Winter...What would you do?
09-09-2013, 09:01 AM
#1
2nd Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: New York
Posts: 263
Winter...What would you do?
Hey guys. Looking for some advice. My Mustang is coming off the road for its first winter under my ownership. I live in a condo where the car cannot be without plates, so it's going to a family members house. Their garage is under heavy use, and it would be a tight fit, so it's not going in there. It's going on the side of the driveway.
My question is mainly about preparations to put it away: what should I do? It's had a recent service by me of Oil/Filter, Tranny Fluid, Fuel Filter. It's going off Dec 1st, coming back out March 1st. Anything I should do before putting it away? I plan on going to the house once a week or so to start it up and drive it around the block.
Also...regarding car covers, I've heard nightmare stories about them scratching the paint and doing more harm than good with wind/snow/rain etc whipping it around. What should I do? Get one of those carports? Leave it without a cover?
My question is mainly about preparations to put it away: what should I do? It's had a recent service by me of Oil/Filter, Tranny Fluid, Fuel Filter. It's going off Dec 1st, coming back out March 1st. Anything I should do before putting it away? I plan on going to the house once a week or so to start it up and drive it around the block.
Also...regarding car covers, I've heard nightmare stories about them scratching the paint and doing more harm than good with wind/snow/rain etc whipping it around. What should I do? Get one of those carports? Leave it without a cover?
09-09-2013, 10:24 AM
#2
4th Gear Member
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: sweden
Posts: 1,128
no cover
imho they just hold in moisture.
u really need to find a warm garage to make taking it off the road worth while.
i sit mine off the it's tyres and in a warm garage from 1st october till 1st april
imho they just hold in moisture.
u really need to find a warm garage to make taking it off the road worth while.
i sit mine off the it's tyres and in a warm garage from 1st october till 1st april
09-09-2013, 11:23 AM
#3
1st Gear Member
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: MI
Posts: 124
Why do you have to remove the plates? Do you have to do that when the insurance won't let you drive it?
I have a carport for mine, but it sometimes gets snow on it under there, and the plow sometimes piles snow against the back of it, so a carport isn't a perfectly dry place to keep it.
I don't have a heated garage available. I don't know of anyone who has a heated garage. My garage won't fit the mustang and the motorcycle, and has water running under the door when drainage gets bad, anyway. It's more like a barn than a garage.
To find a dry space I'd have to rent at one of those u-store places. And that wouldn't be heated. Hopefully, drainage would at least not be a problem.
No great options. I'm likely to just leave it drivable. Best I can really do is reduce my winter exposure, not eliminate it.
I have a carport for mine, but it sometimes gets snow on it under there, and the plow sometimes piles snow against the back of it, so a carport isn't a perfectly dry place to keep it.
I don't have a heated garage available. I don't know of anyone who has a heated garage. My garage won't fit the mustang and the motorcycle, and has water running under the door when drainage gets bad, anyway. It's more like a barn than a garage.
To find a dry space I'd have to rent at one of those u-store places. And that wouldn't be heated. Hopefully, drainage would at least not be a problem.
No great options. I'm likely to just leave it drivable. Best I can really do is reduce my winter exposure, not eliminate it.
09-09-2013, 11:29 AM
#4
6th Gear Member
There are quite a few threads on winter storage. In your case, you're only talking 3 months so you're fortunate.
As far as outside storage, that's a dilemna. If you feel you MUST cover, then I'd go with a good indoor cover with a large tarp on top, strapped as tight as you can. The cover will help mitigate scratches and the tarp will be your foul weather barrier. But I HATE covers, period. As Rudolph states, no cover is preferred but be sure it's waxed well in either case.
You've taken care of the engine, depending on how many more miles you put on it before storage. If you put more than about 500 miles on that oil, I'd drain and refill again immediately before storage. Just put some stabilizer in the fuel tank and be sure it gets to the injectors. About 20-50 miles should do it but you have time so you could start in mid November. And 3 months may flat-spot your tires but they should be fine after 10-20 miles of driving. But if they're summer tires, then try to get weight off them.
As far as outside storage, that's a dilemna. If you feel you MUST cover, then I'd go with a good indoor cover with a large tarp on top, strapped as tight as you can. The cover will help mitigate scratches and the tarp will be your foul weather barrier. But I HATE covers, period. As Rudolph states, no cover is preferred but be sure it's waxed well in either case.
You've taken care of the engine, depending on how many more miles you put on it before storage. If you put more than about 500 miles on that oil, I'd drain and refill again immediately before storage. Just put some stabilizer in the fuel tank and be sure it gets to the injectors. About 20-50 miles should do it but you have time so you could start in mid November. And 3 months may flat-spot your tires but they should be fine after 10-20 miles of driving. But if they're summer tires, then try to get weight off them.
09-09-2013, 11:36 AM
#5
2nd Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: New York
Posts: 263
Why do you have to remove the plates? Do you have to do that when the insurance won't let you drive it?
I have a carport for mine, but it sometimes gets snow on it under there, and the plow sometimes piles snow against the back of it, so a carport isn't a perfectly dry place to keep it.
I don't have a heated garage available. I don't know of anyone who has a heated garage. My garage won't fit the mustang and the motorcycle, and has water running under the door when drainage gets bad, anyway. It's more like a barn than a garage.
To find a dry space I'd have to rent at one of those u-store places. And that wouldn't be heated. Hopefully, drainage would at least not be a problem.
No great options. I'm likely to just leave it drivable. Best I can really do is reduce my winter exposure, not eliminate it.
I have a carport for mine, but it sometimes gets snow on it under there, and the plow sometimes piles snow against the back of it, so a carport isn't a perfectly dry place to keep it.
I don't have a heated garage available. I don't know of anyone who has a heated garage. My garage won't fit the mustang and the motorcycle, and has water running under the door when drainage gets bad, anyway. It's more like a barn than a garage.
To find a dry space I'd have to rent at one of those u-store places. And that wouldn't be heated. Hopefully, drainage would at least not be a problem.
No great options. I'm likely to just leave it drivable. Best I can really do is reduce my winter exposure, not eliminate it.
The only thing that worries me about a car cover + a tarp is the wind flapping around and the fact that I'll be uncovering it every week to start it up, drive it a few blocks, etc. I'd have to take it off, drive it, clean it, put it back on every week or so. Would probably get annoying.
Then again, if I don't cover it, will that damage things worse than the cover and its annoyance? A U-Storage place is kind of expensive + I probably wouldn't be able to start it up/drive it around if I did that.
Last edited by mustangspotential; 09-09-2013 at 11:39 AM.
09-09-2013, 12:10 PM
#8
4th Gear Member
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: California
Posts: 1,495
09-09-2013, 12:15 PM
#9
2nd Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: New York
Posts: 263
Or, maybe I'll put it this way: does anyone have evidence that doing this actually helps the motor/etc by letting fluids "move around" while the car is sitting for a few months? Or just letting it run will be sufficient enough?
09-09-2013, 02:45 PM
#10
1st Gear Member
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Indiana
Posts: 119
OK, first of all, could someone please provide an authentic, peer reviewed, or automotive/lubricants engineer to back up this whole "change the oil before storing the car"?? I can understand if the oil has over 3k miles on it, but I can't picture the harm in storing a car without NEW oil...
As far as my advice? You are only storing it for 3 months. Get a 10x20 storage unit and not worry about it. Call around and haggle with them, stating their competitors prices. I've done it many times. Depending on where you live, storage units that size can be anywhere from $60 to $150. That's practically the extra rent you would pay for a house or apartment with a garage anyway. Its only 3 months and its worth it, especially if you aren't insuring it. Look at storage units in nearby small towns or off the interstate, those are usually dirt cheap. Its worth the cost to have it shielded from the elements as well.
If your budget doesn't allow, cut back on going out, drinking, clothes shopping, or whatever unnecessary expense you have for 3 months.
As far as my advice? You are only storing it for 3 months. Get a 10x20 storage unit and not worry about it. Call around and haggle with them, stating their competitors prices. I've done it many times. Depending on where you live, storage units that size can be anywhere from $60 to $150. That's practically the extra rent you would pay for a house or apartment with a garage anyway. Its only 3 months and its worth it, especially if you aren't insuring it. Look at storage units in nearby small towns or off the interstate, those are usually dirt cheap. Its worth the cost to have it shielded from the elements as well.
If your budget doesn't allow, cut back on going out, drinking, clothes shopping, or whatever unnecessary expense you have for 3 months.