Not driving your car

ucsd_ucla_dad
Wed, 03 Nov 2010 17:20:22 +0000

Car lead-acid batteries don’t do well when left for an extended time without being charged. Even for the normal car battery, it’s recommended to attach a trickle charger if it’s going to not be run for an extended time (more than 3-4 weeks). These trickle chargers are inexpensive and readily available and take only a minute to hook up.

The engine should do fine for several months. Some people like to take the load off of the tires/bearings by jacking the car up somewhat but I doubt that it would be an issue for just a few months. If you’re really looking at more like 6 months to a year then it’s a good idea.

For the Prius - I recommend you contact the dealer and ask the service personnel (hopefully a mechanic - not the ‘service advisor’) what should be done specially for the Prius’ battery pack and the vehicle in general. The battery pack is an expensive thing to replace if leaving it unused will diminish the lifetime of it.