[virgopal]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

Disconnect the battery and manually lock the car, or did you mean something else?
Jeroen

I agree with you that if battery fails one can manually lock the doors if one is present and get battery recharged/replaced.
My situation was:.We were out of station for a short visit (and were unexpectedly delayed for 2 months) and had not taken precaution to disconnect battery as advised here in TBHP,as we planned a short visit only.
When we returned,found the doors unlocked.Remote was not working.Engine failed to start and found the battery dead. I needed to lock the doors manually and arrange for recharging.
My query was,in such a case,if battery drains suddenly,hooter alarm or lock will fail to function,making the car insecure,as the owner is absent and unable to lock. In my opinion,nothing can be done in such rare cases.

[saket77]

Originally Posted by virgopal

My query was,in such a case,if battery drains suddenly,hooter alarm or lock will fail to function,making the car insecure,as the owner is absent and unable to lock. In my opinion,nothing can be done in such rare cases.

Vir, I am not sure if doors will unlock automatically when batteries go dead. They should remain locked in my opinion.

[virgopal]

Originally Posted by saket77

Sorry to bump up a question meant for Jeroen, but if you want the hooters to sound up when someone forcibly opens the door, then you will need the power source/ battery. If just getting the car locked is your concern, then you may either disconnect the batter and manually lock all the doors of the car or just lock the car using the remote first and then disconnect the battery.

Regards,
Saket

Thanks Saket77,I agree regarding manual locking and need for battery for hooter purpose. Problem is if,in our absence,while out of station etc battery failure will lead to issues.
I will follow your suggestion to disconnect battery and then manually lock.But the hooter will not function if some one tries to tamper.

Originally Posted by saket77

Vir, I am not sure if doors will unlock automatically when batteries go dead. They should remain locked in my opinion.

Saket, i too had thought so.Actually the doors had gone unlocked automatically and battery was found dead. Is there any problem with the locking system?

[saket77]

Originally Posted by virgopal

Saket, i too had thought so.Actually the doors had gone unlocked automatically and battery was found dead. Is there any problem with the locking system?

In my opinion, you should try to replicate the situation by first locking the doors with the remote and then disconnecting the battery. While disconnecting, remember the golden rule - Negatives first!

[ghodlur]

Arent the door locks and electronics in any car made for fail safe mode. I mean even if the power to the electronics operating the door locks is disconnected, the locks will remain in the original position i.e doors closed unless someone operates them manually.

Battery disconnection and mechanical locking is the correct way to address the issue.

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by virgopal

I agree with you that if battery fails one can manually lock the doors if one is present and get battery recharged/replaced.
My situation was:.We were out of station for a short visit (and were unexpectedly delayed for 2 months) and had not taken precaution to disconnect battery as advised here in TBHP,as we planned a short visit only.
When we returned,found the doors unlocked.Remote was not working.Engine failed to start and found the battery dead. I needed to lock the doors manually and arrange for recharging.
My query was,in such a case,if battery drains suddenly,hooter alarm or lock will fail to function,making the car insecure,as the owner is absent and unable to lock. In my opinion,nothing can be done in such rare cases.

If you have a normal good battery in a modern car, that is typically equipped with some stuff that stays powered on, whilst the engine is switched off, say an alarm, immobilizer, clock etc. it should be ok for a few months, but three months would be pushing it. You will find the battery drained and the car doors open!

So as a rule of thumb I would say, anything over 6 weeks, best disconnect the battery and manually lock your doors as a pre-caution.

Jeroen

[racer_ash]

Hi Guys.

Any advice on what to do for bikes? I tried searching in the bikes section and could not find much info.

I have a Unicorn dazzler which unfortunately does not have a kick rod. In case I am leaving it unattended for 6 months, what precautions should I take? Tips for Maestro will also help.

Thanks in advance

[navin_v8]

Originally Posted by racer_ash

I have a Unicorn dazzler which unfortunately does not have a kick rod. In case I am leaving it unattended for 6 months, what precautions should I take? Tips for Maestro will also help.

The most basic tip is to disconnect the battery terminals and to store the battery separately if you have space or leave it as it is on the bikes. The battery will get drained for sure in six months. Secondly cover your bikes with a good quality body cover. Third, put both the bikes on their centre stand instead of side stand.

[racer_ash]

Originally Posted by navin_v8

The most basic tip is to disconnect the battery terminals and to store the battery separately if you have space or leave it as it is on the bikes. The battery will get drained for sure in six months. Secondly cover your bikes with a good quality body cover. Third, put both the bikes on their centre stand instead of side stand.

Thanks for your quick reply. Any suggestion about the fuel in the bikes. While some say fuel needs to be topped up, some say all fuel should be drained. Any thoughts?

[navin_v8]

Originally Posted by racer_ash

Thanks for your quick reply. Any suggestion about the fuel in the bikes. While some say fuel needs to be topped up, some say all fuel should be drained. Any thoughts?

Mate I would suggest you to leave the tank half filled in case it is going to be used by someone in your family else drain the tank of all its fuel. There will be still some fuel in the carburettor though which can be drained(after the fuel tank is drained) by keeping the bikes on for some time till the fuel inside the carb float bowl burns out. Do not drain the oil and keep it as is. Another thing to remember is to buy a breathable body cover so as to avoid moisture trapping.

As it is your bikes will need to undergo a full service once you return after six months wherein you will have to change all the lubes and oils including brake oil for your Dazzler. There is another wonderful thread which gives a comprehensive overview of long term storage, here it is: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motorb...long-term.html

[dreamseller]

Originally Posted by racer_ash

Thanks for your quick reply. Any suggestion about the fuel in the bikes. While some say fuel needs to be topped up, some say all fuel should be drained. Any thoughts?

I can tell you what I did when I had to store my bike for close to 4 months:

(i) Kept the tank full, in order to avoid internal corrosion from moisture. I stay in a humid place.
(ii) Kept the bike supported on a rear paddock and car jack: idea is to keep the tyres from being pressurized at the same point due to the weight of the vehicle, for a long time.
(iii) As someone has already suggested, disconnected the battery terminals.


The motorcycle started with a single thumb of the starter, without charging the battery. Additionally, I drained out the fuel and engine oil just to be a tad more cautious. Hope that helps.

[Doylthippo]

My Petrol Amaze is one year old. What is the way to avoid battery from discharging with out disconnecting? Is it ok, if the car is taken out on a spin for
2 kms every week by my wife ? Hope by this way, i can save my tyres also from dead spots. I will be out of station for 3 to 4 months starting from June.
Please suggest.

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by Doylthippo

My Petrol Amaze is one year old. What is the way to avoid battery from discharging with out disconnecting? Is it ok, if the car is taken out on a spin for 2 kms every week by my wife ? Hope by this way, i can save my tyres also from dead spots. I will be out of station for 3 to 4 months starting from June. Please suggest.

She can start the car weekly whilst it is parked and increase the RPM to about 2000 for about 3-5 minutes.

A 2-3 km run weekly is fine but preferably not in stop and go traffic with AC and other accessories switched on.

Also, tyres don't develop dead spots easily, my car has been idle for several months at a stretch without issues. A key factor is tyre pressure. It is important to top up the tyre pressure at least every 2-3 weeks.

[sabby_4c]

I am going out for a vacation for 3 weeks. Do I need to disconnect the battery ? I have filled the tank and tyres just 1 week ago.

[libranof1987]

Originally Posted by sabby_4c

I am going out for a vacation for 3 weeks. Do I need to disconnect the battery ? I have filled the tank and tyres just 1 week ago.

Unless your battery is considerably old, three weeks is not long enough to affect the battery. You can leave the car as is.