Quick question--Mondial storage

Joe,
FWIW Gary Bobileff in CA told me the same thing. Drive the car every few weeks, even for a 30 minute run after warm up to help keep things in working order. I had him install a battery tender to the leads in the engine bay, and now where the car is being stored there is no access to power.

My first winter with it, but I am planning on starting it up and driving it around even if it is in the garage where it is (I do have the benefit of having at least enough space to drive it around inside for about 10 minutes which you apparently do not -sorry) but I am going to take it out right now to top of the gas tank and drive it one last time before winter sets in here.

If we get an Indian Summer day in the next month I will take it out again. They say these cars work better and are better maintained when you drive them, but i feel your pain brother!

Just my .02

 

I would rather not get the salt on mine. When you think about it, the car is only going to sit for 3 months. Shouldn't hurt anything. It's not like you are letting it sit for 3 years.

Birdman

 

I am in the same boat!
They throw lava rock on the roads here once the roads get icy. I sure don't want to drive the car when the roads have cinder. I have a unheated garage, but I think I might run a heater if it gets real cold. I do plan to start it up and drive it up and down the drive way and my street, just to keep it moving when I can.

So far, we have had a late fall, and yesterday I was able to take it for a drive up in the mountains, nice for this late in November.

Do you all keep a battery tender attached all winter? I was thinking of making a harness so that I could switch between my two cars in the garage, and not have to open anything on the Ferrari to hook up the tender. Any issues with that?

Any other suggestions from the "experience winter storage" folks would be appreciated.

Enjoy,
Bob

 

You are better off removing the battery. Put it inside your basement, or somewhere else on the warmer side. Place it on a piece of wood and use your battery tender. If the battery is disconnected you can use the battery tender every week or so, or just leave it hooked up. You can get extra sets of Battery Tender leads/quick connects at motorcycle shops. Makes it easy to share one Tender on multiple vehicles. I agree that 3 months is not a long time, so no reason to get too crazy about it. I would probably add a few dryer sheets under the seats and in the trunk to deter rodents, and I would leave the windows slightly cracked. Helps prevent mildew.

 

Joe
I am in the same climate zone as you and I use my car all year long. There are plenty of opportunities to take it out during the winter. Once the water dries, the salt isnt that big of an issue . I take the car out on dry days during the winter and have had no issues. I am of the school of thought that the car should be driven at least once a month( I usually dont let it go past 3 weeks) but that is just me. You are going to end up with many opinions for and against, but one thing is for certain a F-car that is driven regularly typically has less problems, than one that sits.

 

It's not a bad idea to start the engine and let it warm up for 1/2 hour, even sitting in the garage (just remember to open the garage door -- there is always someone who forgets that basic rule). You want to be sure that oil pressure comes up and stays up. It won't help the tranny much, but at least the engine will have been running a little. My cars seem to like to be started now and then.

On the other hand, if you've done everything to prepare the car for storage, it won't hurt it to sit. I've done that in the past with some of the old Jaguars, and they do just fine.

Important -- be sure to put some Decon rodent killer or other similar product around the garage and under the car. Mice like to get in during the winter and seem to love to nest in old cars sitting around all winter. They make a mess, destroy wiring, etc. No humane traps. Just kill the little buggers. As long as you don't have a household pet or little kids, the Decon stuff works great.

 

I agree with Steve completely on the rodents. Mice are no laughing matter....they can do a lot of damage in not very much time. I used to use the decon method as well but I don't anymore because the mice at one point ferried all the decon into one of our cars, built a nest, THEN died. The smell was terrible and I had to take half the interior out to find them. It took a long time for the dead animal smell to go away. Now I only use the good old fashioned mouse trap....so I can see the carcass and know where it is!

Birdman

 

I try and take rmy car out every month in the winter for a 30 minute drive. When I get back home I dust the car off, connect the battery tender back up and cover the car. I do not think the car has sat for more than 30 days any winter.

 

They make solar battery tenders that you can pick up pretty cheap at Harbor Frieght or other places. If there is a window nearby you can just set it there or put it outside and run a wire over to it. I have a friend in Marshall Va that rents out space in a heated bulilding and keeps all the cars on battery tenders if you need a real nice clean place to store a car for the winter. PM me if you want more details