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Long-term Parking Care

310 Views 3 Replies 4 Participants Last post by  moparado
Found out I will be leaving the country for 2 months over the summer and looking to see what I need to do to prep the jgc (2017 3.6 Trailhawk).

My situation - 2 months away, no other drivers, humid summers, street parking, no outlet options.

Current plan
Change the oil
Fill gas tank and stabilize
Get a few DampRid moisture absorbers
Inflate tires to max
Cover

Main concern are the batteries. I just recently replaced them, so I would love to not ruin it immediately. Since I don't have an outlet, I can't trickle charge it. Am I able to just disconnect the negative terminal to stop it from draining? For the aux battery do I leave it, or do the same thing?


Never let a car sit this long before, so any advice would be great. Thanks!
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for 2 months i would not worry too much. fuel is ok without stabilizer for about 6 months or so. if you are adding stabilizer, be sure to run a bit to get up to the fuel rail. Changing oil is good, especially if you drive more shorter trims.
I would suggest a solar battery maintainer since you stated you have no outlet. that would cover the battery issue, they have these pretty cheap on amazon now - just be sure to charge through the IBS when you connect the leads. my biggest concern when long term parking is rodents. you may want to jack up and get the vehicle off the tires, and i have heard dryer sheets deter rodents but have had limited success on that. but if the batteries crap out, you did just replace them and they have warranty. just my $0.02
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Where I live there is a good chance a vehicle will be impounded if it's parked on a public street for more than a couple of weeks. 48 hours is the legal limit per city code although I doubt most people would contact the police for at least a week or two.

Lots of people had fuel sit in their tanks for months when all of the COVID shutdowns happened and many people stopped commuting to work.
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I don't think 2 months should be a problem, 2 years yes.
There were times when i stored my Neon, Ranger, XJ and even my F150 in my pole barn for about that length of time or longer during the Winter months with no problems.

I wouldn't worry about oil and such unless its due but i would take a very long highway drive to charge the batteries before parking.
As mentioned above rodents and parking on the street for 2 months could be an issue depending on where you live.
If you have a trusted friend or relative that could park it on their property and maybe drive it a few times with long highway drives i'd think that would be the best scenario to ease your mind.
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