storing your stangs

[Mack]

My car is stored in a public underground garage, I normally disconnect the battery and put the car cover on. I still drive it, normally it's not standing still for more than 3 or 4 weeks before I take a good drive. I can't do longer without, lol

I think its a little pessimistic to think any moisture coming from the cement floor is going to go straight up to rust the bottom of the car. There is open air under the car that's going to absorb and remove moisture.

At first I agreed with you but then I realised that the airflow is restricted due to the (waterproof) car cover, so there might be a point to park it on plastic.

 

[ProKiller]

i guess i'm the minority who does nothing. i put a battery tender on it and car cover over it. every year it starts right up without problems. i start it up maybe once a month and let it get up to temp but thats it.

 

[mygreengt]

i guess i'm the minority who does nothing. i put a battery tender on it and car cover over it. every year it starts right up without problems. i start it up maybe once a month and let it get up to temp but thats it.

thats what i do. Mostly because its in a detatched garage with 2foot of snow around it.

 

[Venom351R]

Still don't know why you guys are bothering to start them at all for only being stored a few months

 

[Slykin]

I agree with Venom... Engines don't magically deteriorate after a couple months. I mean heck, my dad and I pulled a pickup out of my grandpa's pasture that had not even been registered for 25 years and it started up fine with a battery lol.

 

[ProKiller]

Still don't know why you guys are bothering to start them at all for only being stored a few months

actually usually it's just to get my fix of mustang. Also to back it outside to pull a different car into the garage to change the oil or what not. but i'm talking about backing it up 50' and back in.

 

[Shifty Powers]

dont lie.. you keep that thing in a bubble in that garage

 

[Nightmare]

Honestly, there is a lot of myths when it comes to storing a car. Depending on how long you store it is what you should really do.

some things that were said in this thread:

Add fuel stabelizer - I would agree with this if you are planning on storing the car for more than 6 months. However, think about this: Car lots have hundreds of cars in their inventories, some of them dont move for months. The fuel that they put in them is the cheapest that they can get, and usually only put a max of 5 gallons in them. They are left out side for months on end, and never have a problem with the fuel system from sitting. Where the problem comes in is via condensation that gets built up in the gas tank. What I would recommend is either A, fill up the gas tank all the way up when you store it (fill it with premium) or drain as much of the gas out of the tank and then store the car. This will help eliminate the vaper. I tend to fill the car to the top, and then in 4 months when the car comes up, I dont have to go to the gas station.

Another thing that I have seen is to jack up the car so that you dont get flat spots. Once again, look at the car dealerships. We have some cars that havent moved from their spots for months on end, and none of them have flat spots. Now, back in the days of Bias Ply tires, you had to do that, however with the steel belted tires and the technology that they use in them, you shouldnt have them come out of round. The only time I would say do anything like jacking up the tires off the ground is if you have summer only/drag radial/track tires on the car, as the cold weather can actually hurt the rubber compound (kind of like the exact oppisite of Blizzaks). For this I would either A-remove all of the tires and put them in my house (where the temp will be regulated to where it would be out side in the summer) and cover the brakes so that the moisture wont cause "lot Rot", or b - put on a set of steelies that you dont care about on the car. Now if you put your vehicle in a Climate controlled unit, you wont have to worry about any of this.

Last, I would make sure that my coolant is up to par. This is simple maintiance that should be obvious,

 

[Venom351R]

Mine sat for almost 2 years w/ no fuel stabalizer and nothing done to the tires. Started up fine and I had no flat spots. Like you said there are a lot of car storage myths that have carried on over the years, many of which are now moot points b/c of advancement in technology.

 

[OnyxCobra]

Thats why it's better to just use a dehumidifier. It will pull a ton of moisture out of the air.

There is no moisture in the air in the winter time, it's dry as hell. That's why people use humidifiers in their houses in the winter.

At first I agreed with you but then I realised that the airflow is restricted due to the (waterproof) car cover, so there might be a point to park it on plastic.

well I guess if you want to get technical waterproof car covers are supposed to be bad for cars because they trap moisture and don't let them breath.

 

[Nightmare]

There is no moisture in the air in the winter time, it's dry as hell. That's why people use humidifiers in their houses in the winter.




well I guess if you want to get technical waterproof car covers are supposed to be bad for cars because they trap moisture and don't let them breath.

Both of them are good points. I am a firm believer that if you are just going to let it sit over winter, just get the car detailed, change the oil, make sure that the coolant is the propper level of protection, fill up the tank, and stick it in a garage. I do start it up and let it run for about 20 min once a month....

 

[lutter94]

I turn the key off......

 

[MustangChris]

I turn the key off......

well now youre jsut getting lazy. LOL!

 

[9646gt]

In the southern states the humidity si still very high in the winter time. I can see the northern states having much dryer air but it can still get very humid in the south. Combine that with a garage that's climate controlled and you WILL get moisture I promise.

 

[KillNThrill24]

Lol honestly I'm not even gonna unplug my battery. That is if I don't tear the car apart anyway. I'll just put the ***** in the garage and let it sit till that bright sunny warm day

 

[Venom351R]

I turn the key off......

Lol honestly I'm not even gonna unplug my battery. That is if I don't tear the car apart anyway. I'll just put the ***** in the garage and let it sit till that bright sunny warm day

Examples of doing it right

 

[OnyxCobra]

In the southern states the humidity si still very high in the winter time. I can see the northern states having much dryer air but it can still get very humid in the south. Combine that with a garage that's climate controlled and you WILL get moisture I promise.

Where in the south are people storing their cars for the winter? Everyone always talks about how they love driving their car year-around. I'll play along for the sake of argument and say people in NC don't drive their cars during the "bad" months, what is that like a couple months tops? Not worth all this extra nonsense imo for a couple months of not driving the car even though it's probably not even that long.

and are there really people in the south with heated garages?

 

[Venom351R]

My STI has been at the body shop for 2 weeks being reparied. Should I have put stibul in the tank, pulled the battery and call every few days to make sure they started it lol

 

[Yz85rider2002]

Where in the south are people storing their cars for the winter? Everyone always talks about how they love driving their car year-around. I'll play along for the sake of argument and say people in NC don't drive their cars during the "bad" months, what is that like a couple months tops? Not worth all this extra nonsense imo for a couple months of not driving the car even though it's probably not even that long.

and are there really people in the south with heated garages?

We have a heated garage for the random times it gets down in the teens. The only time my car gets stored over the winter is for winter projects. We don't get enough bad weather to justify storing it for months.

 

[94_red cobra]

My STI has been at the body shop for 2 weeks being reparied. Should I have put stibul in the tank, pulled the battery and call every few days to make sure they started it lol

Yes! and make sure to remove the intercooler so they don't get soap in it, search NASIOC for instructions.

This is the first winter I have had anything to "store" and some good suggestions in here. Sounds like some stablizer and a batter tender is all i need after cleaning it and changing the oil. It weathered all of the previous winters (other owner) outside sitting in the grass. so this should be a better experience and i shouldn't find mouse skeletons under the intake.