Winter storage
 

I will not be able to get storage for the winter it seems... every storage place in my area is fully booked up or is charging well over $300 a month for a unit. I'm just wondering if anyone here has stored their car under a cover, outside for the winter and what I should expect. I'm a little apprehensive as this will be the first winter having the car out in the elements.

sta bil

Shouldn't be a problem but if you get a car cover, don't get the cheap ones from Canadian Tire or whatever, I highly recommend getting the one from Subaru. The cheap ones are known to let moisture get between it and the car and they never fit quite right. Ones that are too big or too small will give animals space to live in your car and the moisture issue can cause the sheet metal to corrode. The one from Subaru is designed to fit our cars properly and will keep moisture out.

Regardless, it is still recommended to take the car out at least once a month and drive it around until it is fully warmed up. My friends who park their cars in the winter take their cars out on any particularly nice day where there isn't any snow on the roads to the drive-thru car wash and then park it again.

Yeah I was going to buy the one from subaru. I'm just wondering if there's any spot on the car I should watch for moisture buildup.

thats why he said to drive it once a month

they all will no matter what

google = condensation and humidity

Be sure to store it with a full tank of gas.

I wouldn't cover it at all. When the wind gets going it could scratch the car.

last time i kept my car over the winter, there was bunch of condensation in the muffler.

Damn, that's expensive storage
Most condo's have parking spaces available for rent around $100/month...maybe check the message board in their lobbies

Can you fit one of those portable garages? I haven't had any experience with one, but they seem like a good option if they can withstand the wind. And would still be cheaper than paying $300/month 4 times/year.

I phoned Subaru to get a cover for my car. The parts guy told me it's cheap plastic material. I've been searching hard and to find one with a good soft material in my area I'm looking g at 200-500. if anyone finds anything else plz let me know.

Maybe have a look at a company called Covercraft.
They do custom and semi custom fit covers in both indoor and/or outdoor. While I do not have any actual long term experience with them I had my hands on a couple and they seemed nice. Decent warranties too.
Other things some people may be interested in looking into alongside a cover are a lock and cable and what they call gust guards.

Two month's storage @ $300/per gets you a NEW set of steel wheels and good snow tires. One month @ $300 get's you a decent used set o' wheels and snows. Get'em, drive, and have fun all winter long. This car is really pretty good in the snow w/ good tires.

Why buy a car to store it?

Yeah, OK.. I really do get it. I have a car I store, too, but it's an 80's Benz and they salt our roads CONSTANTLY during the winter. I can't predict the future, but I'm not banking on my FR-S being worth a ton of dough in 30 years so I'm enoying it year-round now. Then again, I won't be worth much in 30 years either...

The Subaru cover is a Covercraft. Covercraft has many other models to choose from. It is made of polyester. The underside is like a nylon jacket in texture and the outside is painted silver. I have had it for 3 years now and it is still in like new condition. My car is stored in a garage (not heated) and the cover keeps dust out. No issues with condensation.

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10866

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=et6mAweIYQk"]Reflec'Tect Fabric Car Covers from Covercraft Industries - YouTube[/ame]

yay winter storage thread

i was looking for 1 on this topic

I phoned Subaru again, they have a car cover coming in for me next Wednesday. I'll give you guys an update on how it is.

now thats wassup

how do you guys store your car in winter?

1. wash, dry, clay & wax car. clean interior as well
2. drive to gas station and fill up. also fill up 5L can of extra fuel
3. mix 5L can with Sta-bil and fill tank with it
4. let car run another 10 minutes
5. place down plastic cover in garage
6. park car over plastic cover in neutral with handbrake NOT engaged
7. place tire stops on all 4 tires
8. change oil and oil filter
9. put steel wool in exhaust tips to keep mice etc out
10. connect battery tender plus to battery
11. put oem subaru brz cover over car
12. lock doors and let it sit all winter until april without ever starting it

dehumidifier and heating runs all winter in the garage so it sits in pretty much ideal conditions all winter long. Had no issues storing it this way and neither has my dad with his cars.

http://i3.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/...Sohardcore.jpg

..Heres how I keep mine. I fucking park it in the garage. Sorry but this is a short story.

laughed out loud at that ahaha takes me a whole day to store about 3-4 cars so its pretty intense. some are stored longer like 8-10 months hence more preparation.

I'll never understand the point of storing such a cheap, plentiful car. Ah well.

You're doing something right if you have 4 cars to store every winter :D

I store mine in the laneway. I make sure too move it between 30 and 100 miles twice a day to charge the battery, clear the snow and make sure the tires stay round.

these kidz dont have a garage doe?

No point, we just do it for shits and giggles.

you pay for shits and giggles ?

The exact amount of insight I'd expect from you.

I do. But what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas!

You already know the answer. Your not stupid.

No need to come into every winter storage thread and question the same thing or tell us how magical this car is in the snow because you don't have the luxury to do the same.

Now you can go and quote me 50 more times to make yourself feel better.

I see you FINALLY settled on a set of wheels lol.

Nah those are my steels with hubcaps my wife gave me for Christmas two years ago on them. I "forgot" to put them on last winter and so far this year I have managed to "forget" again.
I finally settled on the stock rims for summer just so I could sleep again.

The luxury of storing a car? I have the luxury of storing my truck all winter and driving the car, since it gets maybe 3000km put on it in the summer time.

What exactly am i doing wrong? Curious

Yeah pitch a cheap tent and pray it survives, right? Those things look like shit and you see them in areas where people cant or wont spend on a proper garage. In the GTA with real estate prices it is worth building a gararge and leaving the tents to the rednecks.

Agreed there must be condo parking somewhere, or one side of a friend or relatives garage if possible.

I love my car as much as a rich kid who love's his lambo, so I too store my car as best as possible. During long deployments through winter i MUST keep my car outside at long term parking. Theres really nothing to it. So long as you aren't driving it through all that salt it should be fine.

Heres what I do...

Wash and wax, park it, throw chocks (e-brake off), and fill her up with fuel. I even have trusted friends who jump in and start it every now and then. Btw i dont use a car cover. I havent had a problem with bird poop in the winter so its all good

^right, doing something right :slap:

I was trying to figure it out for the longest time but now i see i had it wrong the whole time :bonk:

Here in Austria they salt the shit out of the streets during winter and also use gravel so you can basically expect to get some kind of damage to the paint job or at least rust somewhere if you drive it for a couple of years during the winter season, i like this car and plan on keeping it long term as a project car hence why i try to preserve it as much as i can. It's not about resale value because i don't plan on selling it it's about keeping it as good as it can be for myself. Since i have another more practical car for the winter (where my snowboarding stuff actually fits in the trunk) i'd rather drive that and preserve this one for the summer.

Did you bother with rust proofing or just give it a wash every once in a while?