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How to look after a car battery if it is in storage for weeks or months

In times like these when many of us are in quarantine and cities are in lock-down, you would think that our vehicles are naturally not on top of our minds. CTEK, a leading global brand in the care and maintenance of vehicle batteries, is however reporting an unprecidented number of enquires from people all over the world, asking for advice on how best to look after their battery when their vehicle is parked up for a long period of time.

Tony Zeal, Global Training Manager at CTEK said “We have taken so many questions from people wanting to make sure that they protect against a flat battery – a hassle they could do without – so that when they are able to use their vehicle again the battery is charged and the vehicle is ready to go.”

Tony shares information and tips on what you need to consider and how best to look after your vehicle battery when your vehicle is parked up and not being used.

• A CTEK study has identified that as many as 51% of vehicles on the road today has a battery that requires attention – by that we mean it needs charging or replacing
• Modern vehicles have lots of on-board computers and security systems such as alarms, immobilisers and trackers which means the battery can quickly become flat – by simply sitting on a shelf, a standard 12 V lead-acid battery will be unable to start a battery after just 6 months*, so imagine how much more quickly this will happen with all of those additional vehicle electronics!
• Reports from airport carparks indicate that the number of people returning to their vehicle after a one or two week vacation, to find a flat battery has increased. This situation would significantly worsen if vehicles were left for months rather than weeks
• Proactive battery care is needed, so that when you want to use your vehicle, the battery is charged and ready to go – and you won’t need to risk jump-starting the vehicle, something that can damage sensitive vehicle electronics.
• If your vehicle is parked next to a power supply, connect a smart battery charger such as the CTEK MXS 5.0 to your battery for peace of mind charging.
• If you are unable to attach a charger permanently, try to charge your vehicle battery once a month – if you are still using your vehicle for essential journeys consider sitting with the engine running for a little while before driving it to deliver additional charge to the battery.
CTEK chargers can be attached to the vehicle for long periods of time, so it’s perfect for long-term maintenance of vehicle batteries, where the vehicle will be parked up in long-term storage. Regularly using a smart battery charger will extend battery life and maximize battery performance.

Please Note* If a standard lead-acid vehicle battery was sat out of a vehicle it would lose around 0.1V per month – so for example if the vehicle was parked in March, battery health would start to decline from June, and by September you may be unable to start a vehicle.

Published by CTEK