Storage Wars

[Section147]

OK, I've read just about every thread on winter storage but I need a couple of definitive answers from the storage experts out there.

Here's my scenario; I plan on garaging my car here at the house in an unheated garage - covered - for the winter months (roughly
mid-November through mid-March). I am also planning on taking her out for a 15-minute spin every 2 weeks or so weather and road
conditions permitting. I have 6000 miles on the odo and am running the original oil. My plan was to do a change at 7500 (and then
the dealer service at 15k).

Based on those parameters, do I need to:

1). Fill the tires to the max?

2). Put Sta-Bil in the tank?

3). Purchase a Battery Tender (and are those perfectly safe with a car cover)?

4). Do an oil change now?

I think those are all the questions I have...if I'm missing anything, please correct me. Thanks.

[Dackelone]

You should drive the car longer than just 15 minutes. Otherwise you will be doing more harm that good. I would drive it for at least 30 minutes.

I think I remember reading/hearing run the engine for less then 20 seconds or longer than 20 minutes(20/20 rule).

A battery trickle charger is always a good idea. So is fuel stabilizer. C-Tek makes some nice battery trickle chargers. Your BMW dealer also sells battery tenders. Change the oil before you put the car in storage and after you finish storing it for the winter(before you really start to drive the car again!). I would also wash the car before storage too - but not JUST before storage! Wash it a few days before. Don't want those brake rotors to rust up in place.

[JimD]

I agree but to be sure we are complete:

1) Fill your tires to the recommended pressures prior to storage and check them during storage. Your car doesn't have to move to loose air.

2) I would use stabilizer in the gas but honestly I usually don't on my boat and it has never been an issue. My boat carberators only take about 30 minutes to clean out, however. I doubt our bimmers would be as forgiving - the stabilizer is a good idea.

3) A battery tender provides only a very low current inconsistent with charging the battery. The off-gassing is therefore limited. The gas would come out under your car so the cover won't matter (and it should breath anyway). It's a good idea to use the battery tender.

4) Changing oil is a good idea. Oil gets water and acids in it because they are byproducts of combustion. You need to get the engine up to operating temperature to drive off the moisture. If you only run it a few minutes, you will tend to put more condensation and byproducts into the oil and not drive the existing ones out. That is not good for the oil or the engine.

I'm not providing different input, just some more words.

Jim

[ZIPNBYE]

If you store the car, leave it stored. There's nothing worse for you oil for the car to be started and/or driven so little as to not permit the oil to warm up to operating temps and thus collect even more condensation.

StaBil and battery tender are a must. Inflate the tires to their proper pressure and keep checking them, as with colder temps, they'll lose pressure.

Wash/wax the paint and treat the leater.

[Section147]

Originally Posted by ZIPNBYE

If you store the car, leave it stored. There's nothing worse for you oil for the car to be started and/or driven so little as
to not permit the oil to warm up to operating temps and thus collect even more condensation.

OK...I got it. As Dack first suggested, I'll be running longer than the original 15 minutes I stated. It'll be at least a half-hour
(or as long as it takes to properly warm up the temps) every couple of weeks. I'll be changing the oil, ordering the Battery
Tender from Amazon, buying some Sta-Bil and I'll be sure to tend to the tires. But I won't be letting it just sit for 4 to 5 months.

Thanks for your replies, gentlemen

[ZIPNBYE]

No no no...if you store the car, don't run it...just leave it parked. All you're going to do is contaminate the oil, and unless you're plugging the car in with a block heater (oil pan heater is the only option), all you'll be doing is starting it with very cold oil = bad.

If you're going to park it, do that. Otherwise, drive it daily.

[Section147]

Originally Posted by ZIPNBYE

No no no...if you store the car, don't run it...just leave it parked.

See?

Herein lies the dichotomy. Some say it's OK, others say it's not. I don't just mean those of you replying to this thread,
it's an underlying theme in most of the storage posts...hence the "Wars" title of this thread. I guess I would just feel
better firing up the engine, getting its blood flowing every couple of weeks for awhile in the dead of winter, rolling out
the flat spots on the rubber and getting a decent jolt into the battery. But I've never put a car "away" for the winter...
this is my first time, ever. That's why I'm seeking advice from those who have put cars away year after year after year.
I guess it would just freak me out a bit to shut down a car in early to mid-November and never turn the engine over
again for four months or more. But if that's the consensus, so be it!

[tuco44]

I will be parking mine for 3 months this winter, simply because we are away and I cannot drive it to where we are going. It will have a battery tender on it, and fresh oil but that's all. I do not intend to have it started at all in my absense. I have done this before and have had no ill effects.

I believe that starting the car, even for half an hour, is worse than not starting it at all. Unless one can drive it for an hour or more, and not just idle it, I would leave it sit.

That's my opinion, and backed by several friends who have also left cars for months.

[ZIPNBYE]

I've been storing my Miata for years in winter...as do most Miata owners. Unless you're intending on driving the car for an extended period to fully bring all components up to operating temperature, just leave it parked.

Each and every time you start a cold car, you cause wear. Each and every time you drive a car in the cold you introduce water vapour condensation into the oil. Assuming that you drive it to hot soon thereafter (day or two), no biggie, as the water vapour gets boiled out, but if not, all you're doing is contaminating the oil.

Thus, if you intend on storing it, do it right, with Sta-Bil in the gas, a battery tender, washed/waxed paint, treated leather, and fresh oil, and just leave the heck alone for the time it's to be stored. Car cover by choice.

[JimD]

I've never seen the data that would allow you to say for sure if starting a car periodicially helps or hurts. Every time you start a car, the engine rotates for at least fractions of a second without oil pressure. So the only lubrication you have is a film of oil that still clings to the metal. Fresh oil clings better than dirty oil and lubricates better too. But that film gradually dissipates (it drains back into the oil pan).

If we knew the speed with which the film of oil goes away, we could make an informed decision. If it happens in a day, then unless you are willing to start the car every day, you can't replace the film before it goes away. But if it lasts a week, then it would be more feasible to start the car before loosing lubrication. In reality, it is one of those logarithmic scales instead of a digital "there or not there" situation.

I saw on one of those Saturday morning car shows an interesting device once. They had an accumulator for oil in the car. This is a bottle with a bladder that had pressure in it. During normal operation the oil fills the bottle and pushes against the bladder. When you shut the engine down, you close a valve trapping the oil in the bottle first. Then when you start, you open the valve to repressurize the engine and then crank it. That sort of thing would make our engines last significantly longer, I believe. Most cars do not wear out their engines, however, so maybe it is not practical to improve them this way. But it seems like a good idea to me.

Jim

[J0E]

Since everyone else has the rest covered my only question is... why are you covering it?

[Section147]

Originally Posted by J0E

...why are you covering it?

I park my winter car outside, but my wife is in and out of the garage daily. No matter how well we clean it out, there is
always a certain degree of dirt and dust that kicks up over the course of time. I plan on making sure the paint is pristine
before I store it, so I'll be covering it to preserve that.

[mdg001]

Originally Posted by J0E

Since everyone else has the rest covered my only question is... why are you covering it?

In my case, i would cover it because my garage is also used to enter the house in winter. With the cover (at least with the OEM outdoor one), if the kids go by the car and hit it or drop their stuff on top (books, clothing etc) then it protects the paint. The inside of the OEM cover is very soft and won't harm the finish.

Also i would wash the car before storing it, come spring , take the cover off and its like you just detailed it

I traded my 135 vert for an X5. I will be missing it but my wife is happy to regain the garage space

[mdg001]

Originally Posted by Section147

OK, I've read just about every thread on winter storage but I need a couple of definitive answers from the storage experts out there.

Here's my scenario; I plan on garaging my car here at the house in an unheated garage - covered - for the winter months (roughly
mid-November through mid-March). I am also planning on taking her out for a 15-minute spin every 2 weeks or so weather and road
conditions permitting. I have 6000 miles on the odo and am running the original oil. My plan was to do a change at 7500 (and then
the dealer service at 15k).

Based on those parameters, do I need to:

1). Fill the tires to the max?

2). Put Sta-Bil in the tank?

3). Purchase a Battery Tender (and are those perfectly safe with a car cover)?

4). Do an oil change now?

I think those are all the questions I have...if I'm missing anything, please correct me. Thanks.

1) 45 pounds for me
2) yup
3) Yup , the best are C-Tek, i am selling mine 35$ (80$ in canada)+ 10$ shipped if interested
4) i allways did an oil change after only (i only did ~5000KM per year)

[P1]

I think you're being overly careful. I've let cars sit for months at a time and besides a dead battery it's all good.

[awns729]

My observations: About 1 minute for a 10 degree increase in oil temperature during normal driving, just FYI.

Outside temp is about 70 degrees, and my oil gets to be about ~240 degrees F when driving on highway at full speed, so 17 minutes to get it warmed up fully.

[Isdaako]

As has been stated; if you start the car drive it long enough to get the oil and exhaust hot enough to burn out the water.

I prefer Sea Foam over Sta-bil.