Storing a car and how to prepare
Discussion
I've decided to store my car for around 8 months until I finish University. Luckily it looks like I have a family members garage I can keep it in for no charge. I was looking at the AA's guide for doing this and have a few questions.
http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/laying_up.htm...
1. Is it really necessary to slacken the aux belts and lift the car off the ground? After 8 months of the car sitting on the tyres will they deform? The car weighs 1010kg iirc.
2.It says 'Carry out a complete lubrication service, including oil filter.'; I assume this is after storage?
3. What does removing the battery achieve? I want to avoid this in case it plays up with the odometer.
4. Do I lock the car or leave it open? (Related to next question)
5. Leaving the windows down sounds like a bad idea to me with cold weather approaching. It could ruin in the interior couldn't it?
6. I was going to get an indoor car cover as well, worth spending ~£40 on?
Cheers.
http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/laying_up.htm...
1. Is it really necessary to slacken the aux belts and lift the car off the ground? After 8 months of the car sitting on the tyres will they deform? The car weighs 1010kg iirc.
2.It says 'Carry out a complete lubrication service, including oil filter.'; I assume this is after storage?
3. What does removing the battery achieve? I want to avoid this in case it plays up with the odometer.
4. Do I lock the car or leave it open? (Related to next question)
5. Leaving the windows down sounds like a bad idea to me with cold weather approaching. It could ruin in the interior couldn't it?
6. I was going to get an indoor car cover as well, worth spending ~£40 on?
Cheers.
That's a lot of work - what car is it?
Best treatment would probably be getting a family member to take it on a 60min gentle run once a month.
My old MX5 has stood for months in the garage before. The night before I'll check tyres / fluids, then just wake it up, track it, put it back in the garage. It doesn't seem to suffer as a result.
Best treatment would probably be getting a family member to take it on a 60min gentle run once a month.
My old MX5 has stood for months in the garage before. The night before I'll check tyres / fluids, then just wake it up, track it, put it back in the garage. It doesn't seem to suffer as a result.
I left a car with low profile tyres laid up for a year and they were fine, it did get moved every so often though. My 944 which hadn't moved for roughly 8 years didn't have deformed tyres (still wouldn't trust them).
Battery was left in my car that was only laid up for a year as it was outside so wanted to keep it locked but the idea is that it should stop the battery being completely drained and risking it not holding charge anymore (although unlikely if healthy) and to prevent acid spilling out and rusting through the car.
I imagine the window thing is to stop the car from going mouldy inside which they do surprisingly quickly but if thoroughly cleaned it helps against this.
Battery was left in my car that was only laid up for a year as it was outside so wanted to keep it locked but the idea is that it should stop the battery being completely drained and risking it not holding charge anymore (although unlikely if healthy) and to prevent acid spilling out and rusting through the car.
I imagine the window thing is to stop the car from going mouldy inside which they do surprisingly quickly but if thoroughly cleaned it helps against this.
T84 said:
1 - Pop it on 4 axle stands if you can, lubricate the belts
2 - Before
3 - Stops it discharging, it won't affect the Odo.
4 - I'd leave it open
5 - No
6 - If you fully wax and polish it, put a bedsheet or something over to keep the dust off.
I'm not a mechanic.
Thanks. For number 5 you mean leave them open I assume.2 - Before
3 - Stops it discharging, it won't affect the Odo.
4 - I'd leave it open
5 - No
6 - If you fully wax and polish it, put a bedsheet or something over to keep the dust off.
I'm not a mechanic.
Matt UK said:
That's a lot of work - what car is it?
Best treatment would probably be getting a family member to take it on a 60min gentle run once a month.
My old MX5 has stood for months in the garage before. The night before I'll check tyres / fluids, then just wake it up, track it, put it back in the garage. It doesn't seem to suffer as a result.
It's a Clio Cup 172, there's some pics in my profile. I can't really get a family member to run it as it will not be insured during this time and will have no tax (both reasons it's going off the road). If I could I'd just take it home to my parents' house, leave it on the drive and get my dad to take it out but it needs tax to do this of course.Best treatment would probably be getting a family member to take it on a 60min gentle run once a month.
My old MX5 has stood for months in the garage before. The night before I'll check tyres / fluids, then just wake it up, track it, put it back in the garage. It doesn't seem to suffer as a result.
If I'm leaving the windows open and the car unlocked, my thinking now is to get it on stands, take the wheels off and put them in the house so its impossible to steal as it will be uninsured.
GaryST220 said:
After a month of standing my Mondeo was a bit stuttery at low rpm but soon cleared up after 10 miles, I can only assume it was crap on the spark plugs (air and moisture etc). Perhaps its worth removing them, as is advised when you store gardening equipment throughout winter?
I was thinking I might do this as it's recommended to turn the engine over to get the oil moving around after storage. But wouldn't removing them while it's in storage expose the cylinders and pistons?And annoyingly the intake manifold sits on top of the rocker cover which means taking that off and potentially needing to replace the gasket between the intake manifold and the engine.
Eight months is nothing. I left one of my integrales for well over a year - works fine. My commuting Pug 106 got left in my mums drive for 2 years, then in her garage for 4 more. It needed a jump start, two tyres blowing up and a shot of petrol down the carb to make it fire before the jump start battery went flat - still running.
Stick it in the garage on a dry day, having left it out a bit to make sure it's not wet. If you have to wash it, do it days before and drive it a bit to shake the water out of all the nooks and crannies. Don't stick it in there wet. If you really have to, get someone to open the doors for the first few days to ensure it drys off. A draughty, but with a good roof, garage or car-port is better for storing a car in - the air flow keeps the car condensation free.
If you really want, blow the tyres up a bit more than normal - say 40 psi - but if they are going to go flat, they will still go flat. It'll have a plastic petrol tank, so no need to especially bother about filling the tank to prevent it rusting. Forget theories about petrol going off - it'll still start and run - might not give the last 2hp, but . . . Switch the key to lights on position a few times on re-start to keep running the pump to get the fuel system pressurised and so let it start as quick as possible. Leave the plugs in - don't want anything falling in there.
Drive / reverse it in, leaving room to get to the battery, leave it in gear, maybe chock a wheel so it can't roll at all, leave the handbake off (so it doesn't seize on, or stretch the cable). Wind the windows up, shut the air vents (you don't want mice, dust, spiders, your sisters 4yr old kid climbing in ), pull the bonnet release, get out, lock it, open the bonnet, disconnect battery negative terminal.
Don't bother with a dust cover unless you really want - it'll only trap damp / grind any dirt on the car into the paint / make who-ever's garage it is think it'll be okay to stand their mug / toolbox / ladder on top of it.
Bugger off to uni . . realise after a month you miss driving it, re-insure and tax it and get it nicked outside your student house 3 days later . .
Don't what ever you do, leave the keys for someone to start it every week / month "to keep it free" - you'll do more damage to it with all the cold starts, condensation collecting in the oil, exhaust fumes condensing in the exhaust and rotting it out than any perceived benefit.
And after all that - think of most new cars - made in a feorign land, stored in a field, shoved on a ship, transported half-way round the world and then shoved in another field then a dealers yard - not exactly being used every day are they?
Maybe do the oil and filter change when you push it back out into the sunlight - probably more for peace of mind than anything - I never have with stored cars, and I've not had any problems.
Have fun an uni - but you'll have more mates/girls/blokes with a car than without ;-) And how will you join the uni motor club without one? You'll have to be a navigator rather than a driver . . .
Bri
Stick it in the garage on a dry day, having left it out a bit to make sure it's not wet. If you have to wash it, do it days before and drive it a bit to shake the water out of all the nooks and crannies. Don't stick it in there wet. If you really have to, get someone to open the doors for the first few days to ensure it drys off. A draughty, but with a good roof, garage or car-port is better for storing a car in - the air flow keeps the car condensation free.
If you really want, blow the tyres up a bit more than normal - say 40 psi - but if they are going to go flat, they will still go flat. It'll have a plastic petrol tank, so no need to especially bother about filling the tank to prevent it rusting. Forget theories about petrol going off - it'll still start and run - might not give the last 2hp, but . . . Switch the key to lights on position a few times on re-start to keep running the pump to get the fuel system pressurised and so let it start as quick as possible. Leave the plugs in - don't want anything falling in there.
Drive / reverse it in, leaving room to get to the battery, leave it in gear, maybe chock a wheel so it can't roll at all, leave the handbake off (so it doesn't seize on, or stretch the cable). Wind the windows up, shut the air vents (you don't want mice, dust, spiders, your sisters 4yr old kid climbing in ), pull the bonnet release, get out, lock it, open the bonnet, disconnect battery negative terminal.
Don't bother with a dust cover unless you really want - it'll only trap damp / grind any dirt on the car into the paint / make who-ever's garage it is think it'll be okay to stand their mug / toolbox / ladder on top of it.
Bugger off to uni . . realise after a month you miss driving it, re-insure and tax it and get it nicked outside your student house 3 days later . .
Don't what ever you do, leave the keys for someone to start it every week / month "to keep it free" - you'll do more damage to it with all the cold starts, condensation collecting in the oil, exhaust fumes condensing in the exhaust and rotting it out than any perceived benefit.
And after all that - think of most new cars - made in a feorign land, stored in a field, shoved on a ship, transported half-way round the world and then shoved in another field then a dealers yard - not exactly being used every day are they?
Maybe do the oil and filter change when you push it back out into the sunlight - probably more for peace of mind than anything - I never have with stored cars, and I've not had any problems.
Have fun an uni - but you'll have more mates/girls/blokes with a car than without ;-) And how will you join the uni motor club without one? You'll have to be a navigator rather than a driver . . .
Bri
Thanks, I did think the AA's write up was just a tad OTT 
It's already outside my student house, and I hate having it here. Some scrote has already nicked the aerial off it.
Girls just call it a chav car because to them it looks like a modded clio. *sigh* it gets me nowhere with them. It only impresses blokes when I go out for a drive and they come along. Gonna miss it but I would miss the £1500+ to insure and tax if for another year even more.
Bricol said:
Bugger off to uni . . realise after a month you miss driving it, re-insure and tax it and get it nicked outside your student house 3 days later . .
Have fun an uni - but you'll have more mates/girls/blokes with a car than without ;-) And how will you join the uni motor club without one? You'll have to be a navigator rather than a driver . . .
Bri
Have fun an uni - but you'll have more mates/girls/blokes with a car than without ;-) And how will you join the uni motor club without one? You'll have to be a navigator rather than a driver . . .
Bri
It's already outside my student house, and I hate having it here. Some scrote has already nicked the aerial off it.
Girls just call it a chav car because to them it looks like a modded clio. *sigh* it gets me nowhere with them. It only impresses blokes when I go out for a drive and they come along. Gonna miss it but I would miss the £1500+ to insure and tax if for another year even more.
Some more stuff here:
http://is.gd/fPmYX
Main thing is to make sure it's clean, dry and polished before you put it away! If you over inflate the tyres by about 10psi that will help prevent any flat spots. For eight months there shouldn't be a problem anyway unless you get a flat, or partial flat tyre. If you have power, a trickle charger, light bulb and rodent repeller can make a big difference. A dust cover is good and an old bedsheet is fine, however, if there are leaks (in the garage) or much damp it's better not to put a cover on.
Regarding fuel, if you leave a few litres in when you park it up and fill up directly after taking out of storage you should avoid any potential issues there.
I do not pretend to be an expert, but I do store cars for a living and I'm happy to try and answer any specific questions.
http://is.gd/fPmYX
Main thing is to make sure it's clean, dry and polished before you put it away! If you over inflate the tyres by about 10psi that will help prevent any flat spots. For eight months there shouldn't be a problem anyway unless you get a flat, or partial flat tyre. If you have power, a trickle charger, light bulb and rodent repeller can make a big difference. A dust cover is good and an old bedsheet is fine, however, if there are leaks (in the garage) or much damp it's better not to put a cover on.
Regarding fuel, if you leave a few litres in when you park it up and fill up directly after taking out of storage you should avoid any potential issues there.
I do not pretend to be an expert, but I do store cars for a living and I'm happy to try and answer any specific questions.
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