How to winterize a car

[_hollywood]

I found an apartment complex that was renting some extra storage units, big enough for my car, after years of having my cars sit outside i just decided to make the jump, let my frs relax all winter out of the elements before i bring her out again in the spring and try to finish off these prius tires...lol

[IntotheOcean]

Originally Posted by Prava

can someone explain to me this winterize sensation? i dont understand. maybe because I live in socal i don't understand?

I can only speak from living on long Island when it snows and I mean a lot of snow, they normally don't plow right away. At least not in oceanside(Nassau county) so, you are pretty much driving in the other persons tracks. Being that this is rwd it makes it a little worse. Not to mention it breaks your heart(or at least mine) to see your baby get covered in dirty salt. We are talking about a wash every week. That can get annoying after awhile :/

[Natheria]

Originally Posted by Justin.b

Outside of the fuel stabilizer (and you'll even be able to get through a few months without that) there's not much you really need to do before parking for the winter.

One thing to consider - you don't save that much corrosion on a car by parking it outside in the elements. In my very non-thorough research, cars can even sometimes rot faster when left outside un-driven for long periods.

-Justin

I can't imagine driving a car around in the rust belt during winter is better than leaving it parked somewhere. maybe in warmer states but up here the salt can eat through a car like crazy.

[Justin.b]

A few years ago I had a 98 Honda Civic that I used to use for work. Then I got a company car and the Civic sat. The car that had not given me any problems in 11 years of owning it started to fall apart once I was parking it for prolonged periods.

Certainly not a scientific study, but you also don't find 1960's pickups in fields ready for a little bit of surface prep and paint like you do in some parts of the US. Leave that thing in a field around here and you'd be lucky to identify it in ten years.

I know the road salt doesn't help things, but I think just being exposed to the elements does a number on cars up here as well.

-Justin

[Braces]

Stabil. Maybe a slightly lower viscosity oil. Engine or block heater. Start once a month and allow motor to come to proper temp before shutting down.

[Natheria]

really my biggest problem is I that can't afford any kind of closed storage and the only friend who might have some type of storage is over an hour away. I can't see the car falling apart in the few months during winter/salt season and I intend to use her quite often for the rest of the year. is not having a breathable car cover on worse than leaving it exposed? everything I have read seems to indicate that as long as the cover is breathable, has a soft inner layer and you only cover it right after you wash it that it will be a benefit.

[Justin.b]

I think the problem comes as it starts raining and snowing on it because they're not waterproof. Add some wind and you're looking at a scuff machine. I wouldn't trust one that claimed to be waterproof. I uncovered my boat last year to find a foot of water sitting in the bilge the somehow leaked past the cover.

You may be better throwing a few extra coats of wax / sealant / opticoat on it and leaving it uncovered. Or one of those car ports to keep the snow off of it. Have to be careful to get one that won't collapse under the snow, though, and those tend to cost a lot more than the cheap tarp/frame ones at harbor freight.

-Justin

[Starscream15]

This subject has been beat to death since the invention of the car.

Personally, I..

1.) fill tank (At most I'll be storing until March so Stabil isnt necessary).
2.) 37-40 PSI in the tires or roll in neutral 6" every month or so.
3.) Pull battery and use a proper charger to keep from over-charge like this one from Amazon. Sorry if posting this link is against forum rules.

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tender-021-0128-Plus-Charger/dp/B00068XCQU"]Amazon.com: Battery Tender 021-0128 Battery Tender Plus 12V Battery Charger: Automotive[/ame]

4.) Do not start until you're pulling it from the garage in spring.

[wbradley]

Hey guys thanks for info and advice on cranking the engine with no oil in the cylinders. Its driving me nuts not starting the motor.

I have read where people spray oil in the spark plug holes when they store a car. Unfortunately, that would be far too difficult due to accessability in our cars.

I started a thread on this previously and it fizzled rapidly. Perhaps it was just too early...

Here's what I did:

Oil change
saranwrap on wiper blades (left in down position)
inflated tires over 43 PSI
Stuffed cloths in exhaust pipes and in air inlet snorkel
leave off ebrake, put in gear, placed blocks behind wheels
attach battery maintainer
full tank non-ethanol 91 fuel w/stabilizer, run for a few minutes
wax
clean inside/out

I dont have a cover but use a California Duster if it gets bad with dust

[motofan]

Just go shopping with the car once a week. Pick a dry day if possible~

[Justin.b]

Yeah... I've never quite made it through winter without finding a reason to take the car out for a run. If it's cold and dry (no melting snow) I'll take it out. But I do tend to leave it stored a lot in the spring when there's still salt on the road and things are melting / wet / sloppy.

-Justin

[wbradley]

I dont know about you ^^ but I take off the insurance while the car is garaged. It has fire and theft only now for $200 vs $1100

Taking it out without collision insurance is illegal here with a $5000. penalty.

[danthemann5]

It snowed about an inch over the weekend here, and the city took the opportunity to dump salt all over the roads. Here is my plan for the winter:

1. Oil change
2. Full tank of gas (already done, thankfully)
3. Fuel stabilizer
4. Thorough cleaning inside and out.
5. Run car for 20 minutes every two to three weeks.
6. Dust as needed.

I spoke to the maintenance techs at my local dealership about winter storage. They recommended both the fuel stabilizer and running the car every few weeks to keep oil circulated and charge the battery.

The "cold start" has me thinking. Engine operating temperature is usually about 200 to 300 degrees. I would think that every start after sitting for a few hours, whether it's at an ambient temperature of 70 or 0, would be a cold start.

Maybe the colder temperature has a detrimental effect on the viscosity of the oil. Lower temperature means higher viscosity, which means greater resistance to movement in the lubricated parts. I would think that heat of friction would overcome that pretty quickly. Plus, the synthetic oil should stay more liquid at a lower temperature by design.

If I drove the car every day during the winter (as per my original plan), wouldn't I be cold starting it every day? I'd really like to see or hear a good scientific explanation of whether it's better to run a car every few weeks or not at all while in storage for the winter.

Edited for poor grammar.

[Rayme]

Originally Posted by danthemann5

It snowed about an inch over the weekend here, and the city took the opportunity to dump salt all over the roads. Here is my plan for the winter:

1. Oil change
2. Full tank of gas (already done, thankfully)
3. Fuel stabilizer
4. Thorough cleaning inside and out.
5. Run car for 20 minutes every two to three weeks.
6. Dust as needed.

I spoke to the maintenance techs at my local dealership about winter storage. They recommended both the fuel stabilizer and running the car every few weeks to keep oil circulated and charge the battery.

The "cold start" has me thinking. Engine operating temperature is usually about 200 to 300 degrees. I would think that every start after sitting for a few hours, whether it's at an ambient temperature of 70 or 0, would be a cold start.

Maybe the colder temperature has a detrimental effect on the viscosity of the oil. Lower temperature means higher viscosity, which means greater resistance to movement in the lubricated parts. I would think that heat of friction would overcome that pretty quickly. Plus, the synthetic oil should stay more liquid at a lower temperature by design.

If I drove the car every day during the winter (as per my original plan), wouldn't I be cold starting it every day? I'd really like to see or hear a good scientific explanation of whether it's better to run a car every few weeks or not at all while in storage for the winter.

Edited for poor grammar.

it was mentionned already. Parts can seize on older cars, and a 6 months cold start is essentially starting and engine really dry on oil as it has sipped down over 6 months. Thats really about it. Starting it every 2 weeks or so prevents this.