I'm going to be getting a battery tender for this year's winter storage. Can I just leave the battery in the car and hook the tender up to it? Also, do I have to disconnect the battery before connecting the tender. I'm new to this, thanks for your help...

 

I've used a battery tender on my Miata for several years. The tender comes with connections that you permanently attach to the battery. There is then a snap connector to plug and unplug the tender unit. Just plug it up as it sits in the car.

 

I've used the Battery Tender in the past for many, many years on motorcycles, Corvettes, Viper. No need to disconnect the battery but if it is possible, make sure the cells are topped off with distilled water at the beginning of the storage period. You can leave these things on for over 6 months (at least, maybe longer). With my motorcycles, I used to use this quick connect and plug it in every time I parked the bike, even if it was for only a week or two. The new Honda bikes with fuel injection says to do this if the bike is not used for more than 2 weeks at a time.