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Wont be driving car for a year. Prep?
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04-15-2011, 08:45 PM | #1 |
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Wont be driving car for a year. Prep?
Hey all,
My company is sending me from Chicago to Australia for a year. So my car will basically sit in my garage for a year. What kind of prep is recommended? Should I put it up on jack stands so the tires don't get flat spots? Should I cover it?
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04-15-2011, 08:47 PM | #2 |
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cover will help with dust, and yes put your car on jack stands, fill up the tank.
cover any holes so no animals or anything can get it and make nest. i would cry if i had to leave my car. there should be more tips coming along. |
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04-15-2011, 08:56 PM | #5 |
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Battery tender.
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04-15-2011, 08:59 PM | #6 |
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oh wow, never even thought of sta-bil and trickle charger. All great ideas.
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04-15-2011, 09:03 PM | #7 |
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1)Fill tank to avoid moisture.
2)Add fuel stabilizer. 3)Check coolant to be sure it has correct mixture incase it gets cold. 4)I dont like to put cars on jacks, to many issues arrise with possibility of falling off and suspension issues. I suggest getting el-cheap-o tires and let the car sit naturally. 5)Get a car cover 6)I use to plug my exaust and intake when I left a vehicle in the barn so mice and squirrels wouldnt nest inside. 7)Fabreeze or air freshener or baking soda for the inside of the car. 8)remove negative terminal off battery. If its not being driven, no need for trickle charger. You will prob want to charge it when you return though. |
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04-15-2011, 09:11 PM | #8 |
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I think for just a year, why not have a friend use it once a month or two to keep it charged and running normal? Unless you want to cancel insurance, but you need Comprehensive regardless. (Fire-Flood-Theft).
There are plenty of us guys here on the great lakes chicago thread that would be happy to make sure it stays in good order. Its only a year. Start and drive it every 8-10 weeks. |
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04-15-2011, 09:12 PM | #9 |
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A great checklist for storing a car is here:
http://www.porschenet.com/winter.html I've stored my Porsche using this checklist for 6 months without any issues at all. Some tips would be using a maintainer over a trickle charger since it's a more clever system, making sure you replace some of your fluids prior to storage, maxing out your tire pressure, and adding the fuel stabilizer prior to filling your tank. Full cover would also help. Good luck with the job! |
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04-15-2011, 09:13 PM | #10 |
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Can you remove our batteries without consequence?
Clean clean everything. Putting a fuel stabilizer/octane booster in the tank and running for ten minutes is a good idea. Have a plan to drain that fuel when you get back and add fresh again. Get an oil change. depending how fresh your fluids already are. But honestly, a year is a long time. I would make arrangements to sell it before leaving. Too much to worry about for a year
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04-15-2011, 09:16 PM | #11 | |
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04-15-2011, 09:45 PM | #12 | |
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04-15-2011, 11:24 PM | #14 |
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I only say this because if it happened to me, I'd be sad. My pops has 911 Porsche that he bought new, but maybe puts 300 miles on it a year ( i know, don't ask). He basically let it sit for about a year, and rats got in and completed destroyed the wiring harness. $9000 bill from Porsche later, the problem was fixed.
So +1 to sell or to have a buddy drive it often. |
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04-15-2011, 11:31 PM | #15 | |
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Still, selling the car might be the easiest option out of them all. +1 to selling it, here. Storage can be a bit of a hassle, especially if you're in a different country for that time! |
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04-15-2011, 11:44 PM | #16 |
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if you really want to keep the car, i would let family/very very close friend drive it for a little bit once every week. trust me, unless they have ferrari's, they will not mind it.
not long, just few miles per week should do the job. (10-15 is a good distance.) gas is on them. best solution? sell it for a good price, keep the money, save some good money on top of it by the time you come back from AUS, get a better car! (F30 may be?) |
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04-16-2011, 01:42 AM | #18 | |
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04-16-2011, 01:51 AM | #19 |
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sell it, and after 1 year buy another one. you're gonna let the car value depreciate over 1 year without using it, why not just sell it for $$$ and u could buy one next year with less $
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04-16-2011, 02:15 AM | #20 |
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I followed generally the same recipe (except for the stands/ tire portion).
I'll let you know how the resurrection goes in about two months I have seen one BMW in Afghanistan over that past 10+ months. Can't wait to drive my 335!!! |
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04-16-2011, 01:47 PM | #22 |
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My thought exactly. It's going to sit there am depreciate for a year without you even getting to enjoy it. And you have to worry about it too. Sell it for what it's worth now and start again in a year. Buy one a year from now that is less that what you sell yours for now.
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