Storing my car for the winter. even worth it?

[call me jack]

So after being hit by a sudden snowstorm that knocked power out, it's become obvious to me that winter is here. i bought my rust free car, last june, so this is my first winter with the car. i want to just store it until spring, but i have this problem; the only place i really have to store it is at my dads out, out side in the elements. i'll probably go over there at least once a week to start the car, and keep fluid running through it.

but is it safe from accelerated rust/corrosion if the car it's still sitting out side in the snow? i want to believe that it is, since i wont be kicking up any salt into the under panels.

what are your guys thoughts?

[Erik j]

Get 2 tarps, drive the car onto one tarp and pull it up over the car, then put another tarp over the top and pull it down. This creates a waterproof case for your car. You might want to duct tape all the seams also.

[DrJosh]

Not all tarps are waterproof and are prone to condensation. Get a waterproof car cover. They are a little bit of cash but it will keep it safe from the elements.

[Stanley Rockefeller]

you dont' want waterproof...trust me, from years of e30 storage you'll cause more problems than you can imagine (think mold).

get a garage and put it in there. If you can't, then find someone who has a garage and put it in there with a car cover and put lots of mice and rat poison (trust me, you'll need it). Also, remember to press the rec. button on the dash, with will prevent mice from building nests in the air intake box for the interior.

[call me jack]

Also, remember to press the rec. button on the dash, with will prevent mice from building nests in the air intake box for the interior.

what?

[lennon]

gotta love florida. my only weather concern is keeping my car out of the sun year-round.

[Fusion]

The weakest bits of these cars are the rear trunk pockets, rockers, front wheel well (under feet), all caused mainly by driving, especially on salt. In Europe most countries combine salt and sand. The tires send the sand flying and chipping the paint behind them, then salt water can get on the naked steel. Even this process takes 5 years to lift the paint and make bubbles. So generally, rust free cars here don't necessarily have to be garaged, just not winter driven. Many verts are therefor rust free, iXs rare to be.
Tarps + snow layer + wind = scratched paint. It's not like your going to find a rat car after a few months of snow.

[dannyyisntt]

get a storage unit....thats what i do.

[DaveSmed]

i'll probably go over there at least once a week to start the car, and keep fluid running through it.

Do NOT do this.

[CabrioPunk]

What are some good winter storage tips?

I have a waterproof car cover on the way. I am working on securing a garage. If not that a carport. If not that, it will be outside like the rest of the cars.

I figure most of the scratching from a car cover is due to ill fit. I plan to tighten it up best I can, to prevent that play.

Any words of advice or someone in MD that has too much room in their garage? :D

[dannyyisntt]

Winter prep guide. http://www.e30tech.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3231

[sonnyqm3]

Buy some undercoating from ur local parts store.. Undercoat the hell out of the undercarriage, trunk, wheel wells and you are good to go..

[Raxe]

Like Dave said, do NOT start the car weekly or even at all. You'll just cause way more damage than benefit. I store my car every winter for 4-6 months, sometimes outside and sometimes in. A car is a piece of metal; it really doesn't care how cold it gets as long as it's just sitting and not moving or running.

As for rust don't worry about it rusting if it's just sitting parked on concrete for a few months. That's probably better for the rust anyways than slush and grime being forced all up where the sun don't shine if you know what I mean.

Thirdly, slightly over-inflate the tires if you're worried about flat-spotting (never had an issue with this either). Don't put the car on jackstands as the unibody jacking points weren't intended to be supported by jackstands for long periods of time and it's bad for the shocks to hang like that for so long. The car was designed to spend its entire life on its own four wheels.

Put fuel stabilizer in the tank if you're storing it on a full tank or empty the tank as much as you can if you want to store it empty. Both sides have their arguments but it's really up to you. Disconnect the battery and take it with you to keep on a trickle charger, and chop up soap with Aloe and place it in dishes around the interior and engine bay of the car if you're worried about mice.

Further steps would be taken if you were storing the car for a period of years but that's not really the case, so just do what's above and you'll be good to go in spring. Unfortunately many of these "winter storage guides" are a combination of paranoid people storing a car for the first time, tips that are not compatible with every kind of car and very long term tips that don't apply for a typical winter storage all copy-pasted into one big list.

[nando]

Buy some undercoating from ur local parts store.. Undercoat the hell out of the undercarriage, trunk, wheel wells and you are good to go..

that would require detailing and prepping the entire underside of the car. This guy doesn't even have a garage, how likely does that sound to you?

plus E30s are already undercoated from the factory..

[foofopps]

Im bumping this thread as I am about to put my e30 in a garage for the winter.
Things I will do:
-Put in fuel stabilizer
-Take out anything worth breaking a window over
-I'm not going to bother with a battery tender as the battery sucks anyway and I plan on getting a new one in the spring.
-Put the vent on recirculate to deter mice

Anything else I should do?
Raxe what is with the soap idea? Id like to do mothballs around the car or something to deter mice as well. Poison sounds like a bad idea as I don't want dead mice stinking up my car.

Discuss.