Prepping car for being put in garage for months

[Hakkola]

Inurance is crazy expensive so the car is going to be put away now until next spring, I'm just wondering what should be done so the car is fine when I start it again in like 6/7 months or so.

[choweyt3t4]

not too much has to be done i would recommend to take your battery out and put it inside somewhere.and you should start the car once a month at least and let it run for a bit.

[Ferio_vti]

turn the wheels a bit every month too. Not good for the tires to sit in the same place for a long time.

[HRD2PLZ]

Or some people take off the tires and put the car on blocks. I think I read somewhere too to fill up the gas tank...

[RCBVtec]

Take the battery out for sure, things like the clock constantly run, even when the car is not turned on, it will drain your battery. It is way easier on your suspension if you put the car on blocks while it's being stored, but it's your choice, it won't hurt it if you decide not to...

[choweyt3t4]

do not put your car on blocks this will put a lot of stress on your chassis and can possibly bend it out of shape,just think all the weight of your car on 4 points of the chassis for a long period of time,the chassis is not designed for this,it can handle the stress for short period of time- thats what the suspension and tires are for trust me on this one.but you should rotate your tires,ive heard that you canbend the rims if they sit too long in one spot.another good thing to do would be to put in some gas line antifreeze in the tank or fuel treatment,this will keep water out from your fuel system.

[Hakkola]

Sweet, thanks for the info guys, should i clean it really well too? all the little things i wanna know as well. I definatly won't be putting it on blocks

[Ferio_vti]

Yah, you might as well clean her up good and get everything serviced, ie. oil change, fluids, etc. Then she'll be ready to hit the road when spring comes.
don't forget to check your battery's charge every once in a while and keep it, as it will discharge a bit if its not used.

[buh_buh]

you probably want to plug up any holes (exhaust, intake) that critters may be able to crawl into.

[T5_X]

One more thing, I know with drum brakes, you can't keep your e-brake on, cause the shoes could rust right onto the drums. I'm not sure if this can happen with disc brakes.

As for body prep, give it a nice clean and a coat of something like super hard shell turtle wax. Buy a good car cover if you can afford it. I've heard of crappy cheap car covers doing more damage than just leaving it straight up exposed.

[Ferio_vti]

Originally posted by Ranger_X31
One more thing, I know with drum brakes, you can't keep your e-brake on, cause the shoes could rust right onto the drums. I'm not sure if this can happen with disc brakes.



Don't worry about the disc brakes looking rusty, that's perfectly normal. It'll all disappear once you start using them in the spring.

[frenchdriver]

Originally posted by Hakkola
Inurance is crazy expensive so the car is going to be put away now until next spring, I'm just wondering what should be done so the car is fine when I start it again in like 6/7 months or so.
Where is a good place in Calgary to store a car for the winter? I went to a storage place in the North East and they said $300/month without insurance! :banghead:

Thanks :dunno:

[Ed the SOHC]

Originally posted by frenchdriver

Where is a good place in Calgary to store a car for the winter? I went to a storage place in the North East and they said $300/month without insurance! :banghead:

Thanks :dunno:

look in the newspaper and you'll find ppl renting out their garage for ~$200/month. It's not such a great deal but it's definitely cheaper.

[cocoabrova]

Originally posted by Ed the SOHC


look in the newspaper and you'll find ppl renting out their garage for ~$200/month. It's not such a great deal but it's definitely cheaper.
YOu can store it for $200/mth in my garage... :thumbsup:

[frenchdriver]

Originally posted by cocoabrova

YOu can store it for $200/mth in my garage... :thumbsup:

24 pack of beer/month and we'll call it even :thumbsup:

[T-rus]

put fuel stabalizer in that way the fuel will actually work for you in 7 months.


Mr. CocoaBrova I don't think the better half would like that one as she will have to park her car outside. But I guess the money would make up for it.

[shadowz]

Dont forget the all mighty car cover, my buddy has had his car stored for quite a while and it collects lots of dust, you dont want any of that!

[Daddymax]

so I shoudl get fuel stabiliser now and pu tit in? or get it later and put it in after 6 months?

[jeff]

put ithe stabilizer in now because it keeps the gas good if you put it in 6 mounths from now it wont do any good

[A_3]

i did that with my car a while ago, just take it out once a month for a spin around the block and it should be alright

[GTS Jeff]

if u have a shitty set of wheels/tires, use them.

[GT2NV]

before you put your car away wax it as well..

[Cam]

Copied & pasted (again!) from honda-tech:

-----------------------------------------------------------------

You can skip any of these points if you wish as some are more hardcore than others, ok, some are really hardcore, but I promise you'll love them!

1) Wash, Polish, Wax
Preparing your paint for winter should be an absolute must, plus it will be shiny when you take it out agaain! My personal system is Meguiers 3 Step, make sure to do this early, because its amazing how fast you can freeze when washing your car in the cold! Clean all chrome with cleaner and polish, lubricate all chassis points including the inside door hinge, trunk and latches with white lithium grease or better, don't forget sunroof tracks!

2) Clean Out the interior
Clean and vaccum the interior, wash those carpets you never paid attention to. If you have leather, apply a heavier than usual coat of cleaner and moisturizer. Use water and soap and not Armour All to clean vinyl and dash, it will leave smell when it gets out in summer. Use a good glass cleaner like 20/20 to do the interior windows, and throw in a new car freshener. Leave the windows slightly open and sunroof closed. Also leave a box of open baking soda in the passanger seat to take out interior moisture (passanger because i kicked the god damn thing in the drivers seat before)

3) Pick the right car cover
A good car cover should be breathable and made of soft material that should not scratch your paint, or trap moisture which could lead to rust (that means NO TARP OR PLASTIC). Also lay down a vapour barrier if your are parking in a garage with cement floors, this will prevent moisture trapping against the underbody and leading to rust (for this get the blue cheap tarp)

4) Battery
Remove the battery from the car and DO NOT place on concrete or metal, put it on a wood surface, as battery charge slowly leaks through concrete and will ruin it. Keep it hooked up to a cheap fully automatic trickle charger to keep it in top condition, a battery that is discharged fully and recharged again will not yeild the same output as before (ie. gets weak!) so stop being cheap and get the charger. This is also a good time to clean the terminals and apply some dielectric grease to them

5) Fuel
Ok, everyones divided on this, Some say remove all fuel by running car until it dies, disconnecting fuel pump line and cranking 6 times, then reconnect the lines. I personally go with the other half and keep a completly full tank of gas, and pour in Gasoline Stabalizer. The reason with the full tank is so that moisture cannot get to your tank and cause it to rust, plus the lines stay full. Since the lines are full and gas is in your car, you need a bottle of stabalizer to help prevent the gas from oxidizing.

6) Tires / Jackstands
Ok, you need to keep your car on jackstands so that your tires don't develop a flat spot as they are trying to support the weight of your car all winter!. I actually completly take my tires off the car, because they are very heavy and put a load on the suspension, but is not required. If you are storing your tires you might consider 5 extra PSI in them and 8-10 if leaving them on without jackstands. Also seeing as the tire is off, clean your brakes with cleaner and possibly bleed your hydrualic lines to remove dirt and moisture (go speedbleeders!)

7) Climate Control
Try to park your car in your garage if possible and if your garage is particularly damp throw in a dehumidifier (I've got to be kidding right? What's next heated garage??) Knowing that no one will and that i'm cheap like the rest of you, instead I have a open bag of sand/soil in the corner to absorb moisture.

8) Under the Hood Prep
Change the oil and filter - A MUST
Top all fluids
Clean your air filter if you can
Check belts and heater hoses
Check the cooling system (Ideal time to change antifreeze if its been a while)
Put steel wool or similar in your tailpipe to avoid spiders and other creatures making new homes..for you guys with big exhausts your on your own! (a Compact Disc perhaps?? )

Now, turn on your car and run it for 10-15 minutes to spread all the new fluids and if you have AC turn it on and let it run too! Freon can leak if allowed to sit for long, so might as well circulate it during those 10 mins. The water temp and oil must be heated before turning it off and storing.

9) Transmission
Leave the car in gear (reverse/1st) and keep the E-Brake off to prevent siezing

10) Routine Checkups

Make sure to start your car at least every other week and and let the temperature stay at normal for 5-10 minutes, this will allow the oil to heat up slightly so at least it can get close to operating temperature. Your best is to excercise the car for 20 minutes, but in winter with salt on the roads it usually does more harm than good.

Look for leaks and such before you turn it off and put it away.

11) TAKE LOTS OF PICTURES OF YOUR CLEAN CAR because you will miss it horribly! Enjoy guys!

[RSD]

Here a place to store your car.

http://forums.beyond.ca/showthread.php?s=&postid=376972#post376972

[buh_buh]

good info!

[rc2002]

That is good info. It's just too bad that it's too late to wax the car now. The extra air in the tires makes sense - I never thought to put an extra 5 PSI when storing tires.

[BMWilli]

Originally posted by choweyt3t4
not too much has to be done i would recommend to take your battery out and put it inside somewhere.and you should start the car once a month at least and let it run for a bit.

how do you start the car with the battery out?:confused:

[syeve]

Originally posted by BMWilli


how do you start the car with the battery out?:confused:

I believe you can put it back in

[Illusionsir]

Originally posted by syeve


I believe you can put it back in


You mean to tell me Batteries are re-useable?!?! :confused:



:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[?????]

haha yeah good point buh_buh. when i worked at bmw a mouse got into a M3 over winter and they had to rip the whole car apart to find it and fix all the wire it chewed up. cost the guy around 5g's to get it fixed.

[sandman]

wouldnt jus turning the car on and maybe taking around the block jus kill the damn thing, or at least get it out?
holy shit a mouse...:eek: thas not cool

[Ducati]

I have stored several cars and motorcycles for periods ranging up to a few months to the eight years that I stored a Plymouth Hemi, before I stupidly decided to sell the thing. My present toy, a 1971 Alfa Romeo GTV has been stored for four years, however I am always out in the garage doing something to it, so it is well preserved.
A car deteriorates faster in storage than it does being used.

I have had the upholstery in a 1966 Dodge Charger eaten and shit in by mice, and a family of some kinda mouse moved into the exhaust system of a Suzuki Katana motorcycle. Bees built a nest in the glove compartment of a 55 Chev Sedan Delivery that I had eons ago (and the bees chased my dad down the street when he stumbled accidentally into the nest while searching my car looking for my marijuana stash - funny as hell at the time)
I have had opossums move into my lawn tractor bag, and racoons in my boat. Lesson learned the hard way - CRITTER PROOF your stored vehicle.

High compression engines are cantankerous to start after storage. The Hemi took ages to fire, I did all the right things - filled it up with premuim & "sta-bil", but ended up having to drain the tank and refill after a week of failed attempts to fire the bastard up.

Clean, waxed vehicles are less likely to deteriorate, as mold is a problem I constantly face here in BC. A bag of moisture absorbant helps. Do NOT mink oil your leather. It will ROT. Silicone treatments work best.

I always either overinflate the tires a bit, and/or put jackstands just snug enough under the vehicle to support it if a tire loses air (and to support the extra weight of all the CRAP that ends up being stored in the stored vehicle, over time) Stored vehicles ultimately themselves become storage for all that shit that you really should sell at the swap meet, but cant bear to part with.

Another thing I do is to remove plugs and squirt about 10cc (an old hypo syringefull) of light oil such as rislone or sewing machine oil down each cylinder, turning the engine over, and then squirting a wee bit more down each plug hole after that first procedure. Careful not to put too much down the cyl. or you could create a hydraulic lock condition when you go to start the engine, and bend a rod or something.

Yes, everybody who said REMOVE THE BATTERY was right. However if you have an oddball vehicle like an old english or Italian car or motorcycle, be sure to note with tape or a diagram where the terminals hook up. I have seen an old Morris Minor burn up all of its wiring by having the battery cross-wired when a new battery was hooked up by a well meaning but ignorant in the ways of European vehicles guy who was just trying to be helpful.

[forgiven]

just make sure u fill the gas tank so nno air will get in. then after u fill put a boddle of gas treatment in and it should be ready to put away after u wash wax etc.