328 Storage

In addition to ordering a new car, I am looking at acquiring a 328 and currently vetting a couple options. Each are very high quality cars, which brings me to a concern. I am a city dweller in the mid Atlantic region. I will need to store my cars in a facility in the suburbs. The summer weather in this region is rather typical for any mid-western or northeast area. We certainly can have very hot days, and some rainy/humid periods, but I wouldn't compare it to Florida or the northwest. I have found a couple excellent options, but they are only heated, not air conditioned. They are excellent environments, custom for high-end car storage, and I don't sense any unusual humidity levels, so I'm wondering if I'm being overly concerned. I would appreciate some knowledgable feedback on this. Thank you.

 

Here's my experience -

My 328 stays in a local storage facility on Kent Island, MD- the typical pay-for storage metal building. The car is in one of the 8'x20' garages. No heat/no AC. It is typically there, totally unattended, for 5-6 months over the winter. It has been there since 2008 with no issues whatsoever. It has been un-visited for as long as 7 months in one year - most of the time we live nearly 3000 miles away from the car's location.

Prior to leaving it for the winter/extended storage, I add Stabil and fresh gas and drive the car for about 10 miles then back to the shed. I increase the tire pressure to 45PSI, lower the windows about an inch, disconnect the batt cable at the red negative disconnect, and put a cover on it. I do not use a trickle charger (although some will disagree, personal experience has convinced me to never use an unattended battery charger). Upon reconnection of the battery in the spring, the car starts instantly, as if it had been run yesterday.

 

Agree with everything here. While my 328 is climate controlled year round, a number of years back I owned a corvette that was always in a covered environment but never climate controlled. I would have a few modifications/additions to the points above.

- first, in addition to Stabil, I would do my annual service PRIOR to storage. Some say do it in the spring and if they research it they are just plain wrong. Changing the fluids removes all contaminants which is what corrodes the internal parts. Nothing worse than leaving an engine with contaminants in th fluids. Additionally, fresh oil, brake fluid, coolant ages largely as it would if it sat in a bottle in a your garage over the winter.

- as noted above on personal preference, disconnecting is good. If you have an outlet and a CTEK charger, it will extend battery life but this is not critical.

- heated garage is better if you can

- if you want to be super cautious, put glue traps around the car to reduce the chance of a rodent problem

- I would wash car and drive for at least 20 minutes before storing. Remove contaminants from paint and boil off any water in the fluids before storage.

- if no light, I would not cover it. Airflow is good particularly in a damp environment. Unless a really dirty environment or sun light, cover can introduce some new problems.

- condition leather before storage.

Hope this helps.

 

Thank you for the feedback. All great information. I guess my biggest question/concern is the lack of air conditioning (the facility is heated in the winter). If I do end-up purchasing one of these 328's, they will be exceptional cars, so I want to do my due diligence. The environment in the facility seems very good and dry, but should I be concerned about the lack of AC impacting the car? Obviously there are hot and humid summer days so I want to do everything I can to protect the vehicle(s). Again, I'm likely being overly careful.

 

Thanks for the comments.

 

It's just a car, don't overthink it,,,,of course it will be ok.

The most important thing, drive it. If you keep it stored for too long without a proper drive it will give you problems (and don't blame it on the climate controlled thing).

 

Re a cover - I really see it as a necessity to keep the car free of dirt/dust/grit/stuff that drops off the ceiling/blows through the cracks. A breathable cover will do that job and ensure satisfactory ventilation, which, I agree, is a must.

I also totally agree that driving it regularly is the best thing for it. The worst thing for any mechanical device is for it to sit unused. Unfortunately, some of us have no alternative but to let the car sit for months...

FWIW, starting the car periodically through the winter and letting it idle/warm up is NOT good for the car. If you can't take it out on the road for 10-20 miles, it's better off not being started at all until the spring/whenever you CAN drive it.

 

Great advice. Much appreciated.