Winter storage prep, What to do for winter storage. Options

[jordisonjr]

I used the search and there's a lot of threads about people winterizing their cars for driving in winers.
Im looking to get some info on winter storage.

I don't have money or the space to keep my Celica indoors so it will be out in the backyard behind my garage just like it did last year.
Last year I put on some crappy wheels and let it sit on those all winter so i didnt have to worry about flat spots cause they were bad tires anyways.
I removed the subs and screen, filled the tank with gas and put in fuel stabliizer as well as ran fogging oil through the motor.
Cleaned everything real good so it was good when i took it out in the spring.

Placed bounce dryer sheets below the car and in the engine bay, to keep animals like squirrels and mice away from the car.

This year I had to replace wheel bearings that were less than a year old. I got it done by a toyota mechanic who did it in his garage at home on his own time, both times. He said the reason i needed to replace them again was probably because i let the car sit all winter. I dunno if this is true, or if he is just trying to cover his ass for a ****ty installation the first time around.

I've read that its bad to jack the car up without the wheels on and to have the suspension sagging, and my mechanic told me this as well. But I've also read that its not good to leave it sitting.

The car will be sitting for approximately 5 months. I don't know if i should jack the car up or just let it sit again. Also if there is anything else I should do to keep my car looking and running its best any help would be awesome. Thanks 6GC!

[presure2]

sounds like you have a good start there.
i would put the car on jackstands.

[jordisonjr]

Yea? That wouldn't be hard on the suspension?
Would I be better off to get some sort of blocks to put it on or would jack stands be alright?

[stephen_lee]

mothballs

[jordisonjr]

mothballs

Yea I've also heard that works too, the bounce sheets seemed to work good, and you can put those inside the car too, just for extra protection.

[sphinxxx]

This is what i do... not necessarily in this order!

-Full top to bottom detail, wash, wax, and polish, vacume and all... the works!
-Jack the car up, put in your jack stands, and under the wheels put a block of wood... then lower the jack a little, so the wheels arent sagging soo much
-Cover the seats with a cotton blanket or sheet to keep moisture away from the fabric/leather,
-Put a couple new air fresheners opened all the way! ( i hate when people just open it part way and leave the plastic bag hanging... i HATE it! lol )
-Make sure you have at least half a tank of gas, cause the gas will break down over time... do not leave it empty!... also add a fuel stabilizer.
-Change the oil.. old oil can have acidic deposits that can eat away little by little over months and months!
-Disconnect the battery of course for obvious reasons!
-Moth balls yes in the glove box, trunk, and under the hood.
-Get a high quality car cover! dont cheap out and use a crappy blue tarp!! do it right!

[jordisonjr]

This is what i do... not necessarily in this order!

-Full top to bottom detail, wash, wax, and polish, vacume and all... the works!
-Jack the car up, put in your jack stands, and under the wheels put a block of wood... then lower the jack a little, so the wheels arent sagging soo much
-Cover the seats with a cotton blanket or sheet to keep moisture away from the fabric/leather,
-Put a couple new air fresheners opened all the way! ( i hate when people just open it part way and leave the plastic bag hanging... i HATE it! lol )
-Make sure you have at least half a tank of gas, cause the gas will break down over time... do not leave it empty!... also add a fuel stabilizer.
-Change the oil.. old oil can have acidic deposits that can eat away little by little over months and months!
-Disconnect the battery of course for obvious reasons!
-Moth balls yes in the glove box, trunk, and under the hood.
-Get a high quality car cover! dont cheap out and use a crappy blue tarp!! do it right!

LOL you sure do go all out.
So you change your oil befroe you store it, then do you change it again once you take it out or just drive on that same oil?
Where exactly did you place your jack stands?
Last year I just left it uncovered and let it sit. I would usually brush it off when it snowed though. Do you think thats bad for it?

My dad and I got in an argument about it and he said the cover is just going to flap around and scratch the paint and everything untill there was enough snow to keep it in one spot. I gave in and let him win that battle haha, and left it uncovered. Didn't see any damage to it after that.

[sphinxxx]

LOL you sure do go all out.
So you change your oil befroe you store it, then do you change it again once you take it out or just drive on that same oil?
Where exactly did you place your jack stands?
Last year I just left it uncovered and let it sit. I would usually brush it off when it snowed though. Do you think thats bad for it?

My dad and I got in an argument about it and he said the cover is just going to flap around and scratch the paint and everything untill there was enough snow to keep it in one spot. I gave in and let him win that battle haha, and left it uncovered. Didn't see any damage to it after that.

yea what can i say i love my cars!

i get free oil changes so for me its not an issue but you dont HAVE to get new oil...

the jack stands i put at the pinch points as directed by the manual.. only thing is i put a peice of flat wood between the car and stand.

letting it sit with no cover... i wouldn't... just imagine all the ice, dirt, salt, bird poop, UV rays and other factors that get at your paint during 5 months!
and the flapping around... thats why i said get a good high quality cover... the ones that fit snug and have the elastic band at the bottom you can tie it down too if you like..



i cant see this flapping around too much!... not my car.. but very similar! the car cover i have is 100% waterproof with some microfiber layer inside to extract moisture! it was like $100 bucks!

This post has been edited by sphinxxx: Oct 21, 2010 - 8:53 PM

[Stambo]

take the battery out of the car and let it sit inside for the 5 months, if you let it sit the water in the battery could freeze and cause the battery to bulge. Thats what i usually do.

[jordisonjr]

sphinxxx: So you just let the car sit on the little grooves where the stock jack is supposed to go, with pieces of wood inbetween?
I guess I can see why he didn't want me using the car cover I had, it was really ****ty compared to that one haha. Is there any specific materials to look for or any brands to look out for for a car cover? Also since they are so tight, are they car specific?

Stambo: All you do is take out the battery?
I know to take out the battery, but I'm not to worried cause my battery is completely dead anyways. I'm pretty sure its cause I didn't have it on a charger or anything last winter when it was out. Plus its pretty old, and I haven't driven the car in about a month or so because the clutch is getting really bad in it.

[sphinxxx]

sphinxxx: So you just let the car sit on the little grooves where the stock jack is supposed to go, with pieces of wood inbetween?
I guess I can see why he didn't want me using the car cover I had, it was really ****ty compared to that one haha. Is there any specific materials to look for or any brands to look out for for a car cover? Also since they are so tight, are they car specific?

yea pretty much... with wood blocks holding up the tires a bit to reduce sag

you can jack it up and support the car from the frame rails too i suppose, as long as you use the flat wood peices, and as long as your rails arent rotted out!

as for the covers... there are some that are vehicle specific... but mine isnt.. just look for 100% waterproof and microfilm inner lining.
dont forget the elastic bottom! if you must you can tie the cover down! like this... but on a car!

This post has been edited by sphinxxx: Oct 22, 2010 - 1:02 AM

[jordisonjr]

haha yea i guess that would work to.
Thanks for the input!

[Stambo]

i just put a crappy set of tires on my steelies and let it sit outside all winter also. My body guy also said not to use a car cover mostly because the car will never get a chance to really dry out and can damage the clear coat, it'll always have that wet snow on it unless you clean it off often. But, who knows if they is true or not.

[jordisonjr]

Yea I basically left mine out all year last year with no cover and just some ****ty tires.
I would brush it off all the time when it snowed, but there woud still be a little remaining.
After a few months i forgot and tehre was like a foot of snow on ym car and it didn't really damage anything.

I'm just wondering if letting it sit is hard for teh wheel bearings like my mechanic said, or if he was just trying to cover his ass for messing up the install last year before i put it away for storage.

[Stambo]

As long as the axle nuts are tight i don't think ruining the bearings should be an issue. I havn't had any troubles with mine at all.

[Tigawoods]

This is what i do... not necessarily in this order!

-Full top to bottom detail, wash, wax, and polish, vacume and all... the works!
-Jack the car up, put in your jack stands, and under the wheels put a block of wood... then lower the jack a little, so the wheels arent sagging soo much
-Cover the seats with a cotton blanket or sheet to keep moisture away from the fabric/leather,
-Put a couple new air fresheners opened all the way! ( i hate when people just open it part way and leave the plastic bag hanging... i HATE it! lol )
-Make sure you have at least half a tank of gas, cause the gas will break down over time... do not leave it empty!... also add a fuel stabilizer.
-Change the oil.. old oil can have acidic deposits that can eat away little by little over months and months!
-Disconnect the battery of course for obvious reasons!
-Moth balls yes in the glove box, trunk, and under the hood.
-Get a high quality car cover! dont cheap out and use a crappy blue tarp!! do it right!

[jordisonjr]

Put my car away the other week.
Got it on jack stands with the wheels supported a little bit.
cleaned it inside and out.
Air fresheners on the inside, bounce sheets throughout the engine bay and all under the car.
Rag in the exhaust to keep mice and animals out.
filled the tank right up and added fuel stabilizer.
used fogging oil as well.
Pretty sure thats everything i did.

[azian_advanced]

well looks like i won't be seeing much 6gc's this winter except for some gt-fours i've seen which i doubt will be getting stored for the winter.. i just saw a white one the other day.

[block]

wished i lived in the west coast where weather wasn't the issue. i stored my celica today. only thing i didn't do was take out the battery. i have a remote start so i can start it once a week to keep everything fresh. GL and we'll see it 5 months from now

[jordisonjr]

well looks like i won't be seeing much 6gc's this winter except for some gt-fours i've seen which i doubt will be getting stored for the winter.. i just saw a white one the other day.

Yea I wanted to have a gt four this winter but money was not where i expected it to be.
I wouldn't be storing it, but its just not practicle with all my snowboard stuff, and I really don't like having it damaged from all my gear which happened the first year i drove it in winter