Preparing a car for long term storage involves more than just parking it in a garage. Whether you’re being deployed, going away on a long trip, a missionary assignment, rehab or just want to protect it from harsh winter weather, it’s a good idea to make sure that your car stays in good shape while its idle. The following tips outline how to make long term car storage an easy process.
1. Wash Your Car
Thoroughly wash off mud, water stains, berry stains, bird droppings or grime off your car’s exterior to preserve its exterior before putting it into storage. This also ensures no dust or abrasive particles will get trapped under the Car Cover which could damage the car’s paint.
A good wash is required prior to putting your car in storage.
2. Cover It Up
The best way to protect your car is to store it in a sturdy, airtight unit such as a garage or shed under a suitable car
A fit for purpose car Cover is essential for protecting your car’s finish during storage.
cover. Even if you don’t have a shelter a car cover will go a long way to protecting your vehicles finish. Feel free to browse our site to find a car cover for your ride. A made for purpose car cover is the only thing you should use to protect your car’s bodywork from being damaged by snow, rain, blowing debris, and constant sun exposure. Regular plastic or tarps could be too abrasive and actually do more damage to the cars finish. Extra Tip: Make sure that the car cover is colorfast as the dye on some car covers could bleed and stain your car’s body paint.
3. Take Off the Brakes
Putting on your park brake is a practical measure to prevent your car from rolling during normal conditions. However, your brakes are designed to keep your car from shifting out of position only temporarily–if the brake pads continue to make contact with the rotors for too long they could actually fuse together especially during prolonged cold or rainy weather. Stabilize your car with a wheel chock (tire stopper) or place heavy blocks of wood or bricks behind your car’s wheels to keep them from rolling. The footprints on your tires can form flat spots after sitting for three months or longer. Make sure your tires’ pressure is properly inflated to avoid this issue and consider elevating your car off the ground altogether with four jack stands.
4. Replace the Oil and the Filter
Car preservation during an extended storage should also include replacing the oil and the oil filter. Fill up your fuel tank to prevent the build up of condensation that can contaminate the fuel. Start the engine to keep it lubricated and to circulate your car’s fuel and oil. If you’re storing your car in a garage, crack the windows slightly to allow for air circulation. if you are going to store your vehicle for an extended period of time, you can drain and dry the whole system, or you can use a fuel stabilizer such as Sta-Bil, for example. Using a fuel additive such as Iso-Heet Premium (it can be used year round) for seasonal car storage, is also a good option.
It is always good practice to ensure you have clean oil in your car’s engine before storing for extended periods.
5. Keep It Charged
An unattended Battery will eventually lose its power. Try starting your car about every two weeks and drive it around to “exercise” the engine along with other car parts (e.g. air conditioner) to keep them in working order.
Keeping your battery on a trickle charger will help to preserve the life of the battery during long term storage.
If you want to save your car’s settings and ensure that your battery starts up right away, purchase a device known as a trickle (or float) charger as opposed to disconnecting the negative battery cable. The trickle charger hooks up to your car battery on one end and plugs into a wall outlet on the other which delivers enough electrical juice to prevent the battery from discharging.
6. Ward Off Rodents
Try to cover any openings in the car such as the exhaust pipe or an air intake with steel wool to prevent rodents from entering and chewing on wires or building a nest under the hood. You could also ward off rodents by scattering mothballs or cotton swabs soaked with peppermint oil around the vehicle.
7. Maintain Insurance
It’s recommended to keep your car insured even while it’s in storage to maintain coverage should the unexpected happen or if someone needs to drive it. If you still want to suspend your insurance coverage, you’ll need an affidavit of non-use from your state’s DMV and find a place to store your car. A few cons of suspending your car insurance are:
a) The vehicle won’t be protected against damages caused by animals, fire, weather, vandalism or from theft and can’t be driven legally.
b) A coverage lapse could increase your premium rates later depending on your policy.
Drained batteries, fuel separation and other issues will eventually wreak havoc on your car’s appearance and function the longer it’s immobile. A little bit of prevention and regular maintenance, however, will aid in car preservation. When considering long term car storage, store your car in an airtight structure or invest in a good quality, colorfast car cover. Keep your car stable with a tire stopper instead of using the park brake. If your car will be stored for three months or more, reduce the pressure put on your car’s tires with car jacks.
Wash your car to protect its body and the paintwork. Keep the battery from losing power by using a battery trickle charger. This will keep your car’s battery activated, and maintain its condition until you start the car up again. Seal openings in the car’s body with steel wool and place irritants or traps around the car’s perimeter to ward off rodents. Lastly, keep your car insured so that it can still be driven and protected from various types of damages or theft.
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