360 needs battery tender every night?

I don't own a 360 (although I do own an older Ferrari) and I have read several threads about battery drain in 360s. But I do have a question based upon some youtube videos I saw. The question is do you really need to hook up a battery tender to a 360 every night? I saw this on a video entitled "360 quirks" or "owning a 360" or some such name. Most blame seems to lie with battery discharge via aftermarket accessories, but I thought I'd ask the people who own them.
Thanks!

 

Not just a 360. IMO, most cars not driven regularly may need battery tender. My 328 was hooked 24/7 all year round to a battery tender.

 

I own a battery tender. It sits in its new packaging with the toolkit in the front trunk.

When I first bought my car I removed all the trackers and aftermarket crap that was in there to drain the battery. For the past 4 years I've driven my car every weekend. Starts up like a charm and runs perfect. Even started fine after 2 weeks of no use. If you go longer and in colder temps you might need it. If you actually drive your car and replace your battery every few years... its a useless accessory. BTW the guys that make those videos are full of it. Its like not driving your car at all because there are potholes on the road.

 

I've had my 360 for about 6 weeks now and my battery tender is still in the front trunk. I've been driving it once a week (on weekends) and it has started up without hesitation every time.

 

Depends on how often you drive the car. If you drive it daily, then no, you don't have to hook it up at night. However, if you drive it less frequently, even weekends only, then hooking it up to a battery tender will greatly extend the battery life.

I get 7 to 10 years out of my car batteries because they are kept on a tender at night. Most folks get 3-5. And half of the 360 owners who don't maintain their batteries post right here on this forum asking for help with how to deal with a dead battery. So you figure out if it is necessary for how you want to use the car.

 

Of course it doesn't need to be on a tender "every" night but it helps to have a routine that gets your car what it needs to be able to deliver what you need!!

I didn't use one for the first few months of ownership. The car was new to me, I had no idea of when the battery was installed. Then I went on a trip and returned a few weeks later to find that she almost didn't turn over! That would have sucked since I had been waiting for weeks to drive my baby. I started using a tender pretty frequently, not religiously but often. Then a few months later she was off the tender for about three days and barely started again! I knew the battery was getting tired. Switched to new light weight racing battery and even though the battery is new I still use the tender every night. I made it part of my routine, like checking tires every few weeks and wiping her clean after every drive. I know that she is ready when I am! Overkill? Probably but I don't like surprises.

 

i leave mine on all the time piece of mind

 

I worried when I bought my 360. Only time I used a charger was when the car sat for the winter.

I'd say I've gone 70 days without problem, but my battery is newish.

 

I think I will start to do the same from now on....

 

I Only put it on a tender NOV-MAR when I know I won't be driving for months at a time. I never put it on the charger otherwise and might go 3 or 4 weeks without driving and it starts every time

 

Same I always plug in

 

Curt
I only have Pioneer head unit and a LoJack. I picked it up after four days in the shop and the Ferrari electrical gremlins struck. Now the LoJack should not draw hardly any current unless it is activated and the Pioneer should not draw any with it turned off so not sure where the drain is (unless the mechanic left the doors open. I drive mine probably once -- maybe twice a week and put it on the tender whenever it's in the garage.
Alan

 

Dude I pulled a lojack AND another GPS unit out of mine when I first got it. I'm running the Becker unit in mine. Review the electrical system and pull the extra crap out!
I'm so happy I didn't have to put up with some pimpin' bass system. With the pioneer I presume they used a proper adaptor?

 

I park mine with the battery switch on for up to two months. Longer than that I switch the battery off. It starts every time with absolutely no sign of struggling and has never been on a charger or maintainer.

But I don't have any after market tracking or anti theft stuff.

 

If you're leaving the car sit for a week or two then hook a battery tender up just to make you feel better. Otherwise no need to hook it up every night.

 

+1

 

Curt
Not sure about that but it was professionally installed with new door speakers and tweeters. I haven't gone under the dash to see.
Alan

 

Prob. done right in that case. As long as Billybob and Zed from round the corner' didn't do it with lectrical' tape.. it'll be good!

 

Same here.

You dont need it every night, if I park the car for a while, say more than 2 weeks, I use my tender. I mostly use my tender when I store the car for the winter.

 

I have typically been driving it enough that I don't need one. However, just last weekend I had let it sit for a couple of weeks and when I went to drive it, the battery was too low to start the car. That was a bummer because it took several hours to charge back to full with a charger so I didn't get to drive it that day.

 

Parked my 2000 360 for 15 days - no tender - started without hesitation. Same with my 355. When I park them for long periods I shut off the battery switch. Never had an issue.

Cheers

 

Mine on every night....one member stated he never had problems or gremlins once he tendeted his 360.... so i tender mine.

 

Something is drawing too much current, a normal draw is 30ma after all the systems go to sleep. I discovered that the trunk has to be completely closed or I had a 700 ma constant draw (yep, the trunk lamp was off). Normal is the car can sit for two months and it starts fine. during the winter when the car is off the road for months, I use a CTEK charger once a month for just two days only as I don't like leaving stuff plugged in. FWIW.


Jeff Pintler
89 348tb, 86tr, 99 360 3-pedal, S-160 bobcat

 

You beat me to it.

 

I drive my 360 almost always on weekends only. A couple of times a week on weekdays after I get off work.

I like my battery always at full strength so I hook up my battery tender as often as I can. As most people here say too - hooking up a battery tender prolongs the life of the battery also so its a good practice in my opinion. Takes less than a minute to do.