In the middle of the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, the last thing you want to worry about is car care. Fortunately, there’s still time to prepare for the cold and snowy season ahead. To help you get started, read on for seven easy tips for winter car storage.
#1 – Protect Your Engine
Corrosion is a big concern anytime your car sits idle for long periods, and fresh oil helps keep your engine parts lubed up and protected from this problem happening in the first place.
#2 – Avoid Flat Spots
Fill your tires up to the appropriate air pressure before you park the vehicle for the winter. If you put the vehicle away with too little air in the tires, those tires might develop flat spots while the car sits for months. Also, if at all possible, it’s wise to move the vehicle just slightly throughout the season. For example, you might decide to move the car just a foot or so on the first day of every month during the winter. That minor movement will change the contact patch where the tire is touching the ground, helping to avoid flat spot issues.
#3 – Extend the Life of Your Battery
If you leave the battery connected to your car throughout the winter, it almost certainly will be dead when you return in the spring. Even if the car is off, the connected battery will slowly drain away. With that said, some cars recommend against storing them without the battery, so check on storage information for your make and model and make your plans accordingly. If you do need to leave the battery in the vehicle, invest in a trickle charger to keep it topped off along with a battery blanket. These items are relatively affordable and can go a long way toward keeping your battery in good condition throughout the storage period.
#4 – Think About the Tank
There isn’t a consensus on what you should do with your gas tank when it comes time to store a vehicle for a while. On the one hand, some people believe it’s best to fill the tank to the top and leave it full for the winter. However, on the other side, some think draining it out is the right solution.
So, who’s right? Well, that’s hard to say, but it seems like going with a full tank is going to be your best bet. What you don’t want to happen during the winter is for water condensation to accumulate in the tank and lead to corrosion. With a full tank, you don’t have to worry about that issue.
#5 – Consider Rodents
Mice and rats aren’t shy about looking for anywhere they can hide out that is dark and comfortable. Unfortunately, that description matches perfectly with your vehicle when it is in storage mode, so you might find yourself discovering some unwanted guests in the car when spring comes around. Make it a point to prepare for this possibility at the start of storage season so you can reduce the chances that critters will make your car their new home for the holidays.
As a starting point, you might opt to use some mouse or rat traps around the area where your vehicle will be stored. This is a good first line of defense, as you might manage to catch some of the potential invaders before they have a chance to explore the vehicle. In addition to the traps, try to block off the easy paths for critters to get into your car, such as the exhaust pipe. Of course, it’s essential to remove these impediments before you run the car again, so make a note for yourself and put it on the steering wheel or driver’s seat.
#6 – Run the Engine
This is another one of those points that see plenty of disagreement between various parties, so you’ll need to decide where you land on this point and then proceed accordingly. With that said, it is believed by some that it’s a good idea to start the vehicle once in a while during the winter just to let the fluids move around and keep everything from getting stagnant. Even if you aren’t going to drive anywhere, you can just run the engine for a few minutes and then shut it back down again. This is an easy enough point to manage, but you will have to temporarily undo some of your winterizing measures and then put them back in place once the engine is off.
#7 – Take Cover
Parking in a protected spot is the best thing that you can do for your vehicle during the winter, whether you’re storing it or not. Keeping the persistent rains and snows off of your vehicle, and keeping it sheltered from falling debris, will make it much easier to keep your prized car in prime condition until the weather improves. Better yet, parking in an insulated garage or carport will offer an extra layer of protection from harsh temperatures.
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