Preparing for Long Term Storage?

[MikeVR6 0]

I'm going travelling for a year in two weeks.

 

Got a nice clean, dry shed lined up for storing the VR6 until next November.

 

I'm going to give her two coats of Swissol shield wax before she goes away.

 

One of my friends has agreed to take her for a short drive every few weeks to keep the cobwebs at bay. (no shortage of volunteers!) :)

 

I'll be keeping the tax and insurance up to date, he's going to take her through MOT in January too.

 

Just wondered if anyone had any tips on storing her?

Can I treat the interior with anything to keep mildew away?

[carpoid 0]

Silica Gel ?? Thats what mines being filled up with whilst at sea ........

[h100vw 0]

I wouldn't advise short drives every few weeks. You need to do a reasonable mileage to evapourate any moisture that condenses in the sump. Needs to be 20 miles or so IMO.

 

Through winter it would probably be worth having a dehumidifier running in the shed.

 

Gavin

[Phil K 0]

If it's going to be sat for any length of time it's worth getting the wheels off the floor or putting more air in so they don't flat spot... you can get low power de-humidifiers that you could leave running in the car to help with moisture - otherwise I'd have a go with silica gel. You can get fairly large bags of the stuff from photography shops.

 

HTH

[Colley 0]

Also dont have to much fuel in there as it 'goes off'

[belfastfumanchu 0]

Id say weighing up the pros and cons its better to have it taken for that drive every 2-3 weeks.

It'll help things like the brakes not siezing up (unless you put her up on bricks and remove wheels, brakes etc)

If its safe to do so you should keep one of the windows slightly open too to keep it nice n fresh.

[gsbellew 0]

Leave the handbrake off to prevent it seizing, Silica gel is a good idea, but it needs to be "recharged" every once in a while as it can only absorb so much moisture. To "recharge" it put it in the oven on a moderate heat for a while, make sure if its in paper bags that it does not go on fire!!

 

It'll change colour and let off steam, I know it sounds nuts, but my sister is a scientist and showed me how to do this :wink:

[Neil VR6 0]

Just bung the sacks in after you've cooked yer pizza while it's cooling down ;)

[RW1 0]

Can I treat the interior with anything to keep mildew away?

 

Put one of those moisture traps in the footwell in a larger container (spills) and renew as necessary. I use a 6 inch diameter one in each car and because of the enclosed small volume of air, it really sucks the air dry. They seem to last about 3 months per refill. Been using them for 10 years and never have dampness problems in storage over winter.

 

Always put the car away dry and the runs you mention must be about 25 miles minmum in winter to get the moisture out of the exhaust. And better to choose a warmer day to help the exhaust to get hotter.

 

Dehumidifer is great if the shed is quite well sealed and electrified. Also bags of clean water for the washers and engine cooling coolant charge later if kept.

 

Don't drive mine in winter but turn the engines over with the fuel pump relay pulled until the oil light goes out then a further 2 minutes of turning in 30 second burst with 15 second rests in between. Move them occassionally to rest the tyres differently. Handbrake off and footbrake pumped hard about 5 time repeatedly each time the engine turning over visit is done. Turn the engine once a month and have a low current battery charger (Airflow) hook up all the time to return the battery to normal charged state after an engine turning session.

 

Garage is bone dry which helps.

 

If the car is put on SORN, as long as the MoT is pre-booked, then it can be driven to & from storage point to the MoT test station with out the need to tax the car. Don't know if NI is the same...

 

 

.

[Henny 0]

RW1, that end bit's not actually true mate... :?

 

If your car has no tax on it, you can drive directly TO an MOT testing station if the test is pre-booked, but you CAN NOT drive it back (no matter if it passes or not) until you have taxed the car... Driving it back from the MOT station without tax WILL leave you open to all the fines and penalties normally associated with driving without tax if you get stopped.

[RW1 0]

Henny,

 

Got a reference for that to hand anywhere. Will look the www anyway. You learn something every day.....

 

I must have a word with my MoT man as he believes otherwise as written.

 

Cheers

 

 

..

[Henny 0]

Taken from http://www.ukmot.com

Cars and motorcycles MUST normally pass an MOT test three years from the date of the first registration and every year after that. You MUST NOT drive a vehicle without an MOT certificate, when it should have one. Driving an unroadworthy vehicle may invalidate your insurance. Exceptionally, you may drive to a pre-arranged test appointment or to a garage for repairs required for the test.

 

This actually seems to imply that you can drive your car from an MOT without tax if you fail it, but not if you pass it, which rings a bell as to how my mate got done.... :|

[RW1 0]

Thanks Henny.

 

But the fish is off the hook!............

 

On the SORN page, there is this............

 

"When can an untaxed vehicle be used on a public road?

An untaxed vehicle cannot be used of kept on a public road.

 

There is one exception:

 

You can drive an untaxed vehicle on a public road to and from a pre-arranged:

 

MOT testing station

VIC testing station

an approved vehicle weight testing station which covers design weight certificate or plated revenue weight

reduced pollution test "

 

Applies to SORN vehicles only though I suppose.

 

Worth exploring though. Phew.....

 

.

[Supercharged 2]

Yep, I've always thought you could... It's test drives after repairs that you have to be very careful with!

[MikeVR6 0]

Thanks for the tips guys.

 

Found this on the RAC website too....

 

http://www.rac.co.uk/web/carcare/advice ... g_up_a_car

[rmn 0]

mike make sure you give it a good clean under the car

get any possable corrosive material off the bottom of the car too

[steveo29 0]

theres no way id want mine being driven espceialy in winter, if your mate gets the arches caked in salty mud and then leaves it :(

 

i think id park it up clean n dry and just go

 

or the the money you save from insurance/tax/mot etc you pay for proper car storage in a dehumidified place that insured etc