Battery Dead-Winter is coming options
 

So I haven't driven my S in a while (it wasn't on a trickle charger) and put the Schumacher battery charger on it to get it out of the garage and washed. It got to 100% but still no juice so I took it to Advanced and they did a load test and it said the cracking amps were too low and recommended replacing it.

I didn't realize the battery was so old. The date code is from 2011 so not bad for a cheap Walmart Everstart battery.

Anyway...reason for my post is I need to get a new battery and I'll probably be getting one tomorrow so I can enjoy the car for the Fall before I put it away again for the winter. This will be a brand new battery and I want it to last, so this time around should I just hook a trickle charger to it and let it sit all winter maintaining the battery? It has a built in maintenance mode so it won't overcharge it etc. Or should I just disconnect the negative and hook it back up in the spring?

If you know you won't be running it for extended period of time and you dont need to move it, disconnect the battery.

My preferred way is to charge it and remove it from the vehicle, and store it indoors over winter, like in a basement or cold room. If your storage area drops below freezing in winter the battery is at risk of freezing too which can kill the battery. If your storage area doesn't get below freezing then leave it in the vehicle and keep it charged.

:iagree:

Cheap no-name batterys today only last 8 years, if.

Yeah...my garage can get very cold in the winters as it has no insulation. The basement does get cold as well as it is unfinished but probably not as cold as the garage would get so maybe put the battery in the basement and wrap it in a blanket after fully charging it.

Thanks for the tips everyone. Just want to get the most life out of this new battery but 8 years with the last one isn't bad. I've gone through 4 with my Acura over the years but turns out the hands free link continued to use power even with the car off and that slowly drained the battery and there is now a class action lawsuit against Acura because of it.

On my way to pick up the new battery now.

Bruv, don't wrap your battery in a blanket. Its not going to do anything except add a fire risk.

As long as your basement doesn't get RIDICULOUSLY cold (way, way below freezing), then you'll be fine.

Remember...lots of cars sit outside all winter and the battery doesn't freeze.

I leave mine on a battery tender junior (cost $25 on Amazon) when in storage for months.

As far as batteries go...I haven't found a much better deal than the 51R at Costco.

Yeah the battery wont freeze as long as it's charged.
Use the trickle charger a couple of times during the winter just to make sure it wont discharge low enough to lower the life span.
If it's disconnected it should hold the charge for many months without any problems but you never know.

I use a battery tender from Costco. Attached leads with connector onto the battery. I just hook up the connector and lower the unit with power cord down through the engine compartment to the ground. I reach under for the power cord and plug it in. You can shut the hood just fine. I leave a reminder on the seat to keep me from forgetting to disconnect and drive away with it.

I use the CTEK MUS 4.3 TEST&CHARGE https://smartercharger.com/collectio...est-and-charge

a battery can freeze in winter temps if voltage drops under 12 volts, if the battery is fully charged and above 12 volts it is completely safe, so a battery tender is good protection.