Some winter tips for your car from Adam's Polishes

[DetailersDomain]

With winter approaching, it's time to winterize your vehicle for a season in storage. Follow these ultimate car care tips.


* Completely detail your vehicle's interior and exterior surfaces.

* Clay and polish the vehicle's surface before applying a fresh coat of Adam's Butter Wax. Depending your surface condition, consider an extra coat of Butter Wax. The more protection the better!

* Add a fuel stabilizer to your gas tank. Fuel that sits stagnate for a few months can clog or damage your vehicle's fuel system.

* Connect your battery to a trickle charger designed for stored vehicles.

* Place a container of dehumidifier inside your vehicle to absorb moisture that can cause harmful mold or mildew. Dehumidifier is available at home improvement centers, and RV and marine equipment shops.

* Place a clean car cover over your vehicle. For added protection, place blankets or thick padding over the car cover.

I hope this helps.

[ewytt]

"dehumidifier inside your vehicle"

great idea

[BMWWW]

Don't forget to park your car right! Here are some tips courtesy of another forum.

(Courtesy of Gleb)

Before you store it:
-Change ALL fluids
-Wash it inside and out, engine too (make sure everything is dry before locking it up).

-When driving to the place of storage ride the brakes for a bit, you want them dry and hot/warm, so that there is no moisture and rotors will not get rusty and the pads won't stick.
-Once inside, make sure that everything is off : fan, radio, lights etc.
-Crack couple off windows open, just a bit.
-Do not lift the car off the ground, suspension must be compressed, instead pump your tires up to about 50 psi, this will prevent flat spots, also put some cardboard or sheets of wood under the tires, this will help absorb moisture.
-Do not use the parking brake, leave it in Reverse or Park for the automatic.
-Even indoors use a good quality breathable car cover.

Every 3 weeks or so I visit my baby and let it run for about 4-5 min. If the weather is good, I drive it at hwy. speeds for about 30 min, this way the battery charges and the car gets a workout.

Coutesy of BigD
Overinflate the tires.

Fill up the tank and put in some fuel stabilizer.

Remove the sparkplugs, clean them up, and spray fogging oil into the cylinders. If you can't find any look harder. If all else fails spray some quality synthetic oil. Next put the car into 5th and push it back and forth until the engine does a dozen complete revolutions. Do NOT use the starter. This will prevent corrosion of the cylinder bores and rings.

Remove the battery and put it on a block of wood.

Put on a car cover and come back in the spring.

DO NOT do the starting it every month thing. I know it feels good but that's one of the worst things you can do to a car while storing it. If you didn't put in any fogging oil and you just can't keep your hands off of it for the winter, then make sure that you also drive it for long enough to ensure the oil reaches operating temperature (if you don't have an oil temp gauge, just drive for an hour... don't go by water temp, it means nothing) and drive at varying loads. 5-10 mins of idling or a bit of driving is not enough. You will end up accumulating water in the oil, pistons, cylinder bores and exhaust, and everything will corrode from inside.

http://www.maxbimmer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=76310&highlight=winter+storage

Hope this helps!

--Gabe