Tips on storing cars for the winter?

I know that fuel stabilizer and a full tank is a must, but if your storing cars indoor what else needs to be done? I plan on taking them out on dry days and cruising around the neighborhood to keep the battery going and mechanical bits moving. A lot of online guides recommended battery tenders and pulling out the floor mats, is that really necessary?

My cars in question are two newer BMW's that probably won't be driven until April.

Thanks.

 

Real simple answer to winter storage, at least for me...

I put M/S tires on my Lamborghini Murcie and Diablo 6.0 and drive them!! Then when spring comes I have them washed and detailed...

 

Best winter storage...drive the car once a week at least

 

We need to drive the Murcie's up the Pass and take some pics!!!

 

IMO fuel stabilizers are just so much BS. May be great for the fuel in the tank but what about the fuel in the lines and injectors? Drive the bloody things, they won't melt. Once they look nasty don't put the condom back on them and scratch the paint. You can wash them even in the winter.

 

here are some real "tips"
http://www.1aauto.com/garage/information/storagetips.php

I have a similar problem but under opposite climatic circumstances. in Scottsdale we have to "summerize" our house and cars- but usually only a box of Arm and Hammer and a trickle-charger.. we still go down "to Hell" throughout the summer just to oil the cabinets and flush some toilets.. the smell that comes up from an evaporated toilet is nasty!! hope this helps

 

This is why I love my friends in Washington...WE DRIVE OUR cars!!

HELL go to Europe and watch them drive them ALL WINTER LONG!

I just put P-Zero Mud/Snow tires on my car for the winter...it is great..

 

If you can drive them even once a month, you shouldn't need to do anything special. If it's a modern car, you might need a battery tender, but that's it.

 

I agree either drive or at least start it up once a week is the best. I did the same thing to my boat for years with problem.

 

I get a kick out of the differences in attitude by the Corvette crowd in the sound area and over here in the so called "dry side". Over there the Cars are usually daily drivers and often the only car while over here they are most likely garage queens that don't get pulled out of their hermetically sealed vault unless there is not a cloud in the sky or a drop of moisture left on the road.
I'd use a photo of Roy's car with the mud grips on it as wall paper just for grins.

 

Having 2 SUV's and 2 sports cars it just makes more since for us to take the Bimmer's off insurance and leave them in the garage than beat them up for a couple days during the winter. I went ahead and purchased some STA-BIL to be safe (and hopefully I get some dead spots on the tires so I have an excuse for new R-Compound tires

 

YOU may want to keep COMP insurance on the cars at least..

MOST ALL Home Owner policys STATE they do NOT cover "motorized" vehciles of any kind..

SO if your house burns to the ground with the cars in the garage...they WILL NOT be covered under your home owners insurance.

Be safe and check...

 

I have a 2002 C5 Vette and i drive it daily. I talked to a gentleman with a C6 Zo6 who only drives it when it is nice out and never in the rain. Pathetic, it is a car and i enjoy driving mine even in the rain it will not melt. I like Roys attitude with his cars "Drive them all year long".

 

If you read the directions, it clearly states "add X amount of stabilzer/gallon, run engine 5-10 mintues for treated fuel to reach injectors, crab, etc....."

You don't park the car and simply dump in "x" amount of stabil/gallon. You fill the car with gas, add the correct amount of stabilizer/gallon, run & drive the car a sufficient distance to mix the product and get it into the lines/injectors/carbs......done.

If you think storage only entails dumping the product into the gas tank and then retiring into the den for a highball, you are missing a few critical steps.

 

Who da thunk it?

 

At the same time add a generous amount of fuel system "drier" and circulate. This should alleviate any condensation and pooling in the tanks as well.

 

Drive 'em! Just starting the car up for a few minutes would be secondary to driving them for a good 1/2 hour or more. While a quick start-up would circulate oil to the seals and oil coat everything (good), not letting the engine thermally stabilize to "cook off" moisture and purge acidic vapors within could be bad...especially on the older carbed and CIS cars, with are rich and dirty compared to the modern "motronic/digital" fleet.

Living in the Northwest, and not wanting to allocate tons of time to detailing (or $ for hired detailing), makes driving for me rather selective. However, after living here 12+ years I've always managed to get each one of my "sunny/dry only toys" out for at least an hour, once a month, year 'round without having to "drive an hour and detail for six... ." That being said, my collection was produced in a time when corrosion protection was an afterthought so "DRY" is important for me. The only time I wash is if I get caught in the "soup" and have to detail later. When I do wash, I drive 'em dry: dry off the rotors, etc. Again, with the classic construction, washing to me is a last resort...I don't like the idea of little pools of water consistently sitting in nooks and crannies (inside of doors, etc.) helping mother rust set in.

For the newer cars, it's not such an issue, but I recently installed a carbon fiber kit on a 355 and found rust setting in under the original door sill kick plates...the car had "never been driven in the rain." Just lots of soapy car washes and back to the garage.

I use a fuel stabilizer on occasion when work takes me away from home for extended periods and I can't do the monthly drive thing. I do the full tank, add the appropriate amount of stabilizer, then drive home from the fillin' station, by then I know I've circulated fuel through the entire system.

Ciao, Ciao PeterB.

 

Who-da-thunk???

Your OP claimed that fuel stabilizer was "great for fuel in the tank but what about fuel in the injectors and the lines" You wrote it....don't slam me.

I simply pointed out that if the product is used as per directions, it will get to the lines and injectors....


I'm not on F-chat to create fricton. F-chat is about helping/talking/sharing & interacting with like minded individuals. Fuel preservatives are IMO a real deal. I've been storing many cars for 6-8 months yearly (read my profile) for 15 years, and I believe in stabil (et al).

Some people need to store cars, they need answers/help and we should be there for them.

 

There's a crab in the car? I thought she was out when we separated. Oh well, I'll give some Sta-Bil to her too if it helps the car during winter.

Really though, I put some in my Accord this summer when I knew it wasn't going to be driven in the near future. Just put the stabilizer in an empty tank, fill it, drive it 10 miles, park it, disconnect the negative battery cable, and retire to the den for a highball.

 

Put the all seasons on, and stored the performance tires in a vacuumed bag.
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is this so your tires don't reproduce?

 

Hey, can you vacuum bag my ex? j/k

 

Haha; it places the tire in its own personal mini-atmosphere to help reduce oil evaporation.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=37

If she's a midget, sure