Winter Storage Tips

[importracer]

Hello Beyond

It has been a few years since I have stored a vehicle over the winter. I used to just wash and park with a full tank of fuel, without any issues come spring.

From some online reading, there seems to be several different theories. I am thinking of doing the following:
- battery tender
- Full tank of 94 octane fuel
- wheel chocks (leave car in gear and e-brake down)
- inflate tire pressure by 5 psi to prevent flat spots (is this necessary?)
- wash
- car cover
- No oil change until spring, as I only put 2k since the last change in spring

Curious to see what routine Beyonders follow when parking their vehicles over the winter months.

[SJW]

Any vehicle I store the battery comes out and goes inside. Fuel stabilizer. That's about it.

[ExtraSlow]

If you only change the oil once per year, I'd be biased towards changing it in the fall not the spring.

Battery indoors or on tender.

Gas tank full.

[Team_Mclaren]

Battery tender and car cover. That's it. I store 5 cars in the winter lol that's what they all get. 3 inside, 2 outside.

[Xtrema]

Well ethanol free fuel is not a thing any more. Will stabilize help? Or DGAF?

[88CRX]

Full tank of gas, disconnect negative terminal, wash, car cover, leave in neutral.

[ExtraSlow]

Well ethanol free fuel is not a thing any more. Will stabilize help? Or DGAF?

Most DGAF, but some stabilizer is not a bad idea.

[killramos]

I think it also depends what your storage period is.

First week of October until the end of May is a very different time period than mid November to late march.

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

Take care of the battery and protect the exterior from any elements. That’s all I’d be concerned about.

[HiSpec]

Cover your exhaust outlet if your car is really low. Rodents tend to find shelter in there.

[nismodrifter]

Car cover. Trickle charger. I put my roof up yesterday marking end of season for me as steady rain is in the forecast for the coming weeks. Haven't driven it since August anyways because we have a new baby at home. I usually ONLY drive it top down. Perhaps that needs to change. I could drive it right through December with top up as long as they don't salt the roads. That means it might get dirty though. Eek

On the topic of rodents, I believe there is a mouse in my garage. I am declaring war on it this weekend. Any other precautions to take re rodents? Have read about peppermint oil to deter them etc. I do not want damage done by a freaking mouse. They chewed through my Infinitis harness causing 4k in damage a few years ago.

[ThePenIsMightier]

This is the most over thought out thing since excessive oil changes. Park, lock and wait.
1. Either disconnect battery or attach a tender.
2. Fuel level is essentially irrelevant unless you have an ancient, steel tank.
3. I choose to use stabilizer, but modern fuel doesn't need it for <2 years.
4. IFF you have fancier tires, maybe only important thing is to park the tires on something to insulate them from a significantly colder surface. I maybe will do this for this winter, but it will be the first time and no ragrets. +5psi or not, who cares.

[ThePenIsMightier]

...

On the topic of rodents, I believe there is a mouse in my garage. I am declaring war on it this weekend. Any other precautions to take re rodents? Have read about peppermint oil to deter them etc. I do not want damage done by a freaking mouse. They chewed through my Infinitis harness causing 4k in damage a few years ago.

Traps with peanut butter and more traps with more peanut butter.
Glue traps as a secondary.

I had a very similar situation this summer with a fat-cocked mouse in my garage and it was dead within 24hr with only two traps.

[ExtraSlow]

Step 1, remove food sources. Step 2 snap traps with PB.

My neighbors mouse population has exploded this summer. I'm catching 1 a night with 1 trap. But important to remove carcass or the other mice eat that. Mice are cannibals.

[BavarianBeast]

I use a tender, car cover and over inflate my tires slightly

[4WARNED]

Battery tender
Full tank of gas
Car cover
Bounce dryer sheets in interior and on inside of each rim to keep critters from climbing ( mice hate the smell)

[nismodrifter]

Traps with peanut butter and more traps with more peanut butter.
Glue traps as a secondary.

.

This is my plan. There is a mouse related thread in the home section that had alot of great advice. The food source was a bag of grass seed. I've eliminated that and cleaned out the garage. Just need to do the killing now.
4WARNED Thanks for posting re the bounce sheets in the wheel barrel. Thst is the exact kind of advice I was seeking.

[D'z Nutz]

What's the logic behind leaving the car in gear vs neutral?

[mr2mike]

What's the logic behind leaving the car in gear vs neutral?

Dunno but I leave mine in gear and ebrake off. Don't need to stretch discontinued parts.

[killramos]

Well pulled the trigger today. Need to grab a longer cord for the tender but will hook that up later.

116092
116093

Debated tossing winters on this year but don’t really feel like pushing it this year. Can always reinsure and toss them on if I am itching for it.

[jutes]

Pretty sure using an AMG cover on an //M is a hate crime.

[killramos]

my favourite kind of crime

[mr2mike]

Looks like a confused realtor.
Semi-detached cover?

[killramos]

Looks like a confused realtor.
Semi-detached cover?

The real debate is am I underselling or overselling the car underneath

[94boosted]

If you only change the oil once per year, I'd be biased towards changing it in the fall not the spring.



:werd: that’s what I’ve always done.

[killramos]

See I always push maintenance until after storage. M2 needs a brake fluid flush, seems silly to do that before spring.

[ExtraSlow]

The thought with oil is that used oil can be corrosive or water contaminated. So you want that out before storage.
In terms of brake fluid performance for the track, yeah changing in the spring is probably better.

Either way, the difference is pretty subtle, IMHO.

[killramos]

This is also in the context of a car that times out its oil annually with maybe 6,000km a year.

Probably comes out damn near clean, not that id know lmao

[mr2mike]

Personally, I'd rather the used oil "saturated with water" sit in the pan till spring. Change oil, do spring start up.
The oil pans I've removed during rebuilds, don't exactly scream pitted and rusting.

[88CRX]

I do it in the fall if possible, weather/timing permitted. Likely makes zero difference as its only seeing 250-500km annually.

[Team_Mclaren]

Are we still in the 1980s? I'd like to believe that oil technology is better now and oil sitting for 6 month isnt gonna go bad....

[max_boost]

Are we still in the 1980s? I'd like to believe that oil technology is better now and oil sitting for 6 month isnt gonna go bad....

I start my car up every month for about 30mins :dunno:
That’s the max_boost winter way of storage :dunno:

[88CRX]

Are we still in the 1980s? I'd like to believe that oil technology is better now and oil sitting for 6 month isnt gonna go bad....

Truth.

I'm sure the local car hoarder isn't even changing oil on the entire fleet once a year..... GASP!

[Team_Mclaren]

Truth.

I'm sure the local car hoarder isn't even changing oil on the entire fleet once a year..... GASP!

#FACT.

The RX8 has been driven 90km since the last oil change last July. that oil is staying in the car this winter.

[bjstare]

I start my car up every month for about 30mins :dunno:
That’s the max_boost winter way of storage :dunno:

This is actually worse than not starting it. Unless you’re actually taking it out for a drive, it’s better to just plug in a battery tender and leave it sit.

[ExtraSlow]

This is actually worse than not starting it. Unless you’re actually taking it out for a drive, it’s better to just plug in a battery tender and leave it sit.

This. I feel like we go through this every year.

[killramos]

This. I feel like we go through this every year.

It’s not even worth debating at this point

[mr2mike]

This. I feel like we go through this every year.

No one put a year on the thread start so, the cycle repeats next October.

[ExtraSlow]

No one put a year on the thread start so, the cycle repeats next October.

Fair.

[max_boost]

This is actually worse than not starting it. Unless you’re actually taking it out for a drive, it’s better to just plug in a battery tender and leave it sit.


• If possible, remove the vehicle from the garage or enclosed area, remove covering, and periodically run the engine until it reaches full operating temperature (the cooling fan cycles on and off twice). Preferably, do this once a month.
• To maintain the High Voltage battery, drive your vehicle for more than 30 minutes at least once every three months.
If road conditions are not suitable or desirable for driving, the following alternate procedure can be used to maintain the vehicle's High Voltage battery if local laws permit idling:
1. Remove the vehicle from the garage or enclosed area to prevent carbon monoxide accumulation.
2. Depress the brake pedal and press the ENGINE START/STOP button as you normally would to start the vehicle.
3. Allow the vehicle to run for 30 minutes. Time spent at idle stop still counts as part of this
30-minute run.

But yes can also take it out for a rip during those warm chinook days :D

[bjstare]

But yes can also take it out for a rip during those warm chinook days :D

Oh right, hybrid things.

It’s awd, buy some winters and drive that thing year round.

[flipstah]

This. I feel like we go through this every year.

Our minds ain't getting sharper by the day

[Shlade]

Its been many years since ive put a vehicle away for winter but the crown vic got put away the other day. All i did was give it a good wash, going to put some dryer sheets in the trunk and inside (not that my garage seems to have a mouse problem anyway) probably going to disconnect the negative battery terminal sometime this month and thats really it.

Has half a tank of gas, and i didnt bother to change the oil ill do that in the spring.. Simple stuff to me people over complicate this.

Fire it up once a month if you wanna. Your car will be fine its away from the elements if you leave it outside if just leave it all winter then.