Just wondered what the consensus was for those not using the 5 as a daily driver and not having winter preparations in place such as battery conditioner.
How long would you leave it between drives and average length of journey to keep battery in a reasonable condition?
Maybe once a week.
However my concern would be leaving it standing without a decent fuel stabiliser added to tank.
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Thanks PaleRider, interesting point! hopefully Iāll only be off the road due to commitments for a maximum of 10 days at a time and then journeys long enough to need a complete refill every 3-4 weeks max.
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My only concern would be battery health. Most likely a good strong battery will be ok standing for a week in the coldest of winters. An old battery, say older than 6 years or even less in some cases may fail more easily in the cold.
A new battery or connect to a maintenance charger would be my preference if in doubt. Chuck an half cover over the hood if a soft top for protection, park handbrake off (put in gear) otherwise if for only a weekās non use, youāll be goodš
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Thanks Mick, appreciated
What, meaning if the OP donāt use it? As if he uses it it once a week, heās not going to be needing any snake oil stabilisers.
Iāve typically used mine about 1X a month over Nov-March. Not an issue. No fuel stabiliser. Just out it on the ctek about once a week to keep it charged up.
10 days is nothing. And like you said, if youāre concerned about fuel (which you shouldnāt be if using it with that frequency), fill up every few journeys. Maybe use ESSOās synergy Suprme99, which USED to be zero ethanol (even though it says E5 on the pump). They changed that about a year ago, but who knows, maybe youāll be lucky and it still aināt got no ethanol in it. Still again though, using it every 7-10 days it isnāt an issue. Canāt you buy something like a ctek MXS-5? I used to to pretty much as youāre suggesting in my NDās first 2years or so, but the ctek āchanged my lifeā, so I havenāt got to go out in salt etc if I donāt want to. You only got to plug it in and itāll charge your battery up, and just take it off when fully charged. Iāve done this for 3 years. If anything, the biggest concern of letting it sit around for a while (not the 7-10 days you might do), is pitting of the brake disks if the carās on the drive and it just gets pounded by rain week after week.
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I agree with Mick and ND12 comments (esp. brake disk pitting). I used these all last winter (they are back on now) - Aebitsry Tire Covers for RV Wheel, (4 Pack) Motorhome Wheel Covers Waterproof 420D Oxford Cloth - About Ā£19 from Amazon. They protect the brakes, disks and tyres very well as long as disks are dry when the covers are put on. Takes seconds to remove each one (though putting them on takes a bit longer). They stood up to all the rain and high winds we had last winter. I gave them a quick blast with waterproof spray recently to ensure they stay waterproof.
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How do they stay on. Looks a good idea.
Do you know what size you go (they seem to offer a few different sizes) , to go with your, what, 17āā alloys?
Cheers
Iāve seen those covers used before, looks a good idea if itās standing for periods outdoors.
Hereās an illustration from them, showing which size to pick. They do 3 sizes - 24-26 / 27-29 / 30-32" (obviously those sizes include the total size, of tyre + wheel):
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Aebitsry-Motorhome-Waterproof-Protector-Universal/dp/B07V281GL1?th=1
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I got the 24"-26" (tyre diameter) to fit the 17" wheels. They go over the top of the wheel in a sort of āenvelopeā then elastic straps/hooks are used to secure them towards the bottom. Photo should make this clearer. Cheers.
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Iād be surprised if I use my TR6 once every other month over the winter and my battery has been on there well over 5 years (possibly closer to 10) without any problems. The only thing I started to do last year was put a layer of blankets over the bonnet to try to stop a bit of the cold, it probably does nothing but it also doesnāt do any harm.
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Thanks. Appreciated 
You havenāt mentioned which 5 you haveā¦NA/NB/NC/ND ?
I concur with MickAP ā¦āBattery Healthā¦Older than 6 Yearsā
Iāve had my NB [2005] since 2007 and noticed that regardless of how many miles Iāve done each year from several thousand to a few hundredā¦itās been the age of the battery thatās been the deciding factor
[This includes a period of 3 months when she was in a queue for welding and therefore not legal on the road so I would start her engine and run it stationery for 20 minutes]
Sorry, ND RF, had it a month now, looking at service history it had a new battery 6 months ago so looking good on that front, looks like a battery conditioner is a wise investment
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I without doubt,would fit a battery isolation switch.Works every time and cheap to purchase and easy to fit.
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I donāt think thereās a definitive answer because it would depend on the existing condition of your battery. In winter I only drive my nd when the roads are dry but a run of 20- 30 miles every 3 weeks should be OK. However I do put mine on a 1.5amp trickle charge about once a month and leave it on for 24 hours. It starts first time every time and no sluggishness from the battery. Obviously if you switch on heated seats etc then it is going to discharge the battery more.
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āBattery Isolation Switchā as recommended by vicky53
Not fitted mine yet but Ā£14.27 from MX-5 Parts for a 2005 NB
Have a read and see what you think ?
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Thanks @Vicky53 and @Bullit2005, I think an isolator and a maintenance charger will cover all eventualities
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Hi again AlanH2
āBelts and Bracesā 
Back in 2017 when Bullitsā NB Battery was a bit poorly I had AA Home Start and the chap from the AA recommended a āSolar Panelā [Cost then was Ā£24.00]
It seemed to assist her tired battery to start until I could afford a new Battery. She wasnāt garaged then but I still have it and lay it on the dashboard every time sheās parked outside and there is a bit of sunshine [e.g, today at Tesco]
Indeed a neighbour restoring a mature Porsche wired his solar panel onto his garage roof
The AA chap explained āItās all about what is working off the battery when itās not being drivenā
I suspect an ND has far more working off the battery than an NB but donāt quote me as Iām just guessing
Bulitt is garaged now but there is no power supply so canāt ātrickle chargeā
And havenāt experienced the consequences of a āBattery Isolation Switchāā¦yet [over to you vicky53 to perhaps assist the poster in this regard ??]
Decisions, Decisionsā¦hope we are assisting 