Got to work away for a three months so going to have tuck the car up in the garage for a while...Firstly I think the battery is in the boot on my 3.2 QS DSG-can anyone confirm this and should I disconnect it or leave it??? Needless to say it will be cleaned & polished to within an inch of its life & covered up etc etc but is there any other advise so I dont come back to any problems?-:icon_thumright:
Advice needed-got to store my car...
- Thread starter Wes G
- Start date
If you wash and clean the car don't store it straigth away, go for a good 10 mile spin in the dry to make sure any humidity is clear, then store it. Don't cover up straight away as well as you would trap moisture, let the car breathe a bit before "packing"... And in the 10 mile trip give it a good go to clear the exhaust pipes...
The battery should be disconnected but you might have to reset ECU computer when you reconnect, if you have someone who can give the batt a slight charge once a month you would not need to disconnet...
Pedro
The battery should be disconnected but you might have to reset ECU computer when you reconnect, if you have someone who can give the batt a slight charge once a month you would not need to disconnet...
Pedro
The battery is in the boot just in front of, and to the right of, the spare wheel and underneath a translucent plastic cover; details and picture in the handbook. As to removing it, I think 3 months is on the cusp. You should get away with leaving it connected, however, and then recharging it before trying to start the car upon your return. Any longer than 3 months and I think it would be advisable to remove the battery. The point is that whilst connected there is always a current being drawn from the battery, albeit extremely small.Wes G said:
Back in the days of carburettors and chromed wire wheels (60s !), it was usually advised to store a car on blocks to avoid getting flats in the (crossply) tyres. Also it was usually advised to drain the radiator to avoid corrosion building up in the water channels. I don't really think that is necessary for cars nowadays given the quality of modern materials and additives, and certainly not for just 3 months. You might find that your tyres are a bit lumpy for the first few miles after you return but they should sort themselves out once they've been warmed up and stressed a little?Wes G said:
P.S. The other thing to consider perhaps is varnish building up on the petrol injection jets from dried petrol. It might be worth putting some injector cleaning additive into your petrol before you try to start it again on your return?
also leave the battery connected as you might get ECU issues and Stereo issues if everything resets.
Can you not get anyone to start the car up every 2 weeks or so whilst you are away?
Can you not get anyone to start the car up every 2 weeks or so whilst you are away?
Thanx Dave but err...I think I`ll pass on that one, my younger brother also offered-he drives a saxo & strangely I declined that as well-he could`nt understand why???
Thanx guys all your advise is much appreciated:icon_thumright:
Thanx guys all your advise is much appreciated:icon_thumright:Wes G said:Thanx Dave but err...I think I`ll pass on that one, my younger brother also offered-he drives a saxo & strangely I declined that as well-he could`nt understand why???
Damn it! Thought I'd managed to bag myself an A3 for a sec!!
In all seriousness, isn't there anyone that you can trust to take it for a drive once a week?
As i work abroad my car spends 9 months of the year in the garage and ive had no issues with leaving the battery connected it always starts first time no probs. Also as Robin says leave the handbrake off and the car in gear if the battery is in the boot make sure you can get to it as if the battery goes dead you wont be able to open the tailgate.
Good one the tailgate one! Had never thought about that!... Is you car completely stopped for 9 months? You have a good battery then... I thought three months was the borderline...
Pedro
Pedro
No one I know locally can insure it to take it for a run,my girlfriend will pop over and run it up to temp every couple of weeks. I`ll leave it in neutral with the handbrake off & chock up a wheel (as its DSG)I think if it does go flat and was in park I would`nt be able to roll it out would I???my garage is secure & alarmed so will be ok-sounds like I should have no trouble with it going flat anyway-thanx Simon sounds like I`m just worrying about nothing
you should invest in one of those 12v trickle chargers. the wire is thin enough that you can run it in under the tailgate, while still being able to close and lock it.Wes G said:No one I know locally can insure it to take it for a run,my girlfriend will pop over and run it up to temp every couple of weeks. I`ll leave it in neutral with the handbrake off & chock up a wheel (as its DSG)I think if it does go flat and was in park I would`nt be able to roll it out would I???my garage is secure & alarmed so will be ok-sounds like I should have no trouble with it going flat anyway-thanx Simon sounds like I`m just worrying about nothing
I don't think you can start the engine in "neutral", only in "park", but I'm not completely sure; perhaps you should check that before you go away. As regards getting into the boot to charge the battery (electric lock), there are charging terminals specifically for that purpose under the bonnet on the right hand side of the firewall - no need to crawl into the boot.Wes G said:No one I know locally can insure it to take it for a run,my girlfriend will pop over and run it up to temp every couple of weeks. I`ll leave it in neutral with the handbrake off & chock up a wheel (as its DSG)I think if it does go flat and was in park I would`nt be able to roll it out would I???my garage is secure & alarmed so will be ok-sounds like I should have no trouble with it going flat anyway-thanx Simon sounds like I`m just worrying about nothing
Good tip about leaving the handbrake off - I forgot about that.
Buy a battery conditioner they are about £30, when I had my audi cab I used one for over the winter cos I used it only from april-sept, basically they imitate the every day use of the battery i:e it lets it drain a bit and then charges it does this in a cycle, they can also be used as a conventional charger too, when using it to keep the battery conditioned it just plugs in the fag lighter socket, with these you'll have no issues with the ecu or the stereo on your return:icon_thumright:
Thanx Will -not heard of one of those before-sounds like the easiest route to take-can I get one of these from my local wilco\halford or similar???:icon_thumright:
We'll probably get a flurry of contradictory posts, but just starting it up and leaving it ticking over once a fortnight is going to do way more harm than good.... especially for just 3 months.
There are components which only get up to temp when the engine is under load (i.e. being driven). Just ticking over will allow some components to get to temp, but not others - this causes moisture and condensation to accumulate.
3 months is nothing.... just make sure the handbrake is off, and chock the wheels. Anything else is unnecessary. Personally I'd not cover it either - it just helps trap moisture. The battery will be fine, providing it's fully charged before you go (i.e. make sure it has a decent run before you park it up).
The more critical precuation is how to start and drive it when you return.....
There are components which only get up to temp when the engine is under load (i.e. being driven). Just ticking over will allow some components to get to temp, but not others - this causes moisture and condensation to accumulate.
3 months is nothing.... just make sure the handbrake is off, and chock the wheels. Anything else is unnecessary. Personally I'd not cover it either - it just helps trap moisture. The battery will be fine, providing it's fully charged before you go (i.e. make sure it has a decent run before you park it up).
The more critical precuation is how to start and drive it when you return.....
Be extremely careful using a trickle charger with the battery connected..... there's some pretty complex electronics that won't take too kindly to it...
A3simon said:
Mine will be stored for a month at a time but because it has foreign plate no one is allowed to drive it but me!! lol! That is a bonus!
Pedro
Stop worrying about the battery and buy an Optimate3 Battery Charger, excellent product which I have used on motorbikes for years, cost about £35 from good bike shops or possibly Halfords. Gauranteed to keep the battery charged, just plugs into the cigar lighter ot attach to the battery terminals. Most veteran car owners use them for extended storage. www.accumate.com or EBay
You can start the DSG in neutral. You can not remove the keys though. The 3.2 V6 battery is not a convential battery, please check before using various charges on it.
You'll end up causing some very expensive damage if you put the wrong battery charger on. Not worth the risk IMO. 3 months is nothing... you don't need to charge it.
I used a battery conditioner for the last three winters while the audi cabs been off the road with no probs, certainly better than risking it going flat and havin ecu & stereo issues from a flat battery.
