Tools needed:
* metric socket set
* metric imperial wrench set
* floor jack (or similar)
* 4 x jack stands
* vapor barrier (plastic sheet)
* car cover
* battery tender

Consumables needed:
* engine oil (enough for oil change)
* antifreeze & distilled water
* brake fluid
* steel wool
* car wax
* fuel system stabilizer

First
The first step is to find a good clean, dry, secure location to store your car. Funny thing about mankind is that we have developed highly sophisticated car-caves .. better known as garages. A garage with a concrete pad is ideal. Ideally, the garage will have electrical service and be easy to access.

Second
Once your car is ready to be put into storage, you must prepare the storage environment. First step will be to sweep the floor and clean/dust the walls around. A clean environment is ideal!

Once the garage/storage area is clean, lay down your plastic drop-sheet where you will be leaving the car. Before purchasing the plastic vapour barrier, ensure it is large enough to envelop the lower half of your vehicle.

Third
change all "standard" fluids - this covers almost all fluids. When preparing a car for storage, change the following fluids:

* engine coolant
* engine oil
* hydraulic clutch
* hydraulic brake
* windshield washer

Be sure to fill your gas tank all the way to the top. This will save your fuel system from oxidation and will also displace any water that may currently be in the system. Be sure to add the fuel system stabilizer at the same time - following the directions (which usually includes driving the car for 20 min. after)


Fourth
Once the storage area is prepared and standard vehicle maintenance is completed, you will now focus on preparing the car for the storage environment. Start by cleaning out the interior of the car - leave nothing behind. Vacuum, dust, clean .. the more spotless your car is, the better it will handle storage.

This is essential to preventing mold, mildew and critters from overcoming your precious interior. And let's face it, when you pull the car out of storage, you don't want to be greeted by a mess!

Fifth
Once the interior is spotless, you should now focus your attention on the exterior of the car. Start by washing the car from top to bottom - everywhere! This is a very daunting task .. though it will preserve the car.

After washing + drying the car, give it one of the best wax jobs of its life! Don't skip areas such as the door-jambs, and under the hood. Leave no painted surface untouched. This is to protect the paint from the environment. Also be sure to polish any chrome surfaces to help preserve the gorgeous luster.

Sixth
When all maintenance + cleaning items have been covered, you are now ready to position the car for storage.

Start by parking the car on the plastic drop sheet. The reason you should have a waterproof drop sheet is to prevent fluid transfers in both directions (ie. prevent water vapour from rising from below the car, and prevent vehicle fluids from staining the cement [or other] storage pad). The plastic sheet will also help prevent rodents from finding a nice winter nest.

Seventh
Once the car is in position, place the car on jack-stands. The reasoning for this is two-fold: 1) it takes the strain off suspension components, thus slowing the aging on such components as bushings and shocks 2) it prevents your tires from developing "flat spots"

If you are not sure how to jack up your car, consult the vehicle manual for approved jacking points.

Eighth
Once on jack-stands, you are ready to prepare the vehicle drive-train for storage. Start by relieving the pressure from your fuel system. This can be done by starting the car and then disconnecting the fuel-pump wiring harness

When you disconnect the fuel pump, the car should sputter and die. This indicates that there is no longer pressure in the fuel line.

Ninth
Loosen the spark plugs and shoot either fogger oil or a squirt of motor oil from a can into the sparkplug holes - about 1 tsp. This will prevent the rings from corroding and seizing to the cylinder walls over the winter. Upon initial startup in spring, oil will burn off in the 1st few minutes.

Tenth
Next step will be to plug the tail-pipe(s) with steel wool. This will prevent rodents and other critters from using your exhaust system as a winter home.

Depending on your vehicle's intake system, you should also plug any remaining orifices with steel wool.

Eleventh
Do not engage the parking brake as it may become fused to the rear rotor over the winter. The vehicle should also be left in neutral in the case of a manual transmission.

Twelfth
Next step will be to remove the vehicle's battery. Most batteries do not winter well at all. All batteries discharge over time so you must ensure that your battery does not discharge too much, otherwise, it will age prematurely.

The best solution to this problem is a special type of battery charger .. called a battery tender. These battery saving devices "float" a battery charge at a specific voltage and do not constantly charge the battery (which can ruin it).

Thirteenth
At this stage, you are almost done! Next step will be to tuck the plastic drop sheet up and around the bottom half of your vehicle. This once again prevents moisture from diffusing from underneath the car.

Last step will be to cover the car with your car cover. The ideal car cover for garage storage will be permeable (material that breathes, ie. not a tarp) and somewhat thick. There are a large number of aftermarket car covers available - don't go cheap .. it will protect your car!

That's it! You're done .. now comes the worst part - the waiting. After a long 5-6 months, your car will be ready to run free once again.

Sources:
http://www.techguys.ca/howto/winter.html
http://www.constant-content.com/arti...eriod-of-time/

 

well. now we hope that people check this forum before posting up another question about storage hmm..?

 

well hopefully people will read this and have specific questions, rather than just the broad question of "how do i store my car for the winter". You know?

 

Hey now, I search. This thread didnt exist until I brought the question up

Good info. Now all I would like to see is a more technical aspect to the advantages of doing this stuff.

 

hmm... maybe cuz i live here so much that the search button doesn't bother me..

what do to with car while deployed?

well... i say if your wife is still going to be home.. starting up the car every so often should be fine..

then there's alot of other threads about storage for winter too.. which i didn't link to.

 

great write up! thanks!

 

thank you for the info, very cool. What about if you live in an apartment complex and you share the garage space with about 50 other people.

 

this is good to know!!! i will follow these steps when i TDY or Deploy! thanks

 

I just dropped my insurance to bare minimal today. I am going to have some one come once a month and start the car and drive it around the block instead of putting it on blocks. I read on a car care website, its not good to allow our suspension to just hang without weight on it.

I cleaned the garage. Will clean the car and wax it on Sunday. Top it off, disconnect the battery and park it.
Then fly out for my deployment monday morning.

Hopefully I will come home to a good to go car with 8 months of no miles on it.

 

So if this is the proper method of storing a vehical over the winter months or during a deployment, would there be any difference if I were storing the car for say... 2-3 years? Just wondering, in case I get an over-seas duty station in the future. Thanks!

 

if i have to do overseas (which i hope i dont) me and my parents have money stored away for a one way plane ticket and gas/hotel money for me to drive it to MD

 

If you go overseas, take it with you. I was in europe for 5 years and they allow you to ship one car for free to each station. Except Japan and Korea.

Well the car was cleaned and fueled today and I added a fuel stabalizer to the tank. Ran it to get in through the system. Bought some moth ball bars to keep it dry. It will be started every 2-3 weeks by a friend.

Cant wait to drive it again in July.

 

wow, i think if I ever have to put my car in storage. Im just going to sell the damn thing

 

My car is doing well after 3 months of sitting. Its been started a few times and all. Cant wait to get home and drive it.

 

great stuff..

But, I just wanted to note sumthin about the jack stands

All of my friends as well as myself have been storing cars for many years, its a Canadian thang with all the salt and masive amounts of snow...

anyway,,

if you use the jackstands on the axles and keep the suspension compressed... that is the best way and the way we all do it if we use stands at all. This way you still avoid the tire abuse...

The reason that we dont leave the suspension hanging is because your shocks etc are not made to be suspended like that for such a long time.... its not a "resting" stance for them or the seals, chambers etc... when new shocks/struts are made the first thing they do is compress them and lock them into that position till they are shipped to the end user, and then installed on a vehicle... They are happy compressed when at rest..... and should deffinitaly not be hanging with the weight of brakes and a tire/rim for a full winter season... let alone any major length of time.

Just wanted to let people know the other possibility


Happy storage folks,

 

dryer sheets supposivly keep away rodents, and smell a hell of a lotter better then moth *****.

i heard of a man who stored his bmw with the top down all winter, when he went to put it up in teh spring, rodents had gotten in the top compartment and basically eaten it to bits! lol

 

I forgot about this thread. My car was parked in the garage with moth ***** and nice and clean. Started about once a month and around the block. Came home and all was dandy with it. (except for the brand new paint job the wife did. That was the only change )

 

I heard there is some sort of.. goup you can cover your paint job with and then in the spring it will look amazing when you remove it??

 

I have to leave my tC in the parking lot of my base for 4 weeks at a time, should I jack my car to avoid flat spots or will 4 weeks not do this? Also, should I disconnect the battery? only thing I do now is car cover+cover exhaust after a nice wash.

 

it wouldn't hurt