I will be out of town for 30 days and since my car is in the driveway and not inside a garage, a battery maintainer or tender is not feasible.

So, I am planning to disconnect the cable from the ground/negative terminal, keep it securely away.

Other than losing radio, clock, seat memory settings, are there additional downsides to disconnecting the battery?

Thanks in advance.

 

yes, you will not be able to open the trunk when you get back...you will have to use another battery (doesn't always work) or the pull wire in the wheel well (not always easy to find)

 

Thanks for the response.

Not wanting to go through the procedure on p. 262 of the manual, and keeping the luggage lid unclosed (with a microfiber cloth around the locking mechanism), I should be fine?

 

as long as the car is covered in case it rains

 

Thanks for the heads up in your first e-mail. You saved me from major ownage.

I used to routinely do that to my E46 M3, use my key to unlock and open the trunk at the back. Whew.

Yes, I will wash, disconnect, secure the lid, put on the OEM cover.

Best regards,

 

A neighbor of mine, for one year, used a solar car battery charger on his son's car while he was in Iraq. He place it on the dashboard between the glass and the sunshade. Because everything was inside he did not have to worry about the Florida rain. Here is where he purchased his from: http://www.batterystuff.com/solar-chargers/

 

Very interesting. Certainly worth getting it for shorter stays out of the country but I prefer to keep it covered for longer durations.

Unless, of course, I find a way to secure the panel onto the OEM cover? Himm.

 

Sew the soft fuzzy side of VELCRO on the cover & the loop side on the solar panel.
Check out this VELCRO web site:
http://www.hookandloop.com/extra/velcrofaq.html

There is also a VELCRO Brand Fabric Fusion Tape that is heat activated thus no sewing needed. Just iron it on. It bonds permanently and actually strengthens with washing.

 

also, if you are going to open doors after disconnecting battery - do not forget lower windows a bit down.

 

I keep car in drvway. Run extension cord from nearest outlet. Use trickle charger w cigarette lighter connection as found on the compact oem unit or the like. Thin wire from lighter connector will pass out the door w no problem. Put the charger body and plugs in a waterproof container (my wife's tupperware) and put it under the car. Lock it up. Use car cover over the whole shebang. Voila....

 

Question: To use a battery tender with cigarette lighter adaptor, you must connect it to a cigarette jack inside the vehicle that STAYS HOT when the ignition is off in order to chg battery. Does the cigarette lighter stay hot???

 

Be it good or bad, both 12V outlets in a 997 DO stay 'hot' and connected to the battery when the ignition is off.

I know this 'cause I haven't hardwired my V1 yet, and must use the lower passenger footwell outlet to power it for now, which means I have to remember to turn the detector on/off manually each trip.

 

The Porsche charger is made by CTEK and equivalent to the MULTI US 3300.

From their website
"Being approved for outdoor use and being extremely durable makes them flexible, practical and correctly designed for safety. That they can then be left unattended for long periods makes them really simple and convenient, in addition to extremely practical."

With your tupperware container should be more than adequate.

 

Yes. Ctec is waterproof but I wouldn't want it sitting under water for too long. The box lets you protect the connection btwn the charger and the power cord as well. You need to make an entrance/exit hole for the wires at the top just below the cover. Your wife won't want it back after that