Tips For Putting Your Vehicle Into Storage For The Winter
Do you own a luxury or sports car that you love but live in an area of the country that experiences harsh winters? One way to ensure that your car does not sustain wear and tear during the cold months ahead is to put it into storage before the first snowfall arrives. Here are a few tips to keep in mind if you have never attempted this process before.
Get a Professional Detail
Never, ever put your car into storage while there is still dirt and grime on it. Putting your car into storage in this condition can cause permanent damage to your paint job, requiring an auto body repair. Consider taking your car to an auto shop that can give it a professional detail, inside and out. At the very least, give it a solid hand wash and polish it up as best as you can. Removing things like food wrappers from inside of the car will help protect you from mice or other kinds of infestation.
Tire Tips
Tires tend to lose their pressure when they are not driven for a long time. One of the last things you should do before putting your car into storage is inflate your tire pressure to the recommended value. If you really want to go all out, you could buy some jack stands are your local auto parts shop and use them to take the weight off your tires completely while it is in storage. If you're not sure how to do this, it might be best to consult a professional.
Make Sure All Fluids Are in Optimal Condition
Most gasolines tend to only remain "good" for about 3 months. One thing you can do if you are storing your car for longer than that is put a fuel stabilizer into your tank. Such liquids can increase the amount of time that your fuel will remain usable to up to 6 months. Make sure you have fresh oil in the car as well as a fresh filter so that dirty oil isn't sitting in your engine for months at a time. Top off and ensure all other fluids like antifreeze are clean as well.
If you want to protect your car from the winter elements, you could consider putting it into long term storage. Before doing so, make sure that your car is ready for its hiatus from the road. Make sure the car is cleaned well both inside and out, and take care to ensure that your tires can handle being unused for a long amount of time. Add a fuel stabilizer to your tank if you are putting into storage for more than 3 months and consider going fresh fluids in other areas like your engine oil as well. It also couldn't hurt to take you car into a shop like Collisions Plus Performance for an inspection to make sure there are no other concerns that could cause a problem while your car is in storage.
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