Mothballing/ long term storage of a modern car
Discussion
Hi All,
I'm after a bit of advice.
My wife has fell in love with her range rover to such an extent that she never (and i mean NEVER) wants to get rid of it. It holds an emotional hold on her because i bought it for her 40th birthday.
Anyway, when her new one comes she wants to store the present one in the garage and leave it there... We're talking for like 20 or 30 years.
Don't even say it, i know it's madness, but you know what they say......... happy wife, happy life and all that!
What i want advise on is how to store a car such that if i were ever minded to resurrect it, i could do so with the minimum of issues.
it's a MY17 L405 range rover SDV8 so has modern electronics. is it as simple as disconnecting the battery, or will that break something long term? how will the door locks etc get on?
presumably wheels off, in bags and stored under the car to prevent flat spots
will the airbags not like being left in full droop long term, or shall i jack it onto the lower suspension arms to support the car with the suspension compressed?
all fluids drained? how do you get ALL the fluids out of the lines so they don't turn into treacle long term.
store in a carcoon? or just a breathable dust sheet to keep air flow - it will be stored in a dry modern garage.
any other thoughts/comments gratefully received
I'm after a bit of advice.
My wife has fell in love with her range rover to such an extent that she never (and i mean NEVER) wants to get rid of it. It holds an emotional hold on her because i bought it for her 40th birthday.
Anyway, when her new one comes she wants to store the present one in the garage and leave it there... We're talking for like 20 or 30 years.
Don't even say it, i know it's madness, but you know what they say......... happy wife, happy life and all that!
What i want advise on is how to store a car such that if i were ever minded to resurrect it, i could do so with the minimum of issues.
it's a MY17 L405 range rover SDV8 so has modern electronics. is it as simple as disconnecting the battery, or will that break something long term? how will the door locks etc get on?
presumably wheels off, in bags and stored under the car to prevent flat spots
will the airbags not like being left in full droop long term, or shall i jack it onto the lower suspension arms to support the car with the suspension compressed?
all fluids drained? how do you get ALL the fluids out of the lines so they don't turn into treacle long term.
store in a carcoon? or just a breathable dust sheet to keep air flow - it will be stored in a dry modern garage.
any other thoughts/comments gratefully received
I've kept some cars for long periods either covered or stored, have two in a heated lock up now.
Over inflate tyres, trickle charge and full service when planning to be back on the road. If you're planning to cover it up, make sure its super clean inside out.
If you have the chance to air the interior and start it every now and then it wouldn't hurt.
What kind of place are you looking to store it? Somewhere dry, heated, carpeted etc?
Over inflate tyres, trickle charge and full service when planning to be back on the road. If you're planning to cover it up, make sure its super clean inside out.
If you have the chance to air the interior and start it every now and then it wouldn't hurt.
What kind of place are you looking to store it? Somewhere dry, heated, carpeted etc?
Greg_D said:
I'm after a bit of advice.
My wife has fell in love with her range rover to such an extent that she never wants to get rid of it.... when her new one comes
Hate to state the obvious, but if she loves it so much then why is she getting a new one? My wife has fell in love with her range rover to such an extent that she never wants to get rid of it.... when her new one comes
Would be cheaper to not buy the new one and keep the current one going. If she gets a new RR every 5 years that's probably in the region of £10k/yr in depreciation. Can't see a 2017 RR costing £10k/annum in upkeep for the next 20 years.
I can't help but think that keeping on using it, warming it up once in a while and driving for say 1000 miles a year would be better for the car and cheaper financially in the long term.
You'd still insure It I presume so the above would only really cost you the odd month in tax by direct debit and an MOT which shouldn't pull up too many surprises each year if it is low mileage.
Offset this against the cost of bushes etc drying up and cracking and the potential for certain electrics to go funny if it has been left standing and the fact that when you sell it in X amount of years time it will be a low use car, as opposed to something that will need a recommission as it has been stood for so long.
You'd still insure It I presume so the above would only really cost you the odd month in tax by direct debit and an MOT which shouldn't pull up too many surprises each year if it is low mileage.
Offset this against the cost of bushes etc drying up and cracking and the potential for certain electrics to go funny if it has been left standing and the fact that when you sell it in X amount of years time it will be a low use car, as opposed to something that will need a recommission as it has been stood for so long.
Leaving it on axle stands unused for 20 or 30 years seems utterly crazy for a car this new and worth that much money. It is just going to degrade over time, all the rubber components are going to degrade and it will need a total overhaul if you ever want to use it again.
Also I wonder what the chances are of leaving something so complicated for 20 or 30 years and for all the electronics to work after all that time?
I think effectively you will just end up with a nostalgic garage ornament that will never get used again.
Also I wonder what the chances are of leaving something so complicated for 20 or 30 years and for all the electronics to work after all that time?
I think effectively you will just end up with a nostalgic garage ornament that will never get used again.
Joey Deacon said:
Leaving it on axle stands unused for 20 or 30 years seems utterly crazy for a car this new and worth that much money. It is just going to degrade over time, all the rubber components are going to degrade and it will need a total overhaul if you ever want to use it again.
Also I wonder what the chances are of leaving something so complicated for 20 or 30 years and for all the electronics to work after all that time?
I think effectively you will just end up with a nostalgic garage ornament that will never get used again.
I don’t disagree with anything you say. It is nuts and a waste of money, it will likely cause problems. And it will turn into an ornament (that’s kind of her point)Also I wonder what the chances are of leaving something so complicated for 20 or 30 years and for all the electronics to work after all that time?
I think effectively you will just end up with a nostalgic garage ornament that will never get used again.
Hence the premise of the thread being ‘that said, how best to go about it…’
Greg_D said:
I don’t disagree with anything you say. It is nuts and a waste of money, it will likely cause problems. And it will turn into an ornament (that’s kind of her point)
Hence the premise of the thread being ‘that said, how best to go about it…’
Sell it and take the grief Hence the premise of the thread being ‘that said, how best to go about it…’
will be easier in the long term, well maybe...........Greg_D said:
Hi All,
I'm after a bit of advice.
My wife has fell in love with her range rover to such an extent that she never (and i mean NEVER) wants to get rid of it. It holds an emotional hold on her because i bought it for her 40th birthday.
Anyway, when her new one comes she wants to store the present one in the garage and leave it there... We're talking for like 20 or 30 years.
Don't even say it, i know it's madness, but you know what they say......... happy wife, happy life and all that!
What i want advise on is how to store a car such that if i were ever minded to resurrect it, i could do so with the minimum of issues.
it's a MY17 L405 range rover SDV8 so has modern electronics. is it as simple as disconnecting the battery, or will that break something long term? how will the door locks etc get on?
presumably wheels off, in bags and stored under the car to prevent flat spots
will the airbags not like being left in full droop long term, or shall i jack it onto the lower suspension arms to support the car with the suspension compressed?
all fluids drained? how do you get ALL the fluids out of the lines so they don't turn into treacle long term.
store in a carcoon? or just a breathable dust sheet to keep air flow - it will be stored in a dry modern garage.
any other thoughts/comments gratefully received
Just suggest you will cancel the new one on the basis of her affection for the current one.I'm after a bit of advice.
My wife has fell in love with her range rover to such an extent that she never (and i mean NEVER) wants to get rid of it. It holds an emotional hold on her because i bought it for her 40th birthday.
Anyway, when her new one comes she wants to store the present one in the garage and leave it there... We're talking for like 20 or 30 years.
Don't even say it, i know it's madness, but you know what they say......... happy wife, happy life and all that!
What i want advise on is how to store a car such that if i were ever minded to resurrect it, i could do so with the minimum of issues.
it's a MY17 L405 range rover SDV8 so has modern electronics. is it as simple as disconnecting the battery, or will that break something long term? how will the door locks etc get on?
presumably wheels off, in bags and stored under the car to prevent flat spots
will the airbags not like being left in full droop long term, or shall i jack it onto the lower suspension arms to support the car with the suspension compressed?
all fluids drained? how do you get ALL the fluids out of the lines so they don't turn into treacle long term.
store in a carcoon? or just a breathable dust sheet to keep air flow - it will be stored in a dry modern garage.
any other thoughts/comments gratefully received
That will focus the mind on priorities.
Any modern car sat for that long and unused will have issues. Keep it in a garage and use occasionally if you must retain, slightly overinflated tyres, attach triple charger, use it monthly and continue getting it serviced.
I was thinking of this thread as I read in this month's EVO magazine that one of their writer's stored his Aston Vantage over the winter and that was long enough for a rodent to eat a load of the wiring.
I can see the attraction of storing something like a basic 'first car' or a classic with a long family history, but a nearly new RR seems the worst car to mothball.
I'm with the poster who says 'just keep using it'.
I can see the attraction of storing something like a basic 'first car' or a classic with a long family history, but a nearly new RR seems the worst car to mothball.
I'm with the poster who says 'just keep using it'.
I would use it as a summer car as simply parking it up and leaving it will kill it.
Get it in a garage for winter.
Get the underside sealed or dinitrol coated.
Have the bodywork detailed to keep it fresh.
Use it for summer for limited mileage and find a decent specialist to keep it happy.
Get it in a garage for winter.
Get the underside sealed or dinitrol coated.
Have the bodywork detailed to keep it fresh.
Use it for summer for limited mileage and find a decent specialist to keep it happy.
A.J.M said:
I would use it as a summer car as simply parking it up and leaving it will kill it.
Get it in a garage for winter.
Get the underside sealed or dinitrol coated.
Have the bodywork detailed to keep it fresh.
Use it for summer for limited mileage and find a decent specialist to keep it happy.
^^^^^^Get it in a garage for winter.
Get the underside sealed or dinitrol coated.
Have the bodywork detailed to keep it fresh.
Use it for summer for limited mileage and find a decent specialist to keep it happy.
What this man said. A 2017 RR with all the respect in the world is probably not the right car to mothball.
Just use it for a few months of the year to keep it running and then garage it from say September through to April or May and as said above get a good specialist to service it when needed. Leaving it standing for years on end will cause many problems.
There are some mad people in the world, and as you say yourself it is a crazy idea.
You could put it on axle stands (keep the weight off of the suspension), drain the fuel and get one of those car bubble jobbies that aim to regulate the environment it is stored in.
However even after 30 years under those conditions it will want serious recommissioning. Even stored in a partially regulated environment anything rubber will degrade, electricis may or may not have been sufficiently regulated by the envirnoment so you may have failed systems and then there is the risk that everything you need in 30 years time to use it again will be obsolete. Or you might be dead. Life is too short for this type of thing - use it or sell it.
I can't work out why your wife would be getting another Range Rover if she loves the 40th birthday present one. If it was a loved gift it would be lovingly used for 30 years, admitting the fact that to joe public it will just look like a cheap old Range Rover and we all know whose hands they end up in, but none of that would matter if the car was truly loved for sentimental reasons. So, what is the angle here - mothball the "loved gift" to tie up the cash element gifted? The gifted one isn't the newest and greatest so doesn't fit into social gatherings? I know its not relevant to the question but you did mention it - it all sounds a bit controlling and misguided to me.
You could put it on axle stands (keep the weight off of the suspension), drain the fuel and get one of those car bubble jobbies that aim to regulate the environment it is stored in.
However even after 30 years under those conditions it will want serious recommissioning. Even stored in a partially regulated environment anything rubber will degrade, electricis may or may not have been sufficiently regulated by the envirnoment so you may have failed systems and then there is the risk that everything you need in 30 years time to use it again will be obsolete. Or you might be dead. Life is too short for this type of thing - use it or sell it.
I can't work out why your wife would be getting another Range Rover if she loves the 40th birthday present one. If it was a loved gift it would be lovingly used for 30 years, admitting the fact that to joe public it will just look like a cheap old Range Rover and we all know whose hands they end up in, but none of that would matter if the car was truly loved for sentimental reasons. So, what is the angle here - mothball the "loved gift" to tie up the cash element gifted? The gifted one isn't the newest and greatest so doesn't fit into social gatherings? I know its not relevant to the question but you did mention it - it all sounds a bit controlling and misguided to me.
Edited by _Mja_ on Tuesday 26th April 12:58
Greg_D said:
she never (and i mean NEVER) wants to get rid of it.
After 12 - 18 months it's unlikely you will recommission it without substantial work, and the amount of work needed will go up every year after that. In a relatively few years it will be beyond economic repair. You need to accept that if you commit to leaving it unused for an extended period it will only ever be a fairly ugly two ton ornament filling the garage until it is eventually scrapped.A more healthy way to look at this IMO is whether you want your enduring memory of the car to be as it is now, or as a slowly moldering lump of rust glaring at you from the garage and waiting for you to scrap it. If you really want to keep the old car, don't buy the new one.
I would imagine a heated garage or a Carcoon would be one of the major steps to preserving the car long term considering the weather in the UK.
This post reminded me of this video i watched a while ago of a lady who owned 2 Honda S2000's with one being the lowest mileage ever seen. She bought one to use followed by second one to keep unused, all from new.
It doesn't appear she took any special steps to keep the low mileage one other than a car cover but then, she lives in Florida where the weather is more favourable in this situation.......
https://youtu.be/9yMyZzDf3Ik
This post reminded me of this video i watched a while ago of a lady who owned 2 Honda S2000's with one being the lowest mileage ever seen. She bought one to use followed by second one to keep unused, all from new.
It doesn't appear she took any special steps to keep the low mileage one other than a car cover but then, she lives in Florida where the weather is more favourable in this situation.......
https://youtu.be/9yMyZzDf3Ik
Easist way would be to drive it every month or so. That would remove the need for any decommissioning/recommissioning.
Plan B would be to suggest that, as she loves it so much, why not keep driving it instead of neglecting it, and have big (ish) diamond ring instead of a new car.
Plan C would be to tell her no point in storing as it'll probably be illegal to drive in 30 years
Plan B would be to suggest that, as she loves it so much, why not keep driving it instead of neglecting it, and have big (ish) diamond ring instead of a new car.
Plan C would be to tell her no point in storing as it'll probably be illegal to drive in 30 years
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