About to lay-up for winter - any tips?

Thu Oct 20, 2011 7:52 am

As the end of October (and the end of my 6 month tax disc) approaches, I need to accept that my cab needs to go into hibernation until the spring. Sadly, I dont have a garage, so it will be stored on the driveway.

So what's your best tips to help preserve my pride and joy?

Thu Oct 20, 2011 8:02 am

Is it not worth taxing it for another 6 months and using it on good days to keep it ticking over?

Other than a good quality car cover and a trickle charger, there's not much more ya can do.

Thu Oct 20, 2011 8:38 am

Well, I would but to be honest £140 for another 6 months when I'd probably only use it once a month doesn't really justify the cost. I'd probably do more damage to it in terms of picking up road salt and chips from grit on the road too.

Thu Oct 20, 2011 8:41 am

Does the road salt significantly increase speed of rusting on these cars?
After driving it may be a good idea to just jet wash the underside

Thu Oct 20, 2011 8:49 am

IMO you'll do it more damage under a car cover on the drive than if you were actually running it! it'll trap water everywhere and you'll never dry it out.. you need a garage if you are going to take it off the road really..

Thu Oct 20, 2011 8:59 am

The cost of taxing is probably cheaper than a decent car cover! Garage is good if dry and not damp and it works out cheaper in the long run to rent a dry lock up than it does to resto properly!! I laid my car up on my drive for a year and it certainly wasn't a good idea in hindsight. What was once a solid car now needs welding and paint restoration. Would have been cheaper to rent a lock up

Thu Oct 20, 2011 9:47 am

How safe is your drive?
http://www.carcoon.co.uk/outdoor-carcoon.html

Thu Oct 20, 2011 11:54 am

Morat wrote:How safe is your drive?
http://www.carcoon.co.uk/outdoor-carcoon.html

Anyone had a carcoon cover they seem to look very good?

This is also a good car cover http://www.carcoverzone.co.uk/stormforc ... -2030.html

Thu Oct 20, 2011 12:35 pm

Your car should be inside, as someone has said if you are keeping it outside, you may as well run it to get heat into it.

Suggest you rent a council lockup, they're £35 a month up here.

Before putting away:

Brim fuel tank
Make sure all fluid levels are at max
Ensure coolant and screenwash is able to handle (this year) -25c
Put battery on conditioning charge
Wash car and cover with hard wax
Put up on 4 axle stands
Clean inside and add large moisture traps to boot and interior (large silica gel pouches)
Cover with breathable cover (only cover if your car hasn't had paint in previous 6 months, there are horror stories about this)
Start once a month, test all electrical circuits and motors, lights, heaters, door locks etc and run the car up to temperature for 10 mins
Free up the discs from the calipers/pads once a month

Finally, be careful about putting the roof up and down, if you must, make sure the back window is warm as it'll split in the cold. Happened to me two years ago.

Thu Oct 20, 2011 1:06 pm

lion_yo wrote:
Morat wrote:How safe is your drive?
http://www.carcoon.co.uk/outdoor-carcoon.html
Anyone had a carcoon cover they seem to look very good?

This is also a good car cover http://www.carcoverzone.co.uk/stormforc ... -2030.html

I don't own one but I saw a Jag XK120 that had been sitting in one for 8 months - it was absolutely pristine. It had been cleaned and stored and there wasn't a speck of dust on it. The air was dehumidified and the battery was on trickle charge/condition. I can't think of a better way to store a car tbh.
Other car covers just rest on the car and trap moisture, the carcoon is an inflated tent which dries the car while it is stored.

Thu Oct 20, 2011 7:27 pm

Tax it for another 6 months, keep running it on dry days, and to be honest, with the weather as it has been, it'll probably be 25 degrees in december lol

Then you'll definitely want the roof down!

Thu Oct 20, 2011 8:08 pm

Drive it as a daily, keep it rinsed and enjoy it. Its not a Veyron and ,god forbid, you might not be here tomorrow. Enjoy today!

Sat Oct 22, 2011 4:46 pm

Morat wrote:How safe is your drive?
http://www.carcoon.co.uk/outdoor-carcoon.html

I am seriously thinking about buying a standard indoor carcoon,any-one use one for an E30? What size did you buy? E30 is 14'2'' long...will a 14' carcoon fit?

Sun Oct 23, 2011 8:57 pm

I have my Cecotto and track car under an Auto-Pyjama® http://permabag.com/index.php?locus=htt ... pyjama.php

I also have a powerful dehumidifier in the garage which removes roughly 1.6l of water per month and more in the rainy seasons and winter.

If you can store a car in a carcoon please do that! Under a car cover everything will rot and you will soon find rust where there was none! However i have seen cars stored with no covers and they seem to last ok, just not at as good as a dehumidified storage.

Andrew

Sun Oct 23, 2011 9:06 pm

Morat wrote:
lion_yo wrote:
Morat wrote:How safe is your drive?
http://www.carcoon.co.uk/outdoor-carcoon.html
Anyone had a carcoon cover they seem to look very good?

This is also a good car cover http://www.carcoverzone.co.uk/stormforc ... -2030.html
I don't own one but I saw a Jag XK120 that had been sitting in one for 8 months - it was absolutely pristine. It had been cleaned and stored and there wasn't a speck of dust on it. The air was dehumidified and the battery was on trickle charge/condition. I can't think of a better way to store a car tbh.
Other car covers just rest on the car and trap moisture, the carcoon is an inflated tent which dries the car while it is stored.

I cannot see anywhere on their site that states they use a real dehumidifier in their carcoons, was the one the Jag was in have a separate unit?

Just that getting the dehumidifier is the single best thing i have added to the storage of the cars.

I have this one: http://www.allergytech.com/bionaire_bdq24.htm

Ive worked out that roughly it will cost £140 (ouch!) per year to run at a decent humidistat (55-60) setting.

I also use this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ACF-50-ANTI-C ... 3f0c9f29eb

Andrew

Sun Oct 23, 2011 9:34 pm

What are the wheels on your black bmw pls? and the tyre sizes pls, I see they are 4 stud, where did you get them from ?

Mon Oct 24, 2011 6:01 pm

Are scottish motors on the whole best avoided new/old BMWs?

Mon Oct 24, 2011 6:30 pm

pony wrote:Are scottish motors on the whole best avoided new/old BMWs?

I wouldn't agree with such a blanket statement, however you need to be aware that cars that have lived near the sea are more exposed to salt water and therefore rot more. The same goes for cars which come from the North Of Scotland where there is more snow, more grit on the roads and that also helps cars rot quicker.

There are exceptions to that rule. For example my white cabby came from Troon on the west coast of Scotland and is solid, because it was garaged when not in use.