How to Store a Car

Many automobile owners never think about storing their car.  They find it tedious to park their car in the garage or put a cover on it before going into their house.  In actuality, parking and covering alone may not be giving your car all the protection it needs.  All cars need a little TLC, even if they are just a machine.

Fluids

Before putting your car away, you should check to see that the fluids in your vehicle are stopped up at an proper level.  This includes fluids found in any part of the car such as engine oil, hydraulics, coolants, and brake fluid.  Since cars are meant to move around and run, the engine assumes it should be functioning all the time.  When it is not running, additional oxidization can occur, subsequently leading to the breakdown of the car's inner parts.

After these items have been checked, be sure the fuel system is in order as well.  This basically means that the gas tank should be filled, but before this is done, it would be wise to buy a fuel stabilizer, which can be found at any auto parts dealer.  If the fuel is left sitting too long when parked, it can oxidize and breakdown to the point of going bad.  Bad fuel will not let the car start-up and could potentially bring damage to the fuel system.  Stabilizers put chemicals into the fuel to preserve it.

Exterior

Now that the inner working of the car is in order, you should inspect the outer working to make sure they are in shape too.  To do this, you must clean your car to keep it sparkling like new.  If you are putting your car into storage, chances are that not only will dust develop, but also any leftover dirt and trash will increase the growth of mold and bacteria.

Storing

Once the vehicle has been checked for any potential dirt and engine problems, it is ready to be put into storage.  If you place the car on top of a waterproof barrier wrap, it will prevent any water vapor from coming up from the ground and into the engine, which would have otherwise caused it to rust and grow mildew.  This will also keep the moisture of the fluids within the car.  The car should be put on multiple jacks to make sure the entire car is suspended.  This puts less pressure on the tires and shock while the car is not in use.  Start up the car for a moment to cut off the fuel pump connection.  This will leave the tank empty once the car dies out, making it ready for the storage process.

Sealing

Take a look around the entire car and making sure any entry points are sealed off so that no animals can crawl in and damage the interior.  You can tape up all of your pipes temporarily to avoid any foreign objects flying into there.  Although this might seem like a great deal of work, later on it could save you lot of money.  Money that would have been spent on repairing these damages.

Photo Credits: octal

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auto parts dealer, automobile owners, bacteria, brake fluid, coolants, engine oil, fuel stabilizer, fuel system, gas tank, hydraulics, mold, oxidization, stabilizers, water vapor, waterproof barrier

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Car Tips, Storage

Posted by How To Car on January 30, 2012 in Car Tips, Storage. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.