Storing Car for 4 weeks?

2SS Capt · 10-24-2020, 12:20 AM

So I am heading out of town for 4 weeks, car is freshly washed in the garage with the car cover on... Is there anything I should do before leaving it undriven/started for about 4 weeks? I leave Sunday and thought about a battery tender previously but thought 4 weeks probably wasn't that unreasonable (a lot of people store Camaros for 5-6 months due to weather)...

Thoughts? (Car is 9 months old with 2,700 miles, so battery is pretty fresh)

UnknownJinX · 10-24-2020, 12:31 AM

I wouldn't worry too much about it.

If you really want, you could attach a battery tender to it and leave not much gas in the tank(4 weeks is right before when the gas will start breaking down). Otherwise, I would just leave it without any worries.

2SS Capt · 10-24-2020, 01:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by UnknownJinX

I wouldn't worry too much about it.

If you really want, you could attach a battery tender to it and leave not much gas in the tank(4 weeks is right before when the gas will start breaking down). Otherwise, I would just leave it without any worries.

Sounds good, I'm at about 3/8 tank of 91 octane... I'll likely drive it the day after I get back (as long as the weather is good (it's San Diego, 98% chance the weather will be fine))... I'll run that gas low and then fill it up with a fresh tank...

redcoats1976 · 10-24-2020, 01:35 AM

just put the keys where your teenage son wont find them...

MackSteelPrivateEye · 10-24-2020, 01:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2SS Capt

So I am heading out of town for 4 weeks, car is freshly washed in the garage with the car cover on... Is there anything I should do before leaving it undriven/started for about 4 weeks? I leave Sunday and thought about a battery tender previously but thought 4 weeks probably wasn't that unreasonable (a lot of people store Camaros for 5-6 months due to weather)...

Thoughts? (Car is 9 months old with 2,700 miles, so battery is pretty fresh)

No.

Memphis SS · 10-24-2020, 07:12 AM

I would put a battery tender on it for that extended amount of time. It might start but your car has a normal system draw that’s going to really bring down the charge on the battery.

Also it wouldn’t hurt to add some stabil to the fuel before you go.

Mine is a weekend toy and I do both and have for years...

Mark114 · 10-24-2020, 09:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2SS Capt

So I am heading out of town for 4 weeks, car is freshly washed in the garage with the car cover on... Is there anything I should do before leaving it undriven/started for about 4 weeks? I leave Sunday and thought about a battery tender previously but thought 4 weeks probably wasn't that unreasonable (a lot of people store Camaros for 5-6 months due to weather)...

Thoughts? (Car is 9 months old with 2,700 miles, so battery is pretty fresh)

You can put the car in “transport mode” to reduce battery drain while it sits for long periods:

https://www.camaro6.com/forums/showthread.php?t=454614

Mine never had a problem sitting undriven for months when it was newer but not everyone has that experience. I keep it on a tender now when it sits for long periods. A battery tender is cheap insurance. If you don’t put it on a battery maintainer then I would have a backup plan in case the battery is too low to start it when you get back.

m3bs · 10-24-2020, 09:30 AM

Battery tender for sure. Batteries have gotten too expensive to replace them prematurely. Anybody else remember when they were $29? I make sure everything in my fleet gets driven at least weekly or put on the BT.

COKen · 10-24-2020, 09:43 AM

You may want to think about rodent mitigation if that is an issue where you live.

2SS Capt · 10-24-2020, 05:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark114

You can put the car in “transport mode” to reduce battery drain while it sits for long periods:

https://www.camaro6.com/forums/showthread.php?t=454614

Mine never had a problem sitting undriven for months when it was newer but not everyone has that experience. I keep it on a tender now when it sits for long periods. A battery tender is cheap insurance. If you don’t put it on a battery maintainer then I would have a backup plan in case the battery is too low to start it when you get back.

Thanks!

I just put it in Transport Mode! (took 2 times, forgot the 4 way hazards the first time).

az4783054 · 10-24-2020, 05:33 PM

A Battery Tender Plus is so inexpensive. It'll charge at only 1.25amp which will never overheat your expensive battery. I've still got two of the older versions that I bought 10-15 years ago. I've used them on my show tri five chevy cars, then my C5, C6 and C7 Corvettes and now my ZL1. My cars hibernate for about 6 months of winter and never have a dead battery in the spring.

https://www.batterytender.com/Battery-TenderR-Plus

I keep my 2020 ZL1 on my lift and plug in the Battery Tender Plus as soon as I get home.

2SS Capt · 10-24-2020, 07:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by az4783054

A Battery Tender Plus is so inexpensive. It'll charge at only 1.25amp which will never overheat your expensive battery. I've still got two of the older versions that I bought 10-15 years ago. I've used them on my show tri five chevy cars, then my C5, C6 and C7 Corvettes and now my ZL1. My cars hibernate for about 6 months of winter and never have a dead battery in the spring.

https://www.batterytender.com/Battery-TenderR-Plus

I keep my 2020 ZL1 on my lift and plug in the Battery Tender Plus as soon as I get home.

Nice, I may pick one up at a later date, this will likely be the longest this car ever sits without being driven. Living in San Diego we don't need Winter storage so we can drive all year long... Just heading off to 4 weeks of training so she is going to need to sit in the garage that long with the car cover on...

arpad_m · 10-24-2020, 09:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2SS Capt

Nice, I may pick one up at a later date, this will likely be the longest this car ever sits without being driven. Living in San Diego we don't need Winter storage so we can drive all year long... Just heading off to 4 weeks of training so she is going to need to sit in the garage that long with the car cover on...

Nothing will go wrong in just 4 weeks, your car and your battery is almost new still. If you have soft ultra high perf summer tires and are concerned with flatspotting, you might want to overinflate the tires by an extra 5-8 psi. (Don't forget to air them back down afterwards

)

The battery tender is a good idea nevertheless, I use one for the winter months and the car starts up like it's new when I unwrap it.

Racerman27410 · 10-24-2020, 09:31 PM

Personally i would put it on a battery tender... there are so many modules/computers in this car they will drain a battery for sure.... maybe even in transport mode over the period of a month..... but if you don't use a tender then at least leave your hood unlatched so you can hook up a battery charger easily to the under-hood posts when you get back. The doors don't open easily when the glass doesn't go down (DAMHIK)

10-24-2020, 12:20 AM	#1
2SS Capt 2020 Shadow Gray 2SS Drives: 2020 2SS - A10, NPP, MRC, CAI Join Date: Dec 2019 Location: SoCal Posts: 3,021	Storing Car for 4 weeks? So I am heading out of town for 4 weeks, car is freshly washed in the garage with the car cover on... Is there anything I should do before leaving it undriven/started for about 4 weeks? I leave Sunday and thought about a battery tender previously but thought 4 weeks probably wasn't that unreasonable (a lot of people store Camaros for 5-6 months due to weather)... Thoughts? (Car is 9 months old with 2,700 miles, so battery is pretty fresh) __________________ 2020 SGM 2SS - A10, NPP, MRC, Red Calipers, Black Camaro Fender Badge, Footwell Lighting *Added after delivery:* - GMP CAI, GMP Black Strut Tower Brace, MRR017 1LE Wheels, SS Armrest, Black Fuel Door, Stainless Sport Pedals, SS Wheel Caps, Black Lugs/Locks, GM Splash Guards, DD Smoked LED Markers, Smoked Rear Reflectors, Mishimoto Catch Can, Xpel PPF - Full Front, SunTek 35% Tint, CeramicPro coating, RST Stainless Brake Lines, Castrol SRF, MSD Super Conductor Wires *Left: My "fun" ride. Right: My "work" ride: a Gulfstream G600. One's top speed is 180 Mph, the other, 620 Mph...*

10-24-2020, 12:31 AM	#2
UnknownJinX Drives: 19 Chevrolet Camaro 2SS 1LE Shock Join Date: Apr 2020 Location: BC, Canada Posts: 1,947	I wouldn't worry too much about it. If you really want, you could attach a battery tender to it and leave not much gas in the tank(4 weeks is right before when the gas will start breaking down). Otherwise, I would just leave it without any worries. __________________ Current: 2019 Chevrolet Camaro 2SS 1LE M6 Shock GM Performance Intake and that's it, because driver mods before car mods Past: 2009 Mazda RX-8 GT M6 Velocity Red Mica (Sold) 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z51 2LT M7 Velocity Yellow Tintcoat (Flood totaled)

10-24-2020, 07:12 AM	#6
Memphis SS Drives: 2017 SS A8 Hyper Blue/White Stripes Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Arlington, TN. Posts: 1,874	I would put a battery tender on it for that extended amount of time. It might start but your car has a normal system draw that’s going to really bring down the charge on the battery. Also it wouldn’t hurt to add some stabil to the fuel before you go. Mine is a weekend toy and I do both and have for years... __________________ *2017 Camaro 2SS Hyper Blue* *2011 Camaro 2SS* *2004 Corvette CE SOLD*

10-24-2020, 05:33 PM	#11
az4783054 Drives: SWXXZL1 Join Date: Jul 2020 Location: the corrupt purple state of az Posts: 150	A Battery Tender Plus is so inexpensive. It'll charge at only 1.25amp which will never overheat your expensive battery. I've still got two of the older versions that I bought 10-15 years ago. I've used them on my show tri five chevy cars, then my C5, C6 and C7 Corvettes and now my ZL1. My cars hibernate for about 6 months of winter and never have a dead battery in the spring. https://www.batterytender.com/Battery-TenderR-Plus I keep my 2020 ZL1 on my lift and plug in the Battery Tender Plus as soon as I get home. __________________ "Joe" does a hilarious impression of a slinky toy on stairs.

10-24-2020, 01:35 AM	#4
redcoats1976 Drives: LT W/2LT,blue metallic Join Date: Jul 2016 Location: central florida Posts: 4,915	just put the keys where your teenage son wont find them...

10-24-2020, 09:30 AM	#8
m3bs Drives: '19 ZLE, S54 E36M3 Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: North Augusta, SC Posts: 227	Battery tender for sure. Batteries have gotten too expensive to replace them prematurely. Anybody else remember when they were $29? I make sure everything in my fleet gets driven at least weekly or put on the BT.

10-24-2020, 09:43 AM	#9
COKen Drives: '21 Camao SS, BMW 435i, M Roadster Join Date: Oct 2020 Location: Colorado Posts: 63	You may want to think about rodent mitigation if that is an issue where you live.

10-24-2020, 09:31 PM	#14
Racerman27410 Drives: 2016 SS 2SS Join Date: Dec 2016 Location: Greensboro NC Posts: 268	Personally i would put it on a battery tender... there are so many modules/computers in this car they will drain a battery for sure.... maybe even in transport mode over the period of a month..... but if you don't use a tender then at least leave your hood unlatched so you can hook up a battery charger easily to the under-hood posts when you get back. The doors don't open easily when the glass doesn't go down (DAMHIK)

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