Hey guys, in April I will be traveling to my country for some family emergency, and will be gone for a month. My 2006 Acura TL will be sitting outside the entire time and will not be started.

Is it okay to leave it like this for that length of time?

I was planning to purchase those car covers. However, before I leave I was going to do full wash and wax on her, oil change, and a transmission flush. I also have a 2004 Honda Pilot that I would be doing the same, but it'll be parked in the garage. I read that my battery will be drained due to its inactively. What else would happen?

 

Why not put the TL in the garage?...

 

if you actually disconnect the battery (alarm be pointless with it dead anyways); it will more then likely stay charged for the entire month; hook it back up, and the car should crank right away; and make sure to get the radio/navi codes to unlock them afterwards; on the pilot also)


as far as really doing anything else, not much really other then put a fuel stabilizer, but even then that is not necessary considering it in a month
but i would say maybe when you get back make sure to fill up (for fresh gas), and like toss in a can of BG 44k to help clean up anything that does appear (not likely) in the short time frame

 

Honestly, a month isn't a whole lot of time. I'd do the oil change after you get back, just disconnect the battery, some Sta-Bil in the gas tank and you should be fine.

 

Thank you, I'll do that

 

+1.

 

You'll be fine, just leave it the way it is. It's going to get dirty anyway.

The most I would be worried about is temporarily flat spotting the tires, and that really shouldn't be of great concern.

 

Put the tl in the garage

 

and another thing OP, i would also say pump the tires up to the maximum side wall pressure on the side of the tire (so it can "deflate" a little over that month to minimize the temporary flat-spotting possibility) then when you get back, set them back to the correct preesures

 

Not the "maximum" IMO, but yeah probably higher. It'll be getting warmer while he's gone, so the last thing you want is for the air inside the tire to expand and cause bubbling.

 

true; so probably instead of 50 psi (assuming what they are rated for... )

i would say something like 45 then

 

A month is no problem, so fill the tank and just leave it the way it is. Disconnecting the bat is not good as the codes and then drivabilty will need to be reset. As out TL isn't driven in the winter it sits for months in a garage and no problems and same for our modified RX7 Turbo. The TL is in a garage at the house, so it is warmer than the environment, but the Mazda is housed in a garage 100 ft from the house, not heated and no problems.
In April you should have no problems as long as the battery is good.

 

Like everyone has said, its doubtful that a month will be a problem. Flat spotting is probably the only issue you may have, so pump up your tires before you leave. Also if you have rats in your area i would suggest leaving mouse traps with peanut butter on it around your car. The reason for this is because it is a common issue where rats chew up the wires on a tl causing a ton of issues. If your car is sitting for a month it could become home to rats unless you have some sort of deterrent to keep them away.

What do others think about this?

 

I just had this problem. I went to Ireland for 2.5 weeks in January and came back with no problems. Home for a week n a half and back to Ireland for another 2 weeks. When I got back after the second trip, my battery had died. It's been cold in Atl during the nights, so that may have drained my battery. I had to enter the radio code which luckily was with the manual in the glove box.

 

Mine sits from Nov till April , I use stabilizer in the gas which for a month shouldn't be an issue. As for flat spotting that depends on the tires, after 5 months mine don't even do it and I don't pump them to a higher pressure. Even if they did it lasts a mile.

The concern is the battery which will prolly have the on board electronic drain down. If your parking outside but close to the house I'd suggest hooking up a Battery tender to it. The Tender unline a trickle charger only feeds the battery what it needs and won't boil it dry like some trickle chargers will. I have used one for 3 winters now and the TL starts right up in April.

The Tenders are about $30.

 

I agree-

 

I really wouldn't do anything to it. Just throw on a car cover or leave it in a garage.

 

Just started mine today .. its been in the unheated garage under vover since the end of Oct. And not started since. The Battery tender did its job as usual.

 

battery tender if you are worried

 

you can also get a small solar panel and leave it on ur dash and hook it up to the battery.

 

one issue though, he wants to put a car cover on, so can't really just put it on the dash

maybe you could mount it to the cover or something, but then issue becomes with how to attach it to the cover and not scratch the paint under it (a towel underneath might do, for any bolts or what not), but then how do you keep it from shifting around from the wind and such, or somebody screwing around with it?

 

My dad did the same with his Vette yesterday. Those Battery Tenders are a neat thing.

 

A month is nothing......

 

Should be fine. I used to have to leave my TL for 4-5 months at a time. Just disconnect the battery. Would always start right up when I got back.

 

yea disconnect the battery and you are all good to go. Where is your country if you don't mind me asking?

 

Thanks for your suggestions. I'm just going to disconnect the battery. When I purchased my TL the salesperson almost forgot to give me the radio code phew.

 

I don't mind at all. I'm going to Vietnam. Yay! 17hours plane ride

 

remove all valuables, police radar detector, iPod, money, juss in case...

 

Yea, dont do what i did and leave it sitting for 6 weeks. I jumped it yesterday and this morning it wont start again. Im going to have to take it to Sears since its still under warranty.

 

How long/far did you run it after you started it?

 

Considering where you live, if you decide to fill the gas tank, consider purchasing a locking gas cap. With gas prices going up, gas theft is also rising.

 

About 8 minutes, rode around neighborhood and came back to park car.

 

oh I was asking because I have some friends in Kitchener and they say there is A LOT of Serbian people there so I thought you might be Serbian.
Yea I know all about long flights, been to australia and back, but missed my plane so had to go through chicago. Adelaide-Sydney, Sydney-LA, LA-Chicago, Chicago-Edmonton. Close to 22 hours of flight, plus waiting 2-3 hours at every stop, 30+ hours haha

 

My mom passed away in Sept of last year and I stored her car since the first of Oct in an underground parking garage ( minimal heat ). All I did was disconnect the negative cable. Today I went there with the idea I'll pull the battery and charge it.

Well I hooked up the cable and it started right away. No struggle at all. Car was stored with fuel stabilizer in it.

1998 Cavalier . 38,000 miles on it and battery was changed in Aug.

 

Yeah there are a lot of Serbians in Kitchener. My previous high school had many Serbians.

 

one thing that no one mentioned yet. leave your car on jack stands to prevent flat spotting of the tires, instead of increasing tire pressure like everyone else has said.

 

There is no need to worry about ANYTHING! My cars have always sat from Nov to April and all i do is fill the tank to full and put a battery tender on it. I have never had a problem or flat spots.

 

Yeah, don't worry about anything. Anyone telling you to mess with the tires, put in fuel stabilizer, and even disconnect the battery is being excessive. It will be fine for a month. Don't worry about changing the oil and tranny fluid unless you're due for a change. It will be fine. If you do ANY of those things, just disconnect the battery, but it's not a must. I wouldn't leave it sitting on an empty tank though. You'll be fine!

To those of you who said he should put it in a garage: I'm sure if he had the option that's what he would do and wouldn't have asked.

Thanks for your contribution though...
/sarcasm

 

^He said he has a 2004 Honda Pilot parked in his garage.

 

garage comments, i've assumed most men leave their cars outside so their WIFE'S can be inside and warm when they get in it.

to the OP, disconnect your battery, but bring it inside. since you are in canada. its the cold that will kill a battery, and will suck all the charge out. put it in your garage and you'll have zero issues