Toyota Rav4 hybrid
 

Looking for anyone that has parked a Toyota Hybid for six months. What did you do and how did it turn out?

if you can get to your start battery, put a trickle charger on it. thats what i use to do on my vett. if i didn't it would be a dead battery.my start battery on my camry is under the back seat.

My battery is buried in my trunk. But there are jumper connections under the hood with the rest of the engine... I thought this was the norm...

You should be able to attach a trickle charger there...

.....and leave the windows open a little for ventilation if garage stored.

You will want to cradle the tires to avoid flat spots. You can buy specially built cradles for this, but a cheap workaround is foam board. I bought a 4 x 8 piece when I stored my car for 4+ months, cut it into 8 - two foot chunks and put two each under each tire. When I returned, I just drove off of them. No flat spots whatsoever.

And yes, you need to trickle charge the battery, unless you intend to install a new one when you get back.

The start battery is not really all that hard to get to. I would disconnect it. Not a big job.

Trickle charger on the battery of any car, hybrid or not, when stored over 30 days. Toyota hybrid batteries need to be exercised. Storing it for 6 months will shorten the life of the batteries...talke to a Toyota service rep for advice on 6 month storage.

Since it is a hybrid, you will need to put fuel stabilizer in the gas tank as well.

DON'T DO IT.

The batteries are not the only thing you have to worry about. When any car is put into storage for a long time things begin to happen. Seals dry out because they are not being lubricated. Bearings loose their lubrication which can cause premature wear. Talk to your auto dealer service advisor and out exactly what manufacturer recommends.

If you are going for 6 months and have a home watch service. We would negotiate to have the vehicle taken out on the road either once a month or every 2 weeks to keep the system charged. Keep the starting fob far enough away so it doesn't keep waking the car.

A hybrid car will have an EXPENSIVE to replace battery pile, not just a starter battery. I would contact Toyota, with YOUR CAR serial number YEAR and any added accessories. All the wizbangs in a modern car draw current even when doing nothing.