Anyone else laying the Rado up for the winter?

[Sonicriot13 0]

Well, me and one of the mechanics I work with are gonna do a load of work to her next weekend (rear bearings, discs and pads, brake fluid renewal and some other bits and pieces) but I'm thinking of laying the Rado up for the winter. Is it a good idea to do the work now or is it better to do it when I take it out of storage? Or does it not really make any difference? :shrug:

 

Also I've never done this before so what sort of things do I need to consider?

[Critical_Mass 10]

Id leave it til its coming up to getting it back out or when it IS back out. I've laid mine up for a bit maybe about a year, its already been off the road for 2 months. Missing it already :(

[MK1Campaign 0]

Mines at work now in a hangar covered up. I just changed the oil before it went. I usually go down once a month and run it up to temp.

[KIPVW 0]

As said before i'd probably look to do the work a month or so before you intend to use it as then the disc's wont rust up and so on, but it depends how you store it as there are a few options you may consider.

 

Firstly get yourself a trickle charger from airflow as these work a treat and both me and Judith use them on our VR's over winter.

 

Second, it pays to cover the car up too even if the bodywork may not be pristine a cover keeps off a lot of moisture and dust, Netto's had some in their stores last week for £10 and i use one of these too! :wave:

 

I'd also inflate the tyres by an extra 5 psi and keep them topped up to this but stick a piece of paper over your dash to remind you you need to deflate them before you drive it off anywhere.

 

I like to start mine once a month to keep the oil moving around the engine but i only run it for a minute or so so it doessn't even get warm as getting the temp up could leave condensation where you dont really want to.

 

But there are so many choices its hard to know what to do so i guess it's a personal thing on what you think may be best and dont really take any suggestions as gospel, it's your car so do as you wish.

 

Enjoy doing the brakes! I really liked doing mine and Judiths a short while ago, very satisfactory job indeed!

Just not sure if i dare tackle the clutch and the chains on mine now :pale:

[delfinis38 1]

Some good info there.... I will also add i leave the hand brake off and leave it in gear and chocked. I've had problems with seized real calipers before leaving for any period. I've started to winterize mine today. in prep for next April time when the sun decides to shine again.

[Critical_Mass 10]

very good point i forgot to mention. Ensure the handbrake is off.

 

Is there any bad side affects with leaving an engine sat for a long period. Just had a vege engine fitted not long ago and car will be off the road for a good 10 months from now. I do as you do kip and try to start it at least once a month; I just dont want any bad side affects resulting from it being stood for that long.

[KIPVW 0]

Yeah I once left it for almost 6 months unstarted and then i drained all the oil out re-fitted the plug and poured it all back in to flow all over the the mechanicals but it sounded like a bag o nails for a second or two so i prefer to just fire it up for 30 or so secs now! :)

 

And yep always park it with the hand brake off, Just dont tell judith that Lol!

[Critical_Mass 10]

So other then it sounding like a bag of nails, there is no real side affects?

 

Thats the handbrake off but in gear :lol:

[Critical_Mass 10]

So other then it sounding like a bag of nails, there is no real side affects?

 

Thats the handbrake off but in gear :lol:

[KIPVW 0]

Well i hope there's no side effects :pale: but I wont leave it for so long again, i just feel its better just to fire it up for a few seconds to pump the oil around the engine.

[delfinis38 1]

I left mine once for nine months while i was out of the country... strated on my return without thinking about it and it sounded rather chattery for a while. I get in the habit of starting mine now every couple of weeks for a min, and always do a fresh oil change prior to my short rado season starting.... well all 150 miles this year :(

[KipVR 1]

The hydraulic tappets drain of oil over long periods which is why it sounds like a bag of nails, but it's no big deal really. Definitely do an oil/filter change BEFORE you lay it up, dirty oil can leave residue in the oilways etc, and make sure you use a cleaning agent when doing the change.

[Sonicriot13 0]

Some excellent advice guys. Cheers for that! :D I keep it covered up when it's in the garage anyhow to keep the dust off it, otherwise with the dust levels in my garage I'd be cleaning it every five minutes. Also we sometimes get birds in the garage and the cover is littered with their attempts to ruin my nice clean paint work! :lol: As you can see from my sig it's more of a car port really.

 

I love doing brakes and suspension because they are some of the very few jobs I've done on a car numerous times so I'm actually quite proficient at them now.

[Tempest 0]

All my 3 cars are laid up October till may typically,

 

Most has already been said, although I personally don't start up any engines during the lay-up period. Reason being that condensation will build up anyway, especially in the exhaust pipes etc. if you don't leave the engine to warm up properly.

 

Before first start-up for the new season, I turn the engine by hand a few times to get the oil circulating.

 

Other than that, I cover up my cars with cotton sheets to keep the dust off, increase tyre pressure, stick oily rags in exhaust pipes (to stop condensation, which is typical for British winters with huge temperature and humidity swings in the winter), even wrap metal parts on engine bay that are prone to condensation (leaving behind unsighly white deposites, and ultimately rust) with newspaper.

 

Inside I use silicagel bags to avoid any moisture build-up, treat leather seats and other leather parts with a good dose of leather creme.

 

Tempest

[coullstar 0]

I did this to a car a good few years ago for my brother and the biggest problem was damp on the inside. It actually started going mouldy inside.

I was thinking of doing the same to mine this year but TBH Ive put a fair bit of money into the car and I want to use it all the time. Paintwork insnt too bad but Im willing to risk it. If I had a garage it would be staying in that when Im not using it.

[SamG40 0]

Apparently a good trick for the interior is some cat litter in a tray.

[Critical_Mass 10]

Apparently a good trick for the interior is some cat litter in a tray.

 

To keep the moisty smell at bay? ill be giving this a try..

 

Cheers! :D

[delfinis38 1]

Or run a dehumidifier

[Traverse 0]

I'm picking mine up from my friend's tonight, then it's going into storage for 2+ years on Saturday :(

[Sonicriot13 0]

I'm picking mine up from my friend's tonight, then it's going into storage for 2+ years on Saturday :(

 

Dude, why such a long time? :(