Advice on stored car - BMW Z3

[Jimi.K.]

Hi all,

I have a BMW Z3 2.8 which, since receiving a new company car last autumn, is the third car in our household. I love the car, and have kept it as a weekend summer toy which I planned to use 6 months of the year and SORN it and store it in my garage the rest of the time. With that in mind it's been tucked away since mid October and hasn't moved since.

Storage steps I took:
- gave it a good clean & wax
- brimmed the fuel tank (didn't use a fuel stabiliser though )
- topped up the tyres to the sidewall maximum
- connected a battery maintainer
- left the handbrake off

6 months on, with all the coronavirus travel restrictions, I can't justify putting it back on the road now as planned. If this summer is going to be write-off, I'm even wondering if I should just leave it where it is until spring 2021. It's due a major service and MOT, and with tax and insurance I'm looking at £800+ to put it back on the road - quite a lot of money just to use it once a week to make an 'essential journey' to the supermarket! (I also have 2 other cars which need an occasional run too!)

Theoretically if I was to leave it where it is for another 12 months (total 18 months) am I going to face major issues?
Should I start the engine up and take it up and down my driveway a few times?
Should I drain the 6-month old fuel out of the tank? Any benefit in adding a fuel stabiliser now?

Any other tips now I'm looking at longer term storage?

Thanks, Jimi

[Mr lestat]

You have done all the right things so far. If you aren’t going to use it at all maybe pull out the plugs and put a small squirt of oil down each bore. Then turn it over with the plugs out. If you are going to run it then make sure it gets up to temp before switching off. Possibly put it on axle stands as well.

[Weekendrebuild]

Yeah second above, or remove coils and just turn over to bring up oil . If your doing that tho might aswell do a little service as you’ve done the hard part .

I’ve got loads sat like that currently sorning everything.

[rallycross]

Just move it back and forth a few times and let it get up to temperature now and again, use the central locking and eke windows etc now and again. Don’t need to worry about fuel it will be fine for a few years and don’t bother about servicing or oil.

[Jimi.K.]

Thanks for the advice guys. My main worry is the old fuel sitting in the tank, but hopefully by running the engine (up to temp) every few months it will stop anything getting too gummed up.

Fingers crossed the isolation rules are relaxed a bit by the summer and I'll be able to justifying getting it back on the road sooner rather than later!

[Julian Thompson]

On an older car like a z3 you can pull the positive feed off the coil to stop it starting up. Crank it for 20 seconds to build some oil pressure if it has been stood ages.

[A1VDY]

Ref fuel, it'll be fine, it won't go 'off' for years.
As already mentioned, start and run it fully up to temperature once every couple of months, get the rad fans to kick in. Spray both sides of the discs with acf or similar and just spray brake cleaner to wash it off before using it again. Axle stands are better for longer term storage.
Use a soft fleece cover for indoor storage and a 4 layer waterproof cover outside. Beware covers advertised as 'water resistant'. Don't use cheap lightweight outdoor covers as these generally don't have a lining and will buff paint to a matt finish on corners/edges where there's wind movement.

Edit> sorry, just re read your post and it's in your garage..

[Weekendrebuild]

Never start it till you intend to use it ! This is crap starting every few months . Unless you run it for 40mins or more , all your doing is wearing bearings and introducing water ( condensation ) to your oil and exhaust !.

[rallycross]

Weekendrebuild said:

Never start it till you intend to use it ! This is crap starting every few months . Unless you run it for 40mins or more , all your doing is wearing bearings and introducing water ( condensation ) to your oil and exhaust !.

We’ve seen lots of cars which have had long term park ups and I don’t agree with that / leave there should be no wear from regular start ups ( every few weeks) I’m taking about fairly regular cars not historic classics. Modern fully synthetic oil is not taking water in.

[GreenV8S]

rallycross said:

Modern fully synthetic oil is not taking water in.

How does it make any difference what type of oil is being used? Acidic condensation is being deposited in the crank case and exhaust while the engine is running cold, and takes time and heat to boil off and break down. An engine that is brought slowly up to temperature and then switched off spends most of its time accumulating acids and very little getting rid of them.

[E-bmw]

rallycross said:

Weekendrebuild said:

Never start it till you intend to use it ! This is crap starting every few months . Unless you run it for 40mins or more , all your doing is wearing bearings and introducing water ( condensation ) to your oil and exhaust !.

We’ve seen lots of cars which have had long term park ups and I don’t agree with that / leave there should be no wear from regular start ups ( every few weeks) I’m taking about fairly regular cars not historic classics. Modern fully synthetic oil is not taking water in.

As a few have said if you run it, run it fully up to temperature through the whole of the engine including the exhaust every few months & it will be fine.

If you have a drive move it back & forth a few times also.

Fuel will be fine.

I used to have an e36 328 & did this for 18 months with no issues at all.

[Old Merc]

rallycross said:

Weekendrebuild said:

Never start it till you intend to use it ! This is crap starting every few months . Unless you run it for 40mins or more , all your doing is wearing bearings and introducing water ( condensation ) to your oil and exhaust !.

We’ve seen lots of cars which have had long term park ups and I don’t agree with that / leave there should be no wear from regular start ups ( every few weeks) I’m taking about fairly regular cars not historic classics. Modern fully synthetic oil is not taking water in.

I`ve been sorning and garaging my R129 over the winter for years, never had a problem. Normally it gets taxed 1st April but it looks highly likely it wont get taxed now till next year?
My usual routine 1st October was to garage it dry, spotless, waxed, with the battery disconnected and covered in a quality dust cover. Every month or so when there was a nice dry sunny day, I would give the battery a charge, start it up, operate the roof etc and run it around this dead end bit where I live to warm the discs and get the engine hot.
Just SORNed my wife`s daily, so it looks as if that car will get the same treatment..

[Jimi.K.]

Thanks for all the replies. I pushed the car out of the garage yesterday... turned the key and... it started perfectly first time, no drama at all

Gave it a run up and down the drive a few times and let it get up to temperature, and have now tucked it away again, hopefully not for too much longer, but who knows!

[Gerradi]

Sorn my Alfa every winter ,tyre man said no need inflate tyres abovrue normal pressure because modern tyres construction makes it unecessary.

[Jimi.K.]

Gerradi said:

Sorn my Alfa every winter ,tyre man said no need inflate tyres abovrue normal pressure because modern tyres construction makes it unecessary.

I can imagine that might be the case with run-flat tyres which obviously have a much stiffer sidewall. Perhaps your tyre man is confusing conventional tyres with these?

Googling the topic certainly makes it appear flat spots can still occur with modern tyres.

[izzybella]

I used to stand my Mx5's up over the winter period, one thing that has not be mentioned is the anti freeze strength and one year the washer bottle froze and burst just saying. I also lubed the door locks to stop them sticking, also backed the car into the garage and chocked the wheels when leaving the handbrake off.