Keep Your Vehicle Safe In Winters While In Storage
For all the gearheads, it’s the right time to store your prized possession for the long term in icy wintertime to keep it safe. The dark, chilly empty roads covered with thick snow are a red sign to drive with your family and loved ones.
Whether it’s your top favorite classic car or your summer convertible, hot rod, or motorcycle, putting it in a safe, secure storage unit will protect it from bad weather conditions and criminal elements. Due to frequent snowstorms, the primary danger of winter roads is how slippery they get with snow and ice.
According to Road Weather Management Program, nearly 1,235,000 crashes are recorded due to icy pavements and rainfall in severe winters. Storing your car for the winter is the best decision. However, Make sure it’s clean, use a fuel stabilizer, bump up the air pressure in your tires, crack your windows, and disconnect your battery. As long as you’ve chosen a safe place to park it, you shouldn’t need to do much more than that.
So, without further ado, protect your classic car investment by storing it in a seasonal or long-term vehicle without the hassle. Let’s check out some valuable tips for maintaining your vehicle while parked in the carport. For more detailed quick tips, keep scrolling!
Choose The Right Storage Location
It’s a win-win choice to store a classic car indoors, out of the extreme weather conditions. However, to avoid damaging the exterior of your car, it’s essential to park your vehicle in a dry place that maintains a neutral temperature that is not too hot and not too cold. Also, it is highly recommended to utilize dry concrete floors. A garage is a safest and most inexpensive option to opt for. Moreover, if you are highly concerned about your vintage cars, which have engines that are a little more sensitive to changes in temperature and humidity, choose a convenient, secure storage unit facility. It offers robust security measures, including computerized gate entrances and security cameras.
Fill Tires With Air And Put The Car On Jacks
The primary key is to check up on your tires regularly because they can charge you a high price to replace them entirely if not adequately maintained. Also, fill up your tires with the suggested PSI, as they naturally lose a bit of air over time. To avoid the weight from the tires and the hassle of suspension, jack the car up using jack stands as you are planning to avoid driving a car for an extended period of time in winter. If parking your vehicle on a dirty and stoned surface, don’t forget to add plywood or any other accessible hard veneer below the tires. This quick tip can do wonders for you by protecting the tires from getting ground rot.
Change The Oil
Temperature changes can make your vehicle’s oil crumble regardless of whether you’re driving. Along with fresh gasoline, make sure the oil has been changed, and the oil filter has been replaced. Leaving dirty, old oil in your classic car can cause premature rusting within the engine.
Remember to drive the car a few miles immediately following the oil change. Furthermore, it’s a smart idea to use time intervals instead of mileage intervals to decide if you are really in need of an oil change.
Keep a Full Tank of Gas
It is better to store your car with a full tank of gas instead of the empty tank in winter. The empty gas vehicle is liable to gather condensed moisture which can cause dangerous conditions for oxidizing/rusting a steel fuel tank. On off chances, you may not be concerned about the fuel level in your car if you are not driving it on a daily basis. Keeping your tank topped up with gas is significant as it prevents corrosion. Also, you can add a fuel stabilizer to protect your engine for a long.
Remove The Car Battery And Fluids
If you are planning to keep your car stored for the long term and not only for icy winters, remove your car battery, as it will lose its charge if used sparingly. Further, it can become discharged in a couple of weeks, and your car wouldn’t start. If you are car is parked with a low charge, it will undoubtedly shorten the overall life of the automobile battery. Race your car and drive at city or expressway speeds like once per week to charge the battery. A jump starter is helpful if you are left with a drained battery.
Loss of Fluids
It is prevalent in older vehicles. If you are aware of this condition, place flattened cardboard under your car to keep track of any loss of fluids while your vehicle is being parked for many weeks or months.
Bottom Line:
Whether you are going for a ride daily or once a month, regular maintenance and external cleaning are the prime factors that will keep your car shiny and smooth. Over the colder time of year, if street debris and salt on roads to reduce ice patches are left untreated, they will infiltrate into surfaces and could speed up erosion. Make sure to wash your vehicle to ensure any salt residue has been eliminated. Your car is safe and secured with you! Keep your comprehensive insurance coverage current just in case something happens.
Winterize your car now!!