Sticking your vehicle into a long-term storage facility is a great way to provide security and protection over extended idle periods. Still, it's not as easy as tossing the keys in the car and walking away. Getting the most out of a long-term storage facility requires careful planning and preparation so that your vehicle can successfully weather your absence.
This article will help you to prepare your car for any length of downtime. Whether you're going to leave your vehicle for a few months or a few years, these tips will help to ensure that it remains in pristine cosmetic and mechanical condition while you're away.
1. Replace Your Fluids — Before And After
Many of your car's fluids can go bad over time. The list of potentially affected fluids includes your oil, gas, and even your coolant. There's little that you can do to stop the ravages of time, but you can delay the inevitable. If you perform a full service before putting your car into storage, your fresh fluids will be more likely to remain functional on the other side.
Of course, new fluids beforehand aren't enough. Unless your car will only sit for a few months, plan to change all of the fluids once you take it back out of storage. You can use your existing fluids to get the car out of the lot and to a service location, but you should avoid driving with your old oil and gasoline as much as possible.
2. Don't Empty the Tank
It can be tempting to keep your gas gauge low before putting your car away, but this is often a grave mistake. A full tank exposes less of its interior surface area to air and moisture, slowing the growth of rust. Tank rust is less of a concern with modern cars, but classic vehicles with metal tanks can be prone to severe rust when allowed to sit with half-empty gas tanks.
3. Consider Sacrificial Wheels and Tires
If you plan to leave your car sitting for an extended period (a year or more), then you may not want to store it on good rubber. The weight of your vehicle can cause flat spots to develop on your tires, especially if they cannot maintain good pressure. Instead, consider leaving your car stored on some cheap, sacrificial used tires.
The longer you leave your car in storage, the more likely it is to develop problems when you go to fire it up again. Taking the right precautions before leaving your vehicle unattended can help to ensure that you avoid many of the most common vehicle storage pitfalls.
For more information, contact a vehicle storage facility.
