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Vehicle storage tips.
When not driving your vehicle for periods of time, items like your wiper blades, tyres, fuel tank and engine oil all stand to degrade with exposure to the elements. Without taking some preventative measures to keep things operating smoothly, you might come back to a car that needs anywhere from a few dollars of parts to over thousands in repairs.
Littered over the internet are articles that will teach you everything you need to know before starting a vehicle that has been sitting for many years, but what can you do to look after your vehicle if you’re only leaving it for a few weeks or months?
Fill up your fuel tank
There are a few reasons you want to leave your vehicle parked with a full tank of fuel, regardless of whether it is petrol or diesel.
The main reason is condensation. Fuel tanks with air in them can accumulate moisture and condensation. Eventually, this can build up to levels where you’ll contaminate your fuel with water. At the very least, moisture in your fuel system can lead to corrosion, and if left unchecked for long periods of time can possibly lead to a seized motor, or a hydro-locked engine when eventually starting the vehicle back up.
If you’re storing a vehicle for 6 months or more, the best advice is to store it with a full tank and use some fuel stabiliser additive to ensure fuel breakdown is minimised. Vehicles left for multiple years will need to have the fuel system drained and refilled with fresh fuel regardless. Seems like a waste of fuel but at least the fuel system will not be full of rust and corroded.
Look after your tyres.
Prior to storing your vehicle, always check your tyres to ensure they have the correct air pressure, or even slightly above the usual pressure you run (never exceed the rating on the sidewall). A slightly deflated tyre has a much greater chance of flat spotting, speaking of which.
Modern radial tyres aren’t as prone to flat spotting when left in one position for too long as older style bias ply tyres used to be. Just ask any seasoned caravanner and they’ll tell you that tyres left in one spot for too long can still develop high and low spots on the tread simply from having the weight of a vehicle in the one spot for too long.
If at all possible, moving the vehicle forward or backwards once a fortnight or so is enough to stop tyres flat spotting.
Consider where you park
Parking under power lines or trees can have devastating consequences for the duco. Bird droppings, rotting leaves, pine needles and tree sap can all wreak havoc on your paint.
Not everyone has the option of leaving their vehicle safely inside a garage, however if you are parking outside, there are a few steps you can take to prevent any paint issues down the line.
- Routinely inspect sunroof rails, bonnet, boot and door openings for leaves, dirt buildup and tree sap
- Consider a car cover. It’s important to make sure you clean a car thoroughly before installing a car cover, as the simple act of fitting and removing a cover can scratch your paint if there is dirt on the car.
Surface rust on brakes
Nearly every vehicle on the road today uses cast iron brake rotors. These function best without any coatings or rust inhibitors and as such will begin to get a light layer of surface rust when you stop driving, almost immediately.
This isn’t a big issue and using your vehicle normally will remove the rust and restore the usual silver appearance.
When it comes time to drive your vehicle
This advice goes for all cars, not just ones that spend long periods of time sitting.
In cars that rarely get driven, condensation and moisture can build up inside the engine and make its way into the engine oil, eventually contaminating the oil and reducing its effectiveness at lubricating engine internals.
Going for at least a half hour drive will cause these fuel vapors and moisture to evaporate from the oil, effectively cleaning it of contaminants.
Vehicles that take infrequent or very short trips must have their engine oils changed more frequently to counteract the engine oil being contaminated, in as little as 5000kms in the worst situations.
Some other tips
If you’re leaving your vehicle or putting a vehicle into storage, there are additives and stabilisers that can be added to a full tank of fuel to prevent petrol or diesel breaking down over time, although generally this is only an issue on vehicles that are in storage for 6 months or more.
An often overlooked item when cars are left for periods of time is the wiper blades. Cars left outside will undergo a lot of temperature cycles and the windscreen will be one of the hottest parts of the car. Wiper blades can become cracked or dried out, causing them to be utterly ineffective when it comes time to drive your vehicle again.
Contact us today.
The helpful team at Donnellans the Tyremen are made up of qualified technicians who are able to provide the best advice, servicing, wheel and tyre products at 5 convenient locations across greater South-East Melbourne.
If you are after advice or want to book in at one of our stores, call us today! Find your nearest store here.
