Storing a car over winter

[Swompy 0]

Not sure where to post this so thought here might be best. Mods move it if you feel its belongs some where else.

 

Right I have just SORN the corrado for the winter and was wondering if there is anything I should do whilst its tucked away in the garage over winter.

 

Im guessing leaving the hand brake off might be a good idea and maybe starting it up every now and again and letting it run up to temp?

 

Anything else?

[Goldie 2]

Dehumidifier box, available from halfords in the car.. You'd be amazed how much moisture the car will have in it.

 

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_169605_langId_-1_categoryId_165745

 

If you have leather, treat it frequently.

Definite hand brake off.

Over inflate your tyres, prevents flat spots, or move the car around every now and again.

 

Im sure others will advise on car chargers etc...

[RW1 0]

Wouldn't bother with the tyres. Had tyre spring it internals at just +5psi. Never had a problem with this thing as long as they are at correct inflation.

 

Now:

 

Hope you put the Corrado away with the engine and exhaust hot and dry. And ran the fuel tank down to the red area.

 

Handbrake off and in gear, chock a wheel with bricks as well, just in case. I use two large blocks if wood.

 

Pull the fuel pump relay. Put to one side until storage ends.

 

Hook up a battery charger - intelligent type or disconnect the battery.

 

Start garage de-humidifier for winter.

 

 

Once a Month:

 

Disconnect the battery charger or reconnect the battery.

 

Pump the brakes fairly hard 5 times. Operate clutch 5 times.

 

In neutral with Clutch engaged. Spin the engine on the starter for 20 second periods with 2 minute pauses until the oil light goes out. Then 4 or 5 further spins of 20 seconds/2 minutes off. (Fuel pump relay is not used).

 

Reconnect charger or put battery on a normal charger for a few hours until charged.

 

Put gearbox back into gear.

 

Record which day you did it on a log card. Pin the card up somewhere to remind you to do it the next month.

 

 

End of Storage:

 

Stop dehumidifier. Hope fully you collected a lot of clean water for the windscreen washer bottle and any coolant change you may do. NB. If weather and garage is 2'C or below. Knock of dehumidifier to save electric as it doesn't work by the way it uses a cooled plate to remove moisture. The chilled plate won't work below 2'C and below. Cold air tends to be dry anyway.

 

Re-fit fuel pump relay and clear the fault code. Fuel Pump fault code can trigger sympathy faults like the MAF codes and that puts the ECU into fail MAF mode.

 

Drive and immediately fill up to with fresh fuel to purge the fuel system of stale fuel.

 

If the battery was disconnected during storage, you need to set up the ECU.

 

-----------

.

Edited October 27, 2012 by RW1

[ChrisL 18]

Brilliant thread as I've just sorn'd mine for the winter. Don't forget to tell your insurance your not using it, mine is now temporarily on fire, theft and accidental damage and its dropped from £45 per month to £5 a month.

 

My intention is to take the front off to powder coat the cross member etc, so won't have battery on to turn it over. Is it a problem if I don't?

[RW1 0]

Spin the engine to keep the oil pump and the hydraulic tappets primed. Not essential but did once with another car have no oil pressure cause the oil pump was worn a little.

 

While I remember. Don't change the brake fluid just before storing. It tends to perish standard VW rubber brake hoses. Had that more than once in 15 years until I realised. Better to change the brake fluid a couple of months ahead of storage. The pedal pumping above is really about keeping the rubber hoses and seals flexing so that the rubber material is stretched. If left for 6 monhts, the fluid seems to "attack" the rubber or blistering occurs. Happens also on my Mk2 Scirocco.

 

.

[Swompy 0]

Thanks for that.

 

BTW the engine isnt the standard VR6 it is a 2.8 24v but Im guessing its the same?

 

Is it necessary to remove the fuel relay? As I thought running the engine up to temp would be more beneficial than turning it over with no fuel?

[RW1 0]

Stops the engine starting. If you start it running, its initially puts water in the exhaust! Idling won't get rid of this. It pools in the silencer boxes and rusts through. Thats why I wrote put away hot and dry originally.

 

.

[Jim 2]

Do you have any advice, Chris, for if you have no choice but store your garage in one that's not attached to a house and therefore has no power or similar to run a dehumidifier? If I leave the car for 6 months or so will I be coming back to major problems? Though reading your post about how the dehumidifer works, I guess given that the car is going to be stored over the colder months means that it wouldn't make much difference anyway! :)

[RW1 0]

Had those sort of issue to resolve for a while with a lock-up at Leek in Staffordshire.

 

Much the same of brakes/clutch - pumped the same. Engine turning did but took the battery home and charged it. Return the next time with a fully charged battery to do the engine turning as above.

 

Use this in the cabin instead of conditioning the whole garage with a dehumidifier. In either case I do not leave the windows open and have never had any problems internally with the leather or metal fittings such as the lower seat belt anchor rails.

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]70170[/ATTACH]

 

Disc brakes, don't laugh! Wheels off and sprayed with hair laquer. Make sure its dried, no drips on the bottom of the discs before putting the wheels back on. When you drive off after storage, the brake pads just wipe off the hardened lacquer and the brakes are just like they were in use. Has to be "Firm Hold" because the lacquer content is proportionally higher, hence its stiffening effect when used on hair.

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]70169[/ATTACH]

 

 

Security is more of an issue so used these when stored away from the house......

 

Bulldog wheel clamp

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]70167[/ATTACH]

 

http://www.bulldogsecure.com/product/107/bulldog-230f-titan-wheel-clamp

 

 

Bullock Pedal Lock clamp

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]70168[/ATTACH]

 

http://www.driverstechnology.co.uk/bullock.htm

 

And finally..... take the steering off and stored at home.

 

The pedal lock and the sock/bar for the steering wheel are always in the boot in case I have to leave the Corrado anywhere unattended.

 

 

And the other thing I forgot. I raise the wiper arms/wiper off the screen using stiff sponge or pipe insulation foam to stop the blades being deformed. The alternative is to take the blade carrier off the arm - but do remember to refit otherwise you could have a nasty scratch on the windscreen!

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]70166[/ATTACH]

 

And finally use a couple of lightweight decorators dust covers from B&Q weighted down by newspaper piles. Scirocco went this way last weekend after one last 2 hours drive.

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]70165[/ATTACH]

 

Corrado is condemmed to going this way a month early as Friday on the way home with it, they had put salt down on the roads.......

 

.

Edited October 28, 2012 by RW1

[Jim 2]

As ever Chris, you're a mine of useful information. Thanks very much. Coming to the conclusion with tax due on the Corrado at the end of December and the crap weather turning in, not to mention the crazy petrol prices, it might be time to consider taking the Corrado off the road for a few months to save my wallet a bit - think this is the best option for my wallet and the car!

[Hofmiester 10]

My brain tells me that I should take mine off the road too, it is a second car so not needed but as I've only had it 2 weeks....my heart says no, I can't bring myself to do it yet :)

 

It's taxed until April and insured so I'd save a good wedge by putting on Sorn

Edited October 28, 2012 by Hofmiester

[coullstar 0]

All sound advice, you can get a solar battery charger that work through the cig lighter from Maplin for about £10. Im planning on bringing mine out as the winter fun car, Id say that if the car is not a show car with new paint etc then use it when you can.

 

Seal the underside with something like Por15. I SORn'd mine for a month and its been a long month if Im honest.