership because the car needs to be coded for a new battery. |
01-17-2021, 12:34 PM | #6 |
Drives: 2019 ZL-1, Shadow Gray, Sold Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: Fredericksburg, VA
Posts: 1,390
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Mine is not a daily driver and when it is not being used it is on a trickle charger.
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01-17-2021, 12:45 PM | #7 | |
Drives: Canadian 2019 BLACK ZL1 Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: Bourges (France)
Posts: 412
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Quote:
Note a good idea to disconnect the battery cause there are often default codes after... I use optima tender 🙂 but the battery really don’t like cold weather... |
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01-17-2021, 01:48 PM | #8 |
Drives: 2020 1SS 1le Join Date: Apr 2019
Location: SO CAL
Posts: 440
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01-17-2021, 01:56 PM | #9 |
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Drives: 2017 ZL1, 2021 Corvette Convertible Join Date: Jul 2011
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My zl1 is over four years old with the original battery. I’ve gone up to five weeks between starts in the winter without any problems starting the car. I’m in Florida until April so I did put the battery on a trickle charger before I left. I firgured between the age of the battery and length of time I’ll be gone, at trickle charger would be a worthwhile investment.
This is the one I bought. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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01-17-2021, 02:02 PM | #10 |
Drives: 2019 ZL1 Riverside Join Date: Apr 2020
Location: Charlotte, NC
Posts: 1,138
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Best auto trickle charger on the market hands down, and I've tried them all https://www.amazon.com/OptiMATE-Ampm...XCE/ref=sr_1_2 Battery tenders have failed me many times and aren't nearly as sophisticated
These cars are notorious for killing batteries and juice required to crank over a 6.2L is significant. If you take shorter trips or the car sits for several days yes you need one. I literally keep mine in the trunk and never remove it, all I have to do its plug it back in after a drive |
01-17-2021, 03:07 PM | #11 |
Drives: 2020 LT1 Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: MD
Posts: 93
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Unless you are storing for several months I would just put it in transport mode.
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01-17-2021, 04:40 PM | #12 |
Drives: 2018 Camaro 1SS 1LE Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: Front Range, CO
Posts: 1,837
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After 2 yrs, 3 months from the car was delivered to the dealer my battery was about half-charged. I drive it at least 2x/week, and at least one 30+ min trip/week
The dealer charged and tested it, told me it passed their load test. Do I need a charger or is the battery getting worn out? It seems most get 2-3 years out of an OEM battery and the Optima replacement for $300 says to expect 4 years. This seems like a very short battery life!
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01-17-2021, 05:02 PM | #13 | |
Drives: 2018 Camaro 2SS A8 Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: East Tennessee
Posts: 11,494
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Quote:
I only ever hook up the trickle charger for the 3-month winter hibernation.
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01-17-2021, 05:22 PM | #14 |
Drives: 2018 Camaro ZL1 Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: Georgia
Posts: 1,359
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My car sits 2 to 3 weeks at a time and it's been fine with no trickle charger. But when I do drive, it's for a minimum of 3 days before it sits again.
I've been doing this for over a year now. |
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