Yet another Long-term parking vampire drain question, but some specific questions

[MarkFromSLO]

Thanks in advance for entertaining yet another vampire drain post.

I will be leaving my 2022 Model 3 at San Francisco Intl Airport for 24 days in May. I've read through many of the posts in this forum about what to turn off (Sentry Mode, Cabin Overheat Protection; I don't have Summon on my car). I do not have any apps like Tessie or Stats installed. I will keep off my Tesla app while on vacation.

While I am worried that I could come home to a dead battery, it doesn't seem likely. But I'm a worrier. And of course I've read many stories of batteries dying.

I'm going to begin testing my vampire drain now. I've just turned off Sentry and Overheat and will check it for it the days we don't use the car.

But I still have some questions:

1. My understanding it that while the Tesla software update uses WiFi, their documentation states that on some occasions it will update though the cellular network. I assume it tries this if not connected to WiFi for some time. It this were to occur, it could defeat all the other precautions. Does anyone have any information on when it decides to do a cellular update? I assume there is no way to disable this. Also, I see that I can select "Standard" or "Advanced" for the Software Update Preferences. Mine is Advanced. Is there really an advantage to setting this to Standard (but I will just in case).

2. What about the low voltage battery? I don't know if my car has a lead acid or lithium one, if that matters. I read that "some" 2022 Model 3 have Lithium. Do I need to worry about it on what will then be a 10 month old car?

3. I read a story about someone whose battery died after leaving the car unused for a few months. It was so dead that it bricked the battery and he had to replace it at his cost, which was very expensive. Is this a real thing or just some very rare oddball event? If for some unforeseen reason mine goes completely dead, what happens? Will Tesla's mobile service be able to start it or would they need to tow it?

I could take my 2012 MB ML350 instead. But I think that would almost certainly be dead by the time I got back. The upside is that I would just need a jump from AAA or bring along a portable jump starter.

Thanks for your input.

 

[ucmndd]

You are vastly overthinking this.

Software updates are not a problem.

The HV battery keeps the LV battery charged as necessary.

“Bricking” a car from it sitting for 24 days is not a thing.

Park with about 70% state of charge and enjoy your trip.

 

[MarkFromSLO]

You are vastly overthinking this.

Software updates are not a problem.

The HV battery keeps the LV battery charged as necessary.

“Bricking” a car from it sitting for 24 days is not a thing.

Park with about 70% state of charge and enjoy your trip.

"You are vastly overthinking this." <-- That sounds like me.

Thank you.

 

[jjrandorin]

To piggy back onto the post from @ucmndd (who is correct, you are overthinking this but lots and lots and lots and lots and lots (and lots) of people do.

1. to calm your mind about software updates, "even if" the car decided a software update was necessary over cellular because it was a critical update, the car would go back to sleep after performing the update, unless there was some very rare issue. Possible it doesnt go back to sleep? Yes, Likely, no, something to plan for? No.

2. on a 10 month old car, no this is not a concern. If your model 3 was 4 years old and on its first battery, we might suggest getting it replaced before your trip as that seems to be around the life expectancy of the 12v ($120 ish dollars "out the door" for tesla to replace the old lead acid battery). The car will charge the 12v, and yours is new enough that it shouldnt be a concern. "possible" to have some issue? yes. something to plan for? No.

3. Completely, utterly, not relevant in the slightest bit to your situation at all. Not one bit relevant, or possible, for you, in that car, thats that new.

You already know the things to turn off. Since you are a self professed "worrier" I will just remind you that you dont want to "check on" the car a lot in the tesla app. Perhaps every 3-4 days if you can make yourself do that (less is better).

Of course, you could likely skip ALLLL of that thinking by simply finding an off airport parking lot that has EV charging, if one is available around you. Its more common than you think.

City of San Luis Obispo Parking SBP San Luis Obispo United States

City of San Luis Obispo Parking near SBP airport. Detailed information with rates, amenities, contacts here...

gotoairportparking.com

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

Thanks in advance for entertaining yet another vampire drain post.

I will be leaving my 2022 Model 3 at San Francisco Intl Airport for 24 days in May. I've read through many of the posts in this forum about what to turn off (Sentry Mode, Cabin Overheat Protection; I don't have Summon on my car). I do not have any apps like Tessie or Stats installed. I will keep off my Tesla app while on vacation.

While I am worried that I could come home to a dead battery, it doesn't seem likely. But I'm a worrier. And of course I've read many stories of batteries dying.

I'm going to begin testing my vampire drain now. I've just turned off Sentry and Overheat and will check it for it the days we don't use the car.

But I still have some questions:

1. My understanding it that while the Tesla software update uses WiFi, their documentation states that on some occasions it will update though the cellular network. I assume it tries this if not connected to WiFi for some time. It this were to occur, it could defeat all the other precautions. Does anyone have any information on when it decides to do a cellular update? I assume there is no way to disable this. Also, I see that I can select "Standard" or "Advanced" for the Software Update Preferences. Mine is Advanced. Is there really an advantage to setting this to Standard (but I will just in case).

2. What about the low voltage battery? I don't know if my car has a lead acid or lithium one, if that matters. I read that "some" 2022 Model 3 have Lithium. Do I need to worry about it on what will then be a 10 month old car?

3. I read a story about someone whose battery died after leaving the car unused for a few months. It was so dead that it bricked the battery and he had to replace it at his cost, which was very expensive. Is this a real thing or just some very rare oddball event? If for some unforeseen reason mine goes completely dead, what happens? Will Tesla's mobile service be able to start it or would they need to tow it?

I could take my 2012 MB ML350 instead. But I think that would almost certainly be dead by the time I got back. The upside is that I would just need a jump from AAA or bring along a portable jump starter.

Thanks for your input.

As others have said, don’t worry about it. Configure the car correctly and test it over a 2-3 day interval sometime prior to your trip, and then duplicate that setup when you actually leave the car (being very careful to leave sentry and standby off). And then check from the app after a couple days to make sure all is going according to plan.

It’ll be fine.

Budget for 30 rated miles of loss; about $2 assuming optimized EV rates.

 

[MarkFromSLO]

To piggy back onto the post from @ucmndd (who is correct, you are overthinking this but lots and lots and lots and lots and lots (and lots) of people do.

1. to calm your mind about software updates, "even if" the car decided a software update was necessary over cellular because it was a critical update, the car would go back to sleep after performing the update, unless there was some very rare issue. Possible it doesnt go back to sleep? Yes, Likely, no, something to plan for? No.

2. on a 10 month old car, no this is not a concern. If your model 3 was 4 years old and on its first battery, we might suggest getting it replaced before your trip as that seems to be around the life expectancy of the 12v ($120 ish dollars "out the door" for tesla to replace the old lead acid battery). The car will charge the 12v, and yours is new enough that it shouldnt be a concern. "possible" to have some issue? yes. something to plan for? No.

3. Completely, utterly, not relevant in the slightest bit to your situation at all. Not one bit relevant, or possible, for you, in that car, thats that new.

You already know the things to turn off. Since you are a self professed "worrier" I will just remind you that you dont want to "check on" the car a lot in the tesla app. Perhaps every 3-4 days if you can make yourself do that (less is better).

Of course, you could likely skip ALLLL of that thinking by simply finding an off airport parking lot that has EV charging, if one is available around you. Its more common than you think.

City of San Luis Obispo Parking SBP San Luis Obispo United States

City of San Luis Obispo Parking near SBP airport. Detailed information with rates, amenities, contacts here...

gotoairportparking.com

I really appreciate all that detail. You've put my mind at rest.

 

[MarkFromSLO]

Thanks very much. I don't have standby but I'll be certain to turn off the rest.

As others have said, don’t worry about it. Configure the car correctly and test it over a 2-3 day interval sometime prior to your trip, and then duplicate that setup when you actually leave the car (being very careful to leave sentry and standby off). And then check from the app after a couple days to make sure all is going according to plan.

It’ll be fine.

Budget for 30 rated miles of loss; about $2 assuming optimized EV rates.

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

Thanks very much. I don't have standby but I'll be certain to turn off the rest.

Slight addendum: It might be better to check once after the first day to allow initial transient to settle out (can have a big shift up or down after first sleep cycle). Then once more a couple days later. Then forget about it assuming that the change is just 2-3 miles.

Waking up the car a couple times will be of no consequence to your overall standby losses.

 

[RayK]

Of course, you could likely skip ALLLL of that thinking by simply finding an off airport parking lot that has EV charging, if one is available around you. Its more common than you think.

City of San Luis Obispo Parking SBP San Luis Obispo United States

City of San Luis Obispo Parking near SBP airport. Detailed information with rates, amenities, contacts here...

gotoairportparking.com

@MarkFromSLO is leaving out of SFO, not SBP.

For SFO, there's this if you're lucky to score an open parking spot:

Plug-in Electric Car Parking | San Francisco International Airport

|

www.flysfo.com

 

[MarkFromSLO]

@MarkFromSLO is leaving out of SFO, not SBP.

For SFO, there's this if you're lucky to score an open parking spot:

Plug-in Electric Car Parking | San Francisco International Airport

|

www.flysfo.com

Yes, I think it would require a good bit of luck, given how popular EV's are in Northern California. That's where I am parking, i their long Term Parking lot, but not counting on one of the charging spaces.

 

[MarkFromSLO]

So, I tested my battery drain. I turned of Sentry and Overheat Protection and left it alone for 48 hours. It lost one mile. 295 to 294. Round up to 2 miles, and it's well under than 1 percent a day.

 

[RayK]

On a recent trip out of town two weeks ago, my car (2018 LR RWD) sat in my driveway for 10 days. I don't have Sentry Mode enabled at home, no third party apps to monitor the car and I don't think that I ever checked in with my app while gone. It went from 236 (~80%) miles on 1/21 to 227 miles (~75%) 10 days later. A loss of just less than 1 mile per day. Temperature differential between those measurements was +13F (44 to 57) but I'm sure that it got colder and a bit warmer than that over those 10 days.

 

[RayK]

@MarkFromSLO I just did some quick checking with UAL's flight schedule; SkyWest is the actual airline. There's non-stop service between SBP and SFO for less than $400 round trip for Economy Plus (5/1 to 5/25); cheaper if you downgrade to Economy. Long term parking at SFO seems to run $18/day, so 24 days works out at $432. You could leave your car at home and fly to SFO in just over an hour, saving about 3 hours per trip. Just a thought...

 

[MarkFromSLO]

@MarkFromSLO I just did some quick checking with UAL's flight schedule; SkyWest is the actual airline. There's non-stop service between SBP and SFO for less than $400 round trip for Economy Plus (5/1 to 5/25); cheaper if you downgrade to Economy. Long term parking at SFO seems to run $18/day, so 24 days works out at $432. You could leave your car at home and fly to SFO in just over an hour, saving about 3 hours per trip. Just a thought...

Yes, I've thought about that. Thank you. The problem is that the hours don't work well. I'd have to hang out at SFO for 6 hours on the way out, and I'd have to spend the night and leave the next day on the return. So much easier to just drive. And I have the option of car rental too. Every option--driving and parking, flying, and rental car--all cost about $400. So I just have to pick what is most convenient and has the best chance of success.

I'm afraid of starting out in San Luis Obispo for any important trip. I got screwed one time when I took my family to Hawaii. We started at SLO and the wind came up so hard it delayed the flight as the plane we needed couldn't land for extra hour or so. It began a chain of events that got us to Kauai two days late, a stay in LA we didn't intend, and the loss of my car rental even though I called them to let them know I was late. Between wind and fog, and simply being a small town airport, you never know here. So, I'm gun shy.

At this point, now that I now my Tesla's battery barely drains, I think I like the driving option best. But now I am wondering which car to take. The Long Term parking at SFO in a big 7 story garage plus an outdoor lot (and the deal I got is much less expensive than other parking places). I don't know if I'll be able to get an indoor parking spot or not. At home, my Model 3 is garaged and I don't know how bad 24 days of being outdoors is for it. I'm not horribly anal about my car (I'm not really a "car guy") but then I know the paint on the Model 3 is pretty thin. My ML350 is old and dirty already, but I decide on driving that I should probably buy a portable jump stater to bring with me.

 

[RayK]

Yeah, if that happened to me on a trip, I'd be gun shy too. Sucks when well-laid plans go awry because of unforeseen hiccups in flight scheduling.

My car has been parked outside my house since July 2018. We do have a two car garage but like most people around my neighborhood, our cars are on the driveway because the garage is being used mostly for household storage.

I'm not obsessive about the paint job. I rarely wash the car and don't remember ever waxing it either. I do rinse off the occasional bird strike ASAP since I've experienced what happens if you just let it sit in the baking sun. My theory is that the "patina" that builds up on the surface, protects the finish . That's my story and I'm sticking with it.

 

[Redhill_qik]

@MarkFromSLO is leaving out of SFO, not SBP.

For SFO, there's this if you're lucky to score an open parking spot:

Plug-in Electric Car Parking | San Francisco International Airport

|

www.flysfo.com

I was just in that parking garage from 1/26-1/30 and I noticed that at least half of the EV spots were open when I was returning. I had no idea that they were there in the first place and I would feel a little concern leaving my charger out in the open where it might get stolen. This was in the first/right parking structure as you enter.

Personally, I would never leave my car in parking for 24 days as the cost will be $414 if you do it in advance which is discounted from the base rate of $575 for the SFO run garage, not sure about the Park SFO garage with their discounts. For that cost, I would Uber or get a legit car service and leave me car at home on the charger.

 

[MarkFromSLO]

I was just in that parking garage from 1/26-1/30 and I noticed that at least half of the EV spots were open when I was returning. I had no idea that they were there in the first place and I would feel a little concern leaving my charger out in the open where it might get stolen. This was in the first/right parking structure as you enter.

Personally, I would never leave my car in parking for 24 days as the cost will be $414 if you do it in advance which is discounted from the base rate of $575 for the SFO run garage, not sure about the Park SFO garage with their discounts. For that cost, I would Uber or get a legit car service and leave me car at home on the charger.

I am paying $384 for the parking at SFO Long Term Parking Lot. An Uber would cost me over $1,000 for both ways--I live over $200 miles away.

Yeah, I don't think I'd leave my car in the charger spot for that long. Plus, now that I realize I am losing less than a mile a day of charge that's not a concern anymore.

 

[MarkFromSLO]

Yeah, if that happened to me on a trip, I'd be gun shy too. Sucks when well-laid plans go awry because of unforeseen hiccups in flight scheduling.

My car has been parked outside my house since July 2018. We do have a two car garage but like most people around my neighborhood, our cars are on the driveway because the garage is being used mostly for household storage.

I'm not obsessive about the paint job. I rarely wash the car and don't remember ever waxing it either. I do rinse off the occasional bird strike ASAP since I've experienced what happens if you just let it sit in the baking sun. My theory is that the "patina" that builds up on the surface, protects the finish . That's my story and I'm sticking with it.

I wish I could find the post and photo I saw somewhere, but a guy complained that he thought he could get one of the indoor spots at SFO but they were all taken and so he parked outdoors only to find his car covered in bird droppings. It was alot. Maybe he was under a tree or light pole, because it seemed excessive. He said it cost him $2K to fix it up. I know SFO is near the water and likely has plenty of birds flying around, but that seemed unusual.