Long-term Storage Outdoors in Summer

[yeesarm]

So we're finally going away for a couple of months over summer after being locked up for 2 years under the draconian regime that is this place in which we live. So draconian I can't mention it without possible repercussions. But, away we are going and I have to leave our 2014 model S out in the tropical sun, rain and heat. I've purchased a high quality cover with breathable mesh over the front bumper and both front wheels and am thinking to leave it plugged in with the a/c on........ for 2 months. Other steps that I have considered are dropping the tyre pressure a bit and also reducing the charge limiter to 50% so as not to torch the batteries.
Has anyone tried this or does anyone have any comments/advise regarding this?

 

[rducharme]

I have stored quite a few cars for years. Couple of things to suggest:

• Clean the inside of the car to avoid odors
• Place the car on jacks so the car weight is not on the tires. This avoids flat spots on the tires. Not sure why you would want to drop tire pressure. Be careful to use lift points and set jacking mode.
• Place sun shield in front window. Reduces cooling required. Shield back/sides?
• Limiting charge sounds good. How reliable is the power supply and how safe is the cord?

 

[ATPMSD]

• Plugged in and set to 50% seems to be a common storage practice
• Remember the UMC is not waterproof, so keep it off the ground and away from water
• I might add some rat poison near the tires
• If you leave the AC on the car will never go to sleep. The means the DC-DC converter will run all of the time, and a lot of time on the HVAC system.
• Assuming you allow the car to sleep, put the 12v battery on a battery maintainer, this will keep it from cycling

Search the forums, there are lots of posts having to do with storage

 

[DerbyDave]

I'd just use Cabin Overheat Protection instead of the A/C on all the time.

 

[ATPMSD]

I'd just use Cabin Overheat Protection instead of the A/C on all the time.

Doesn’t this run for up to 12-hours and only one time after the cars goes to sleep?

 

[DerbyDave]

Doesn’t this run for up to 12-hours and only one time after the cars goes to sleep?

I looked this up in my 2020 Manual, and it does not list these limitations. I haven't used it, and later models may be different. If this is true, it wouldn't be a good choice for OP.

 

[ATPMSD]

I looked this up in my 2020 Manual, and it does not list these limitations. I haven't used it, and later models may be different. If this is true, it wouldn't be a good choice for OP.

Yeah, all it says is it runs for 12-hours or until the battery hits 20%, whichever occurs first. I seem to remember other posts that something needs to reset that 12-hours clock. I would defiantly suggest the OP test this function before using It.

 

[DerbyDave]

I found the limitation. It turns off after 4 hours and then needs to be reset. This is not a good solution for this issue.

 

[ATPMSD]

I found the limitation. It turns off after 4 hours and then needs to be reset. This is not a good solution for this issue.

Thanks! I think it is 12-hours for my S, I fixed my typo And yes, not a good option.

 

[rducharme]

I'd just use Cabin Overheat Protection instead of the A/C on all the time.

I read that that only applies for 12 hours after you leave the car. Am I wrong?

 

[mswlogo]

If you disconnect the battery (I don’t know how and I don’t think it’s hard) it will hardly drain at all. AC on under the cover for months sounds like a bad bad idea.

I had a body shop take my X for like 5 weeks. They immediately disconnect battery as part of protocol. When it picked it up it had lost like 2%.

 

[SoCal Buzz]

leave it plugged in with the a/c on........ for 2 months

That may do more harm than good, in terms of wear on parts, etc. Plus I believe car alerts you if AC is left on for extended timeframe, but I don’t recall if it shuts down. Just run it yourself via app for 15 minutes once and awhile.

 

[mswlogo]

That may do more harm than good, in terms of wear on parts, etc. Plus I believe car alerts you if AC is left on for extended timeframe, but I don’t recall if it shuts down. Just run it yourself via app for 15 minutes once and awhile.

Running it once in a while would be pointless.

 

[yeesarm]

MMMmmmm, thanks everyone. It seems like it a split consensus as to whether this is a good idea or not. I've tested it for 24 hours plugged in, car cover on and A/C running on about 75F / fan power 1 and it certainly seems to keep things cool. It's dang hot here and the car is out in the open. I might do a longer test say for a week or so before I go and see what happens. The charging seems not to be an issue (unless there's a outage or a lightning strike I guess!) so it's really the wear and tear on the a/c that I guess could be an issue. Re the tyres, I meant I'd pump them up to max psi to try and avoid flatspots.
I'll be gone for about 2 months - no longer.

 

[mswlogo]

Tires will be fine for 2 months.

Biggest damage from sun is UV, not the heat. With car cover on it should be fine.

 

[Watts_Up]

I've purchased a high quality cover with breathable mesh over the front bumper and both front wheels

Could you give a link for your cover?

I didn't know that the front wheels should be vented,​

I was thinking that the wheelhouse would let the air passing below the car.​

​

I imagine that there is also an opening for the plug.​

​

Do you have a little window showing the license plate.​

 

[Watts_Up]

Because of the Covid pandemic, I havent't been driving sometime for few weeks.
I have a 12 V battery monitor and I noticed, on my Model 3, that the inboard DC/DC charger
was charging the 12 V battery for about 2 hours every 2 days or so.

I know that you will keep the car plugged in, but I wonder in your case,
when no using your car for two months, if using a 12 V trickle charger
would be more efficient and would avoid to activate the DC/DC charger too often?

Also, to avoid the 12 V battery to get discharged, I would turn off the alarm and Sentry but I would set a PIN number instead.
Idem, if you have FSD, I would turn off the Summon option from the Autopilot menu.
And I would turn off the communication unless you wanted to access your car remotely.

 

[PCMc]

I have been on international assignment and for most of the past 2 years my mid-2016 MS90D will sit for 2-3 months at a time without being driven. Went 15 weeks first of last year and went just over 13 weeks this last time. Only difference is my car sits inside a garage and not outside in direct sun/heat. In my case I will charge the car to 80% before I leave, set the charge limit back down to 50%, and leave it plugged in. I do not set cabin overheat or any other type of function on. I do not worry about disconnecting the 12V battery. I do run a logging program (my own creation) that monitors my car. When the SOC gets down to about 50% it will automatically charge the car back up to 80% and repeat as needed. I do not have MCU2 installed, which alters the sleep process somewhat, such that this last I only had to recharge one time in the middle of the 13 week period and then right again before I left my assignment location to return home. I do wake up the car a couple times each day for about 10 minutes, but the rest of the time it sleeps. I've had no issues with my 12V battery using this process (my 12V battery at the moment is a little over 4 years old).

My only comment about leaving cabin overheat protection on is my experience with MCU1 is that this would keep the car awake all the time, even if the HVAC did not have to come one. This is because it can only monitor interior temp if the system is awake and active. So if you're worried about parasitic drain on the battery and energy use, this is a big hit from my experience. That doesn't seem to be a concern to the OP as they are already considering leaving the AC to run continuously.

 

[mswlogo]

My only comment about leaving cabin overheat protection on is my experience with MCU1 is that this would keep the car awake all the time, even if the HVAC did not have to come one. This is because it can only monitor interior temp if the system is awake and active. So if you're worried about parasitic drain on the battery and energy use, this is a big hit from my experience. That doesn't seem to be a concern to the OP as they are already considering leaving the AC to run continuously.

He’s not talking about leaving cabin over protection on. He’s talking leaving the HVAC ON !!!

 

[ATPMSD]

I suggest you rethink running the AC, especially at 75 degrees.

Assume you normally run the AC for 4-hours per day, 7-days per week over 8-weeks totals of 224 hours. Leaving the AC on and set to 75 degrees means it is likely that it will run for 24-hours per day, which comes to 1,344 hours over those 8-weeks. All components in cars wear out and you will be putting a year’s worth on time on your AC system.

If you feel you have to do something then I suggest running the fan only, just ensure it is not on recirculate,