Car Battery Switch

[tredy]

I was thinking about installing a battery on/off switch on my C5 X7 3.0 HDi for those periods (like one week or more) when the car is not used or when the battery needs to be disconnected for maintenance on the car:



with this switch it's possible to cut off the power from the battery quickly and easily just by rotating the wheel without unscrewing the negative battery cable nut as usually, is it a good solution or is there any problem in leaving the car with the battery disconnected (like for the ecu etc.)?

other C5 X7 owners told me their negative cable has a quick release:



mine has the old classic nut on the battery cable, how about the other C5 3.0/2.2 HDi?

[JohnD]

What's the point? To disconnect the battery correctly, there's a well-documented process and not one you would want to be doing too often. For the few times when it's necessary to disconnect the power, it's a simple matter to flip up the lever and remove the terminal.

[admiral51]

Would it be better to move the shunt fuse if the car is not being used for say a 7-14 day period, will avoid the disconnect/reconnect issue and is a lot cheaper.

Colin

[Paul-R]

7 - 14 days? The car should be able to withstand not being used for that long without a problem. I went out in my 2013 X7 today. It's the first time it's been started since well before Christmas and, as far as I know, is still on the original battery.

It started without a problem.

[Hell Razor5543]

Don't forget that the alarm is powered by the battery, so disconnecting the battery will 'turn off' the alarm. I am not sure as to how the insurance company will react if the car was stolen while the battery was disconnected via an added on switch.

[white exec]

You shouldn't need to do battery disconnection for such a short period. If the battery is in good condition, the car ought to be happy to start even if not used for a month or so, maybe longer.
Another option would be to use an intelligent charger left connected, if you have a mains supply nearby. The CTEK range are among the best (and the MXS 3.8 quite adequate), although cheaper ones are available. These will not over-charge the battery, even if left connected indefinitely, and there is no need to disconnect while charging.