The length of time that your car spends in storage will depend on the reason why you even stored the vehicle in the first place. If you’ll only be leaving your car for a few weeks then it may be left fine as it is. However, if you plan to store it for at least half a year; then follow the procedure Philkotse.com has prepared for you to make sure your car is still as good as you left it.
1. Do a Thorough Paper Check
If you plan to keep your vehicle stored for quite some time then you might need to consider reviewing its registration papers. It’s best to take care of concerns like these even before the expiration gets close. It will save you from future trouble and trying to race against time to save on money that you’ll need to spend. If you can’t do it at the soonest, set a reminder for yourself so that you will still remember it and you can attend to it before it is due.
2. Make a Call
Inform your insurer or insurers that you will be storing your vehicle for some time. They may be intrigued and ask you for a few questions regarding your policy but this is normal. Also, let them know that you would want your car to still be covered by the insurance policy you already bought from them. They should confirm this and you should be able to store your vehicle without worrying much about the insurance.
Inform your insurer or insurers that you will be storing your vehicle for some time
3. Give Your Car Its Well-Deserved Check-Up
Making sure that your car is in good shape before storing it helps raise the guarantees that it will be running smoothly once you take it out of its hiding place again. There are a few elements and components in your car that require maintenance and to-ups every now and then.
So before you ultimately decide to keep your car under the sheet for a while, we recommend you get these parts checked out by your auto-repair guy. Here are some things that you should get checked just in case you’d want to point out something to your mechanic.
3.1. Fluids
Get rid of fluids that have already developed sediments and crystals. You can ask your mechanic to empty them out and then fill them with good-quality fluids since it will need all the care it needs while in storage. These are mainly the coolants, transmission fluids, brake fluids. Also, consider throwing out leftover windshield washer fluid.
>>> Learn more: Top 4 essential fluids in your car
3.2. Don’t forget the gasoline
One of the many important fluids in your car is the gasoline. It’s what the engine needs to run for the vehicle to move, or at least that’s what it basically does. If you’re wondering why you would need gasoline even though your ride is going into hibernation mode, it's actually a simple logic that you’re going to want to know.
Filling your car with gasoline fills up the space that could be occupied with air instead. Air is not good for your engine since this can affect it greatly, once you set it for long-term storage.
3.3. Hoses, filters, belts should be inspected
Check all these parts to make they are all in good condition. If you leave one part with even the slightest damage, it could develop once it’s stored for a long time. This may render that particular damaged part useless once you decide to take your car out from storage.
Before you ultimately decide to keep your car under the sheet for a while, we recommend you get these parts checked out by your auto-repair guy
4. Start lubricating certain car parts
Drip some lubricating oil to parts that need to swing or rub together smoothly in order to work. These are mainly parts like the hood, the car’s doors, and the trunk. Use good lubricant preferably graphite-based lubricant product to coat the hinges. Manufactured products that are stored in bottles with a long nozzle are also a good buy because it will only get the oil on to the spot where you want it to be.
Use good lubricant preferably graphite-based lubricant product to coat the hinges
5. Clean your car
Get rid of anything that you might need and especially those that you don’t need. You want to store your car safely; not make it a garbage dumpster or a storage warehouse. Vacuum everything that needs to be cleaned so your car won’t develop any uncomfortable smell while in storage. Also, wash the car windows in the inside part without getting anything else wet. Just simply dampen a towel, a rag or a chamois with glass cleaner and wipe away.
. You want to store your car safely; not make it a garbage dumpster or a storage warehouse
6. Don’t forget the outside
You can either have this done at your own home to do it yourself or you can also have a professional do it at the car wash shop. Have your car properly washed, buffed and waxed and if possible or if you can still afford it have, have your car detailed as well. It’s also good to let the person who is washing your car know that you would be storing your car for some time.
This will inform them of your intention and since they’re experts they could also provide tips and do a better job at cleaning your car. Make sure that there’s nothing stuck to your car that can lead to deterioration, rust-formation, and decomposition. These could be leaves, wet sponges and other foreign material that we are sure you wouldn’t want to be laying around stuck to your newly-cleaned ride.
7. Final Touches
Once you’re satisfied with how your car will look for storage then it’s time to apply the final steps. First is the battery, make sure your car battery is fully charged since the electronics installed inside your vehicle can still drain your batteries by the second. If you plan to store your car for more than an average of 6 months, then it’s best to take out the battery instead and store somewhere safe and dry.
Second is to take care of your tires, deflate them to 10psi and if you’ll be storing for more than half a year place your vehicle on two jack stands. Now that that’s done, you can safely cover your vehicle with no worries in mind.
>>> Click to get more helpful tips and advice for your car maintenance
