Care & Maintenance - Perth-WRX.com

Champ · #1 24-09-2010, 07:01 PM

OK guys and girls, what would you do to your pride and joy if you are not able to drive it for 2 months. No engine starts, no little drive round the block, just sitting under a cover for 2 months.

How would you prep the car for C&M?

Suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

Edit: Some additional info someone found for me.

Quote:

One month

If you're storing your car for up to one month, we recommend the following:

1. Make sure the cooling system contains a good quality, glycol based anti-freeze at a concentration of 30% to 50%.
2. Renew the anti-freeze if it's over one year old. (This doesn't apply if the engine contains one of the modern long-life antifreeze solutions – OAT coolant.)
3. Leave the handbrake in the off position, making sure the vehicle wheels are securely chocked.
4. If the vehicle is in a secure garage, leave the windows partly lowered.
5. Ensure the drain holes in the doors, sills and bulkhead/heater are not blocked.
6. Unpainted metal parts (not rubber or trim etc) can be sprayed with a water dispersant such as WD40 to reduce corrosion.

Up to three months

If storing a car for up to three months we recommend the following in addition to the one month items above.

1. Hose under the wheel arches to remove accumulated mud. Wash the vehicle then polish, apply a chrome protective polish where appropriate. Let the car dry thoroughly before putting it away.
2. Remove the battery. Be sure to check the code of any coded radio before removing a battery lead, and find out if any on-board computer will be affected by having the battery disconnected for a long period of time. Refer to the vehicle owner's handbook.
3. Clean the battery terminals, top up if required (if it's not a sealed-for-life battery) and arrange for it to be slow/trickle-charged about every four to six weeks. Don't leave it where it may freeze. Some special chargers can be left on all the time.
4. Raise or remove the carpets if you suspect dampness, and dry thoroughly.
5. Make sure the wiper blades are not in contact with the front or rear screens.
6. Empty the windscreen washer bottle.
7. If the vehicle is not to be parked on the public highway you should consider getting a refund on your road tax by declaring Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN) on the refund application form. You can read more details on the DVLA website.You may also be able to reduce your insurance cover to fire and theft only.
8. If the car is in a garage, make sure that there's plenty of ventilation – gaps under the doors and a high-level air vent – to promote circulation.
9. An alternative is to use a dehumidifier, in which case the garage should be sealed as far as possible. Dehumidifying is cheaper and probably better than heating a garage, though a dehumidifier will need a low-temperature shut-off thermostat as it can't work below about 4C. Corrosion is not a problem in very cold weather, provided the car is dry and free from road salt.

Starting a car left unused for a long time

The work required to start a car that's not been used for a long time will depend to some extent on how well the car was prepared before being put into 'storage'.

* Check tyre pressures
* Check that nothing's nesting under the bonnet or has chewed through the pipes/hoses
* If any auxiliary drive belts were loosened when the car was put into storage then these must of course be re-tightened before the car is run
* Check all fluid levels before starting – oil should be changed once the car's running
* Stale fuel could be a problem – hopefully there's not too much in the tank so that fresh fuel can be added and can get through to the engine
* Taking the plugs out first and turning the engine over is a good idea as this will reduce the load on the engine whilst the oil is redistributed

It's also important to check brake operation including the handbrake – if the car's been left with the handbrake applied then there's every chance that the brakes will have seized on. It may be possible to free them by engaging a gear and driving gently otherwise dismantling may be necessary.

It's good practice to arrange a full service once the car is running again.

http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/laying_up.html

RSR-WRC · #2 24-09-2010, 07:18 PM

Give it a kiss good night! It will be fine

Champ · #3 24-09-2010, 07:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RSR-WRC

Give it a kiss good night! It will be fine

I do it every night mate, except this past week

I guess disconnecting the batteries is a start.

mattmy99 · #4 24-09-2010, 08:17 PM

Not a huge issue in the short term (now), but i'd be inclined to dump the fuel and fill it up with a fresh batch before you drove it again.

I'm not sure what the 'shelf life' of petrol is, and someone may prove me wrong, but it definitely 'goes off'.

Alternate · #5 24-09-2010, 08:20 PM

You can get additives to prolong the life of petrol, but I wouldnt leave a full tank of fuel to get old either.

Mind you, my old car that sat in my parents yard near on 3 years with the same tank of petrol still ran

haha

Pimpreza · #6 24-09-2010, 09:52 PM

I went to China for 5 months recently, put it under a car cover outside, left a qtr tank of fuel & took the positive off the battery, got back (hail wrote it off haha) hooked it up, started first kick & went and filled it up with fresh 98, not a problem, petrol will be fine for a couple of months.

Champ · #7 24-09-2010, 09:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mattmy99

... i'd be inclined to dump the fuel and fill it up with a fresh batch before you drove it again....

Thanks guys. Yea, like I've told another member here, I'll be driving heaps this weekend just to run petrol level low. Unless there's a method to dump the fuel like you mentioned.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MattuZ

give it a wash
take it for one last drive
disconnect battery

And I'll probably do the drive first, then wash the car.

dtrally · #8 24-09-2010, 10:32 PM

Drive after wash. If you put it away with moisture on it the brake discs will rust to the pads and it'll be stuck when you get back. There will be moisture sitting in places you can't dry properly too. A year or more would need some preparation but a couple of months is no big deal. I often leave my car for that long.
Disconnect the negative battery terminal will prolong it's life.

Champ · #9 25-09-2010, 06:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dtrally

Drive after wash. If you put it away with moisture on it the brake discs will rust to the pads and it'll be stuck when you get back. There will be moisture sitting in places you can't dry properly too. A year or more would need some preparation but a couple of months is no big deal. I often leave my car for that long.
Disconnect the negative battery terminal will prolong it's life.

Ahh, didn't think about the moisture. Thanks!

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