Three Week Vacation - Battery Tender?

[oneknightr]

We're going on a three week vacation soon. Should I hook the battery up to a tender to keep it charged or do you think it will be ok if it's left undriven?

The car used to be a daily driver, but since COVID, we're all working from home, so I drive it every weekend to keep the battery charged. Wondering if it'll be ok if not driven for three weeks.

[swagon]

If the tender is the right type for Li-ion batteries, then you will do no harm, but my F80 always starts right up after more than four weeks with no charging whatsoever.

[G35POPPEDMYCHERRY]

1 month no problem

[aliiin]

What would be the threshold time for using a battery tender?

[G35POPPEDMYCHERRY]

ive honestly gone 6 weeks and it didn't even hesitate to start...

i just keep it on tender when im storing for 2 months plus. so somewhere over a month. Most def 2 months

[Truvett]

Also depends on weather honestly. Storing for month in a cold climate is different than a warm one even in a garage.

[Darth One]

Are you asking if you should buy a battery tender for a car that will sit for three weeks, when it ordinarily gets driven weekly? If so, no. It will be fine unless your battery already shows signs of having problems

If you already have the tender, then by all means hook it up!

[White340XDriveInCt]

Originally Posted by swagon

If the tender is the right type for Li-ion batteries, then you will do no harm, but my F80 always starts right up after more than four weeks with no charging whatsoever.

I just bought the Lith Ion charger for mine but have yet to hook it up, even during these recent cold snaps, because it always fires right up no worries. I had one stretch of about 12 days with no activity at all and the car sat in some crazy lows for those days and was a quick-firing beast as soon as I started her back up. Just had to add psi to the tires

[D_SheerDrivingPleasure]

Stop boring us about batteries and tell us more about this 3 week vacation please.

[M5D]

My car is always on a tender and my original battery after 6 years is still at 80 %! Put it on a trickle charge!

[SD ///M4]

My 2016 M4 sat for 3 weeks in 2018 when we did a 3 week Euro Delivery trip for my wife's M3, no problems. So you probably won't need it but if you do buy a charger, a regular Battery Tender will not cut it. The CTEK Lithium US charger is the one to buy because it's designed for the LiFePo batteries in our M3/M4. They are the OEM for the BMW Lithium Charger.

My CTEK resurrected my battery when I thought it was dead. There's a thread about this if you search.

[oneknightr]

Thanks everyone for your input and saving me some worrying while I'm on vacation! Additional thanks regarding the info on how regular battery tenders won't work on the M4. I honestly did not know that.

Originally Posted by D_SheerDrivingPleasure

Stop boring us about batteries and tell us more about this 3 week vacation please.

LOL We had a transatlantic Disney cruise with a week in Italy afterwards booked for 2020 for our 15-year anniversary. Well, as you all know, COVID hit and the cruise was cancelled. We rebooked for 2021 and Disney cancelled it again. Now we're booked for a Disney Panama Canal Cruise. It leaves from New Orleans, so we're going to fly early and spend five days there before boarding our ship.

I know some people have fears of cruising again, and I don't blame them. Most cruise lines (Norwegian, Carnival, etc.) are booking to capacity with no care. Disney is doing it right by booking to 50% capacity. If people cancel, they don't relist their spots for sale, so theoretically, the ship will be below 50% capacity. They also require all passengers, including children 5 and older, to be fully vaccinated. Testing also occurs on the day of boarding and you have to be negative before you're allowed to board. All these rules are putting our minds at ease about cruising with Disney.