Its about that time again for winter storage. Does anyone have any particular ways of going about it. For example changing the oil, stabil in the gas, car cover, etc? I decided I didn't want to put my x-fire in the salt, so I bought an old Buick Regal for 2k and it runs great.

 

I change the oil; fill up the tank; a few ounces of stabil (gas stabilizer); jack up the car just enough to take the weight off the tires. It sits in a semi-heated garage (about 50-55 degrees). Also it is a good idea to place plastic or carpet under the car. This acts as a moisture barrier between the cement floor or ground; this will prevent moisture forming on the undercarriage causing it to rust.

 

...A little early, no? If you folks put them away now, you'll miss out on a spectacular fall color tour or two. I will keep mine in the driveway with a cover over it, ready for a weekend jaunt up until just before the first snow (probably around mid-November). When mid November hits, the car is going away (inside) for a few months. I think a good, breathable car cover is necessary for indoor storage, to keep dust to a minimum. Also, a good coat of wax probably wouldn't hurt. I would also disconnect the battery, if you won't be able to start it up and let it run at least once per month.

 

I've stored vehicles for years and what I do is make sure the gas is filled up, air up the tires to max air pressure seeing that you lose 1 psi per 10 degree temp drop, make sure the oil isn't real dirty and keep it clean, yes, I said keep it clean. I have a propane heater and even in the middle of winter I go out there and fire it up, let it run on high for about 1/2-45 minutes and then go out there and wipe it down and apply some wax. This keeps me interested in the car during our crappy winters here in SE MI and allows me to get a jump on the upcoming season with multiple coats of wax!

I also have a Griots Garage battery maintainer that works GREAT! Its not some cheap *** trickle charger, but rather a maintainer that has a computer chip inside and it kicks on when the battery gets too low and then just "maintains" its charge. www.griotsgarage.com and it costs about $70.00 and even comes with terminal plugs so all you gotta do is just plug in the male/female connections, nice feature.

 

I want to raise my car off of the pavement for the winter. Does anyone else do this and if so what do you use for this procedure?

 

Here is an article on the how-to's of storing a vehicle: http://www.techguys.ca/howto/winter.html

 

I've never done that an my cars usually sit from Dec 1 till the middle or end of February and I've never ever had a problem with flat spots on the tires.

 

I figure I will at least wait until they have the pot holes filled before I take mine out again... sometimes we are still in for a bit more snow at the end of February, and often times Thanksgiving has been snowy here as well.