4 critical steps for winter storage prep
Whether we like it or not, the changing of the seasons is upon us, and that means some of us are mentally preparing for the saddest day of the year—when we tuck our vintage toys into seasonal storage. It can be a rough day for a bunch of reasons, but a little stress and care right now can make for an extra delightful spring when you take your car out for that first drive.
Top up (two ways)
Storing with non-ethanol fuel is best, but not everyone has access to it, or it may come at enough of a premium that it’s not in the cards right now. Regardless of fuel type, fill the tank to the top and add an appropriate fuel stabilizer. Most vintage fuel tanks are steel and thus are very susceptible to rust, which can flake off and fill your fuel system with debris. Holy headache. With the tank topped off, there is no room for air and thus rust is kept at bay. Once you have some stabilizer in the tank, be sure to run the car for 10-15 minutes to make sure that it circulates through the entire fuel system.
The other “top” to think about is the convertible top. While you might never put the top for the summer, it is in your best interest to store a car with the top up so that it does not shrink or otherwise get damaged from long-term storage while being folded up. This is especially important for plastic rear windows that will lock into a shape when held in a particular way for too long. Replacing tops is not fun, and you aren’t driving anyway, so why not use it as the time to get your top back into shape?
Insulate your tires
Tires are made for driving, not for parking. That’s why long-term storage is likely to cause flat spots or dry-rotting of the rubber rings we need so dearly. There are appropriate products on the market that can help, but it’s also just as easy to pick up some insulation foam board and cut a few squares that fit under your tires. This will form a cradle for the tire and also keep the dirt or concrete under the car from sucking the moisture out of the rubber, making them last longer. If you want to go an extra step in moisture management, lay down a tarp or painter’s plastic sheet under the car to prevent the cool chassis from condensing any moisture that might rise up from the ground.
Cover up
If your storage spot has windows or is open on one side, be sure to utilize a good quality car cover. UV degradation can happen fast when a car is parked in one spot and the sunlight only hits a specific spot day after day. Your seats, paint, and trim will thank you for covering up, as it will also keep scratches and dust off your precious vintage ride. Speaking of dust, be sure that the car is clean before you cover it. Really clean. A cover can grind any dirt and debris left on the car into your delicate paint. Also, remember that covers don’t do much to protect from dents, so make sure your car does not become a shelf or leaning place for other things in the garage.
Fresh fluids
At a minimum, your car should get fresh oil and a coolant check. Oil traps combustion byproducts, and if left in the crankcase to sit all winter you can end up with corrosion or deposits that require serious work to remove. An oil change right before storage is cheap insurance. Coolant needs to be properly mixed for the temperatures the car will see in storage so it doesn’t freeze. Freezing liquids can exert tons of force—enough to literally split your engine block in two. You can be sure with a simple $3 tester, or if you’re really unsure and the coolant looks or smells dirty, a flush and fill could be your best option.
While under the hood looking at fluids, take a moment to inspect your brake fluid, as it can absorb moisture too. Flush with fresh fluid if the reservoir is anything but a nice light amber color.
Good luck. Spring will be here before you know it. (We hope.)
Buy an EV …… Much less to worry about. We have 2 and pre ordered 2 ….. selling off the 5 ICE collectables.
Cover your car and make a bed in the garage/barn/shed for your cat to sleep in over night (and a litter box)…no mice, no squirrels
Tried the dry sheets for a couple of years which worked but my ’06 TrailBlazer SS smelled like them forever! Have since gone to packets of cedar oil and other stuff from Tractor Supply. I put a couple in the engine bay, a couple in both the front and the rear compartments and a couple in the trunk. No mice and a very nice smell when I’m ready to hit the road again in the Spring. I’m in a closed garage, but pests are sure to get in. Will add some thing under the tires this year, since she sits on a concrete floor. I always change fluids before storage, fill the tank, add Stabil and air-up the tires. I also have a solar panel hooked to the battery which has never failed me…John
Hagerty actually has a comprehensive guide in the form of a PDF on their website which offers even more advice! Also, I just had a new garage built with winter storage as one of the goals. The builder used poly sheeting over the aggregate and under the concrete pour to mitigate moisture exchange from the ground, and then sealed the surface with a solvent based concrete sealer ChemMasters Polyseal EZ product which seals the surface and prevents moisture transfer at the surface. It is however, not designed for extended exposure to oil, gasoline or other car fluids. So, if you have leaky vehicles, this may not be an alternative without an additional intervention layer.
Living in the foothills of the Rockies, out here in Colorado, I’ve found that covering my cars IS a problem. Mice & the occasional rat (attracted by my neighbor’s horse feed) LOVE to take up residence UNDER the covers. What seems to work best inside the garages is to leave the bonnets & boot lids UP, and spread “Bounce” dryer sheets under and around the garage… the critters don’t like the smell and depart… honest, it works! A battery tender or other method of “occasional” charging is a great idea too… don’t have one? Just plug your regular charger into a lamp-timer, and have it come on for say a half or full hour ONCE a day… works great and doesn’t ever “boil” a battery.
I have used the electronic mouse repeller by Victor for close to 10 years now and have never seen any signs of mice around my car.
Living in the south, I am more apt to not drive a car through the summer as opposed to winter. Bring on the cold weather. I’ll still have T-tops out.
I live in Toronto and there is rarely a week in winter where the roads aren’t clear and dry for at least several days. I have a 2011 Porsche Cayman that I try to get out twice a week year round. A lot more fun than storing. As the local Porsche dealer told me ‘they get a whole lot more snow in most of Germany than we get here, and they certainly don’t store their cars in winter’.
leave fuel tank low . forget sta-bil use startron . disconnect battery . do not run engine until spring start up … every time you start and warm up your engine you attract rodents looking for a heat source to live in … if using something under vehicle make sure it can absorb moisture … if worried about flat spotting tires invest in jack stands … I prefer to change oil in the spring before start up rather than leaving fresh oil sitting in a crank case for 4 to 6 months
Back in the day I stored my classic in a giant bag. Drove unto the base, then pulled the bag over the car and zipped it up. Came out pristine in the spring. Don’t remember know who made them, but think they were Michigan based.
I’m disappointed to see the container of STA-BIL red formula in the first photo. I met a Sta-Bil rep a number of years back who informed me that their red formula does nothing to manage ethanol issues. However, the STA-BIL blue Marine formula does manage ethanol and works to remove water too. If you going to buy STA-BIL you might as well buy the blue Marine formula to get the full benefits of STA-BIL.
I live in Ontario Canada . I pull spark plugs and turn over motor until pressure builds then replace plugs . Use non ethonal premium gas and battery tender . I add air to tires and push car forward or backward three or four feet every couple of weeks .
Tried that dryer sheet thing several years ago with an RX7 stored in an unheated shop in northern Indiana. Mid winter I retrieved some paperwork from the glove box and noticed that several of the sheets were missing. Didn’t give it a whole lot of thought until the spring when we started the car and rolled it into the main garage. When the blower motor was engaged tiny pieces of dryer sheet blew from every outlet. Mama mouse had used five or six of them in her nest that she built in the blower housing. Quite the mess.
I have always been told not to change the oil because of condensation during the winter months
Sprinkle black pepper around the wheels. Mice won’t cross it.