Please Help...I'm nervous

[newtolotus]

So I have had my Elise for two weeks now and zero problems with the battery. I am getting ready to flyout for two weeks and will have the car sitting at an airport. Am I going to have problems starting when I return? What can i do? I have read that the battery can not hold a charge....does the Alarm draw that much power? How can I disconnect the alarm?
Thanks

[5qf3764b]

Originally Posted by newtolotus

So I have had my Elise for two weeks now and zero problems with the battery. I am getting ready to flyout for two weeks and will have the car sitting at an airport. Am I going to have problems starting when I return? What can i do? I have read that the battery can not hold a charge....does the Alarm draw that much power? How can I disconnect the alarm?
Thanks

If its not too cold you should be OK with the stock battery. If you have a light weight after market battery or if its going to be cold you had better pack some jumper cables in the boot.

[mp3moose]

Leaving the car at the airport? I wouldn't do that. Get a friend to drop you off and buy a battery minder.

[tesprit]

Originally Posted by newtolotus

So I have had my Elise for two weeks now and zero problems with the battery. I am getting ready to flyout for two weeks and will have the car sitting at an airport. Am I going to have problems starting when I return? What can i do? I have read that the battery can not hold a charge....does the Alarm draw that much power? How can I disconnect the alarm?
Thanks

You can always lock the car manually with a key and leave the alarm off. You will still have the protection of the immobilizer and it wll draw a lot less current out of the battery.

[qu1Z]

I certainly wouldn't do it. It will probably get keyed and your battery probably will die.

[lotustec]

disconect the negetive battery terminal at the battery when you get home replace the negetive terminal with a quick disconect for future trips or long storage or invest in a battery tender ( a 1 amp charger) for extended times of no use

[Vampyre]

use your DD if you plan on leaving a car somewhere for two week...

[mjf]

Keep in mind the airport is not responsible for any damage that happens to your car while you leave it there. It's not a risk I'd want to take.

[Likuid]

Do NOT leave your car at the airport. If you have no one to drop you off, get a cab. The problems that could come from this will not outweigh the inconvenience of someone dropping you off or the cost of a cab.

[DarkLotus]

Like many others have posted, it can't be more than $30 to the airport for a cab, take a cab. You can't fit any luggage in the elise anyway. Leave the lotus in the garage with a battery tender.

[TheViper]

If you MUST ;
a) Leave the car at the airport
b) Have the alarm active
c) Have not tested it will last for 2 weeks
I would have a spare unconnected, fully charged battery in the car as back-up. A bit drastic but the only way under those conditions. If the connected battery is dead you won't be able to use the remote to open the doors or turn off the alarm. You will have to open the trunk with the key, disconnect the battery (the alarm will sound) and then connect the standby battery. That being said all the other suggestions are easier. Total draw with the alarm on is 20ma, immobilizer only, 15ma. If you do decide to replace the battery at some point you might want to consider a high AH (Amp Hour) battery.
Michael

[...m...]

++

...definitely keep your lotus somewhere secure, find a neighbor or coworker with a garage if you don't have one...take a taxi or shuttle to the airport...

[newtolotus]

Thank you all for your input...Unfortuntely the airport is an hour away cab cost about $120 each way.
I never took this into consideration when buying the elise as a daily driver...I did take into account storage and danger of damage.
This should be the only time I need to do this as I will be hopefully purchasing a second car soon
Thanks

[RacyTracy]

Rather than the regular airport parking lot......Around O'Hare are small parking lots that you can park at and they even drop you at the terminal and pick you up upon your return. I would also bet they would give you a jump, should you need it. Plus, parking is cheaper.

[tvacc]

Just disconnct the battery when you leave it. Alarm does no good anyways....nobody pays attention to it.

Is not there somebody that leaves near OHare (a fellow Lotus Owner) that will let you park your car in his/her driveway...then drive you to the airport?

[RacyTracy]

I just used O'Hare for an example.....I don't know what airport he's talking about.

[davecarama]

You all amaze me. It is a car... Sheesh! It should be fine. I drive mine into Baltimore and park it on the street every day. No touchers yet and it has been over a year.

I recently left my car undriven for at least 2 weeks (at home) and it started up with no hesitation.

I think that someplace like Advanced Auto have car charging things like a box with jumper cables, that you can purchase and leave it in your trunk while it is waiting for you in the parking lot. If the car doesn't start, use the box thing and you should be OK. I think it might actually be a battery itself. Usually has a light, and a car first aid kit and pump, etc...

Dave

[Likuid]

If you don't think people touch your car while you're not there you're pretty naive. Just watch some of the videos people have posted when they left video cameras running just for a few hours while they were in a movie.

[mjf]

I wouldn't be worried about people touching the car. Cripes, my 2yr old gets fingerprints all over it and climbs in via the window.

I would worry that if you leave it there long enough some random hater will 'accidentally' back into it, or open their door too forcefully. It happens, the longer you leave it there where no one can see it the larger the chance something could happen.

Sure it's just a car, but it's a car that stands out.

[Gizmo3000]

Originally Posted by newtolotus

Thank you all for your input...Unfortuntely the airport is an hour away cab cost about $120 each way.
I never took this into consideration when buying the elise as a daily driver...I did take into account storage and danger of damage.
This should be the only time I need to do this as I will be hopefully purchasing a second car soon
Thanks

Well, perhaps you might want to find out if there's a shuttle service or a bus you can take to the airport, which would be a lot cheaper than a taxi.

Obviously, the thought of leaving a Lotus uncovered in a parking lot during winter for two weeks isn't a pleasant thought, but since it's your DD, then we gotta respect that, as I'm sure lots of other sports car owners out there are forced to do the same sometimes.
I wouldn't actually worry about theft or damage as much, as it's not like parking in a mall or supermarket where disrespectful jerks might be loitering. One would think people are usually traveling for business or pleasure.

The real question is the battery.
and it's not like these cars are any different than other cars out there.
-cept for the fact that the original batteries weren't quite the finest. (mine '05 battery went kaput in '07, tho I think the original owner didn't trickle charge it at all and the battery suffered)
but two weeks is a fair amount of time to let any car sit.

if your car's always been a DD (and never been drained fully), perhaps the battery is still in good shape.
perhaps there's a way to check it?
But perhaps you could look into one of those emergency battery setups just in case.