COVID-19 Vehicle Storage - tips

[killramos]

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Commute to Pleasure is one thing but collision to comprehensive (if you have collision) may save you even more if you see the risk is worth it. Might be if you are driving significantly less or not at all.

If you are storing the car I agree. Otherwise I would just drop the km/year way down. Otherwise you could be taking a big risk to make a quick run to the store if something happens. This is assuming you think collision is usually worth it.

[Disoblige]

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If you are storing the car I agree. Otherwise I would just drop the km/year way down. Otherwise you could be taking a big risk to make a quick run to the store if something happens. This is assuming you think collision is usually worth it.

Thing is... does dropping km down really drop $$ that much?
I don't drive much in general so not sure what diff it makes. I'll have to find out. Like from 10k/yr to 5k/yr, etc.

[bigboom]

I saved about $400 dropping my F150 to pleasure use only.

[Sentry]

If it's being ACTUALLY stored, and not just turned into a "pleasure" vehicle instead of a commuter, start it once in a while. Get the oil moving, let the battery charge, let it get up to full temperature. Once a month I'll make myself some coffee, start the M5 and sit in it for a half hour and listen to a bit of music. It's good to remind me I still have it, otherwise it gets forgotten in the garage over winter. Also good to remind the neighbours and rev the piss out of it a bit.

[ExtraSlow]

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If it's being ACTUALLY stored, and not just turned into a "pleasure" vehicle instead of a commuter, start it once in a while. Get the oil moving, let the battery charge, let it get up to full temperature. Once a month I'll make myself some coffee, start the M5 and sit in it for a half hour and listen to a bit of music. It's good to remind me I still have it, otherwise it gets forgotten in the garage over winter. Also good to remind the neighbours and rev the piss out of it a bit.

Disagree. Keep the battery charged and that's it.

[killramos]

+1 Don’t start a car unless you are going to drive it.

As for how much does limiting km save you, hard to say, but if you aren’t driving those km you might as welll save the money. Even if it’s just enough to buy a pack of beer.

[bjstare]

I too thought you’re not supposed to start and idle it if you aren’t driving, but are you two arguing with a guy that builds engines with his bare hands?

[firebane]

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I too thought you’re not supposed to start and idle it if you aren’t driving, but are you two arguing with a guy that builds engines with his bare hands?

The issue is that just because the car is up to temp does not mean the oil is up to temp. If the oil doesn't get up to temp it can create moisture in the crank case.

[ExtraSlow]

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I too thought you’re not supposed to start and idle it if you aren’t driving, but are you two arguing with a guy that builds engines with his bare hands?

I'll argue with anyone about anything. Just ask @killramos

Particularly the idea that 30 minutes of idling once per month is anything beneficial for the battery. A proper maintainer, one night per month, is far superior if you don't want to leave it plugged in continuously.

[B.Spilner]

Called intact to have our work mileage removed on the wifes Crv, save $6 a year? Lol nothing but problems with intact lately.

[killramos]

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I too thought you’re not supposed to start and idle it if you aren’t driving, but are you two arguing with a guy that builds engines with his bare hands?

Not a hill I’m going to die on, but I’d say it was bad advice for 98%+ of the population

[88CRX]

If you're legit storing it for months on end top up the tank and let it sit. I dont start anything until its ready to be driven on the highway and really brought up to operating temperatures. I also remove the batteries and bring them in the house rather then trickle charge them all winter. Or if I'm really lazy I just disconnect them. Come spring I'll throw the trickle charger on them a week before I'm bringing the cars out and I'm good to go.

No winter starts, no fuel stabilizer, no other witchcraft.

[Sentry]

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The issue is that just because the car is up to temp does not mean the oil is up to temp. If the oil doesn't get up to temp it can create moisture in the crank case.

Did you miss the part about revving it? When I do my storage startup on a car it isn't just idling there for 30 mins, I hold it at 2000-3000rpm for minutes at a time, blast it to redline a couple times, back to idle for a couple minutes. Repeat that a couple times, then shut it down. I take it none of you have gone to start a car sitting in storage only to have a collapsed lifter? Keep some oil in the top end.

[firebane]

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Did you miss the part about revving it? When I do my storage startup on a car it isn't just idling there for 30 mins, I hold it at 2000-3000rpm for minutes at a time, blast it to redline a couple times, back to idle for a couple minutes. Repeat that a couple times, then shut it down. I take it none of you have gone to start a car sitting in storage only to have a collapsed lifter? Keep some oil in the top end.

That is fine, but you still don't know what your oil temp is. Your just cycling your oil through the engine.

[lasimmon]

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Called intact to have our work mileage removed on the wifes Crv, save $6 a year? Lol nothing but problems with intact lately.

Did you just calculate how much mileage it is to drive to work and drop your monthly km's? Or actually tell them you are no longer commuting?

[B.Spilner]

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Did you just calculate how much mileage it is to drive to work and drop your monthly km's? Or actually tell them you are no longer commuting?

Actually both. First we told them no more work, (25km one way) and she said it would go down $6/year, then she halfed our total yearly kms and that brought it down $60/year. So she's getting in touch with economical today because obviously something is wrong.

[Sentry]

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That is fine, but you still don't know what your oil temp is. Your just cycling your oil through the engine.

The m5 has an oil temp gauge in the cluster, so yes I absolutely do know what my oil temp is, and it absolutely does get up to temp during my storage startups.


- - - Updated - - -

But what do I know

[killramos]

I forgot how much I love BMW gauge clusters

[Sentry]

It also has the yellow warmup dummy lights in the tach that turn off when oil is up to temp and it's ready to rev lol

[Masked Bandit]

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Called intact to have our work mileage removed on the wifes Crv, save $6 a year? Lol nothing but problems with intact lately.

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Actually both. First we told them no more work, (25km one way) and she said it would go down $6/year, then she halfed our total yearly kms and that brought it down $60/year. So she's getting in touch with economical today because obviously something is wrong.

So are you with Intact or Economical?