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| 01-24-2015, 04:14 PM | #1 |
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First Lieutenant
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Deployment advice
Like the title says, I'm getting ready for deployment for 9 months so I was wondering if anyone had any advice about having my car stored.
If anyone has been in a similar situation where they had to leave their car for a long time what are your recommendations? I've recently changed the oil. Only has about 500 miles on the oil. The car will be in my garage. My wife will be home but she does not know how to drive stick plus the car sits pretty low, I don't think she has the skill to drive a car at that height. I am more concerned about how can i keep the battery healthy when I get back and anything else I can do. Appreciate any and all positive input  |
| 01-24-2015, 05:19 PM | #2 |
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1Addict
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Coils or static? Teach the Mrs. how to drive stick. She'll either love you or hate you for it.
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| 01-24-2015, 05:37 PM | #4 |
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Battery tender
Bought CTEK on amazon for 59 bucks I sometimes don't drive my car for 2-3 weeks at a time Still have the original battery ('08) My mom would unplug her 335i convertible all summer and leave it in garage in FL I think she still has original battery |
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| 01-24-2015, 05:44 PM | #5 |
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1st time I deployed we lived in an apartment. My car was kept under the covered parking for the first 7 months I was gone. The wife doesn't know how to drive a manual but I showed her how to start it, while leaving it in neutral and started it once a month for a few minutes. Then I came home for a month, bought a house and had a garage for it to stay in for the last ~4 months I was gone.
But since the last half of that deployment and the 2nd deployment (~3 months) this is what I've done and will do. Disconnect the battery terminals, completely wrap them (terminals and battery terminals) in electrical tape, fold down the rear seats (I do just because) and not closing the trunk completely! Then when I get home I reconnect everything and then drive the car for about 20-30 minutes to "stretch its legs". The car is good to go. It even sits from time to time for 2-3 weeks and it starts up fine every time. You should have no issues as long as your car is driven and I mean as a DD or driven 30+ miles a day. That the charging system and battery has the ability to be used and recharged. |
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| 01-24-2015, 06:01 PM | #6 |
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When I first came to live in Germany... I wasn't sure how long I would be gone. When I did to my(then) Porsche 944 Turbo was over inflate the tires, fill the gas tank and then once parked disconnect the neg battery post. I ended up being one for a year. When I returned the car fired right up! The car was totally covered in dust in my apt's garage... but it cleaned up fine.
IF I were you... I would just do the same. Maybe order a CTEK battery tender IF you don't want to disconnect the battery. FOLD DOWN the rear seats before you mess with the battery. So many have shut the trunk on a disconnected battery. You might also want to get a indoor car cover too and maybe some fuel stabilizer. Your car will be fine, though. Have a safe deployment brother. :thumbsup Dackel
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| 01-24-2015, 06:04 PM | #7 | |
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Thanks for the advice guys, it was exactly what i needed.
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| 01-24-2015, 07:21 PM | #8 |
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Oh yea I forgot about the fuel stabilizer. Thats always good to have and another thing too, open the door to the car (so the window opens a little bit) and maybe pop the hood too. Those 2 things help out too and since its going to be inside your garage, why not do it?
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| 01-25-2015, 12:46 AM | #9 |
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You could also get one of those crystal packs that absorb water. Put it inside the car so the humidity doesn't get too high.
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| 01-25-2015, 01:10 AM | #10 |
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High marks for the CTEK 4.3a charger in my book. Use it on all my cars when not in use.
Clean the car before you leave. Fill the fuel so that if any water gets in, it's diluted. If you're worried about the tires sitting, take them off the car and under-inflate a bit. |
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| 01-25-2015, 09:03 AM | #11 |
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You don't have a friend who can drive it around every couple of weeks? My friend is currently deployed and every two weeks I drive her jeep around to keep it running and prevent flat spots. If you are going to leave it sitting, I'd put it on jack stands to prevent the tires from getting flat spots. Letting your tires sit for months isn't good.
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| 01-25-2015, 10:28 AM | #12 |
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Disconnect the battery.
Keep your head down and do your job. Come back in one piece. Airborne.
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| 01-25-2015, 10:45 AM | #13 | |
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Most importantly thank you for your service!
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| 01-25-2015, 11:13 AM | #14 | |
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ill take care of it for a while  haha
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| 01-25-2015, 11:22 AM | #15 |
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I'm deployed now.
Before I left, I got an oil change and gave the car a very thorough wash. I added fuel stabilizer and filled the tank. I parked it in my garage, and hooked up a battery tender. I also covered the car. I wasn't worried about flat-spotting my tires, because I'm overdue for a fresh set, and will replace them within a few weeks of getting back. If they were new tires I probably would have put the car on jack-stands.
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