how to store a car

[Mili M]

alright so i know its not even time to think about putting the car away for storage yet....but i am bored and i want to learn something new. i have never had to store a car before myself....always owned vehicles that could be driven in the winter or were total piles that i didnt care about. so exactly what process do you guys use to store your vehicles? i need some good tips for my 96 gt once the winter comes. if everything goes well i will most likely redo the interior on my car this winter so the whole inside will be gutted bu i just need some input. thanks everyone! Mili

[VELOCITY]

All I do is dump some stable into the gas. Fill up the tank and let the car run long enough to pull the stabil through the lines. Then I drive it in the garage, dissconnect the battery and put a car cover over it. If it is gong in a non-heated garage I would think about removing the battery so there is no chance of it freezing. I also make sure it is nice and clean inside and out before putting the cover on.

[bad-speller]

All I do is dump some stable into the gas. Fill up the tank and let the car run long enough to pull the stabil through the lines. Then I drive it in the garage, dissconnect the battery and put a car cover over it. If it is gong in a non-heated garage I would think about removing the battery so there is no chance of it freezing. I also make sure it is nice and clean inside and out before putting the cover on.

I agree totally!! Couple things to add:

Get a battery tender and don't start the engine until/unless you can drive it long enough to get it up to temperature.

Brian

[allstock93gt]

drive it into the garage and switch off the battery and walk away!

[Macs Stang]

i basically do the same except for i usually start mine once every two weeks or so. otherwise you can run into problems like a few people had this year where their car wouldn't even start.

[decind]

1977 Newport

In the past I would fill the tank on my summer car, then I would start it once every three weeks and let it run while I smoked a cigarette.
That was about it, no gas stabilizer and no pulling of the battery. I did not even cover the car. Now with my Mustang I will probally take more precautions this coming winter. Good Luck!

[Shooter]

another thing people used to advise, and I feel it can't hurt. Is when you start it up to let it run for a short while.... turn on the A/C as this is supposed to help keep the rings and seals from drying out. I don't know how old you car is or anything but this certainly can't hurt.

Do people NOT do this? Sure. Is their A/C fine come summer time? Maybe. I'd rather not chance it as A/C can get expensive to fix.

Also don't worry about those guys that get in to wheel dolllies on carpeted temp. controlled garages that are hermatically sealed... heh I do think that there is a such thing as "Going too far".

I can think of about 3 people in this group that have cars worthy of that kind of treatment. Those people SHOULD be doing these things.

[bad-speller]

You guys are doing more harm than good by starting your engine every few weeks just to run it. Think about it:

When does most engine wear occur? So you take an engine that has been sitting for a couple weeks, when the oil has had plenty of time to drain down to the pan, now you want to start the semi-dry engine up?

Another enemy of a stored car is moisture. You are not going to get the engine hot enough just starting it in the garage to get the moisture in the engine, exhaust, ect to burn off. You are actually going to make it worse. When do you see water run out of an exhaust pipe???? When an engine is not up to temp. When the engine is hot, the moisture vaporizes.

Do what you will to your own car, but starting an engine unless you can drive it and get it up to temperature is simply not better for it.

Brian

[Grayle]

I totally agree, dont start your car untill you plan to drive it in the spring. If you have mice or if mice is a possibility, put rags in your exhaust and plug your intake. My mother in law took her 2002 explorer to the dealership, they checked the air cleaner and found a mouse nest in the air cleaner box. She drives the explorer on a regular basis, but she also has mice in her garage. I like to take the battery out and charge it before I store it, don't store a halfway drained battery. Put a FULL tank of gas in the tank along with stabil and run it for five minutes so the stabil gets to the engine. If you park on concrete, moisture may be a problem in non heated garages, so I like to put some plastic down to keep the moisture off the chassis. You should also change the oil, before storage. Then put a cover on it. Good luck.

I'm not sure about the a/c deal. I thought you were supposed to turn it on when its below 50 degrees??!!

[Mili M]

I like to put some plastic down to keep the moisture off the chassis.

so just lay some plastic on the garage floor? when the time comes i wwas thinking about giving the car a nice detail job, wax it, clean the inside, let it run for a while to let all the moisture out and fill it up with gas and put some stabilizer in it. i will definately plug the exhaust and intake because i have heard way too many horror stories! then put a cover on it and let it sit through the winter!

[MontiMach]

Am surprised the question of putting the car up on stands never came up.

Anyway, have done both in the past.

When not on stands, the car seems to have flat spots on the tires when you take it back out in the spring, it tends to clear up after 5-10 miles, but I have to wonder what sort of damage is really done to the tires. At $250 a tire...

When putting the car up on stands, the springs relax. So, when you take the car off the stands in the spring, the springs will need to settle again. I am sure suspension components are also stressed in "abnormal" directions.

I am sure there are other arguments on both sides.

Let's hear them.

[Shooter]

Put standard tires back on the car. Tires these days dont get flat spots nearly as bad as several years ago. If you have soft tires or specialty tires then I'd say take 'em off and hang them. Or go with the tire dollies or jack stands to get it up off the ground for all tires / suspension / and moisture reasons.

Flat spot resolution: a good 3 sec burn <LOL> except for that whole rotating the tires thing...

[redv6Lance]

dont worry ONE BIT about ANYTHING. throw some seafoam in the tank and let her sit. Everything brian (bad speller) said makes perfect sense and is totally true. All you'd be doing by starting it every so often is making sure it still runs...

as for tires - buy brand new bigger, prettier wheels over winter and put brand new rubber on them, that way who CARES if your old radials get flat spots cuz your puttin on new rubber and wheels anyhow. thats how I did it anyway.

and anyways radials cant get flatspots over a winter. they just cant. I never thought I'd meet someone more anal about their cars than I am about mine.... until i joined this club lol

[jenkemfr]

letting car run WILL not hurt it during storage provided you let it get up to operating temp ,about 1/2 an hour.

[FASTANG]

here's my list of storage tips:
fill up the gas tank, add Stabil
wash & wax
drive into garage, put on jack stands
remove battery
put rags in tailpipes (if mice decide to invade the garage)
put box of baking soda inside to control moisture/odor
cover it
say goodbye 'til spring