Lancel

Luckily I live in the south. They do salt the roads here but it's a rare event, at worst the weather gets bad enough to justify it once or twice a year. I'll make sure to keep everything clean though if they do salt the roads and get some new wax on it.

Don't have a second car so not like I have much of a choice. I'd rather drive this car anyway.

Norberd

+1 on the condensation. It's better if you just leave the car for the entire time you will be storing it. Just think, you fire it up, it warms up, some water starts forming at the tail pipes, then you shut her down and let her sit for another couple weeks while all that condensation has time to fester.

Here's what I do:

1. Pour in a can of Seafoam and top off the fuel tank, then go for one last drive, knowing I won't be sitting in the drivers seat for at least six months.

2. Shed a tear and go over all the reasons why I still live here.

3. Park it in the garage, top off the gas tank again with a jerry can so there is no room for condensation.

4. Depending how long it's been since it's last wax, I will apply a fresh coat if required.

5. Get the tires up off the Concrete (I've got wheel dolly's that I use to push the car around the garage if required.) It gets down to -49 Degrees F up here..so that concrete can get mighty cold in a non-heated garage.

6. Hook-up the battery tender.

7. Set up a minefield of mouse traps around the perimeter of the car and make a mental note to never let the dogs in the garage for the duration of the winter.

8. Cover it up, and go snowboarding!

xlover

do you guys Fog the engine the way someone would do with a boat?

Norberd

I don't go to that extent.

cdynaco

That's why when you do fire it up once a month, you make sure you run it until the fan comes on. By sitting in the drive idling and then driving slowly up your road a bit and back and then idling in the drive and the fan will come on.
What you have done is insured there's enough heat to evap any condensation, you have lubed the seals in the engine and driveline, ran the AC, worked the brakes, put a little juice in the battery, and moved the tires so they won't flat spot.
Now you're good for another month and then do it again.

stangfoeva

Is that how I passed out that one time? I thought my trunk monkey had gone rogue again...

Norberd

It doesn't matter how hot you get the engine, you are always going to have condensation forming at some point in the cool down process. It's a double edged sword - you either cause condensation to form or you let your seals dry out. I guess do whatever makes you feel better.

I am not in a position to drive it around each month you fire it up, so it is just left alone for the winter.

Bert

LOL, gotta love those trunk monkeys . . .

but No, that was definitely the trunk monkey, if it was CO you wouldn't have woken up

karman

It has nothing to do with feelings.
I don't worry about condensation because I don't get it.
Why?
For one thing... my heated garage.
Let's say it is 22 degrees out.
After the car is fully warmed up, then the car is turned off and the garage door is closed.
The garage is at 55 degrees or more. Because of that, the R/H is much lower. That is why your house gets dry and you get all that static stuff.
The effective R/H in the garage is dryer than a desert, less than 20% R/H as the car cools to 55.
Therefore no problems with condensation in the winter in my garage.

stangfoeva

Mystery solved! Thanks John!

cdynaco

I disagree.

For example, before stainless exhaust systems, short trips in the winter would rot mufflers whereas long trips where the entire system was up to temp would not. Common knowledge.

For example, sometimes I have to start my truck up briefly to move it out of the way and don't have time to fully heat it up. It sits outside and so the next day when I lift the hood I can see condensation ice on the engine. Whereas my Bullitt has never done this because I have warmed it completely and the evap of moisture occurs faster than the engine cools.

And I ran this by my race shop mechanic and I am comfortable with his expert advice.

In addition to seals being lubed, he mentioned that you are going to have potential for some blow-by impurities in the oil. And if those contaminents are laying inside a bearing or other contact points, you have the potential for corrosion and pitting as the engine or axle or tranny sits for 5 or 6 mos. Whereas moving that oil with monthly warm ups reduces that potential.

Each to there own but I'm firin' mine up.

rodmoe

DITTO on the mouse traps i had a car i was working on this past summer in my garage and it did not move for about two weeks then i got around to driving it as i am backing it out of the garage a mouse comes up out of the hood over the windshield wipers up the windshield and off the rear window !! i parked the car in the garage after a few hours of driving and the next day i want out to drive it after i started it the same mouse came out the same place with 6 or 7 babies hanging on and jumped off the hood and off into a crack in the garage wall !! so parked cars are great nesting or sleeping places for mice and they love insulation on wires !!

RandyW

I've been told that mice hate the smell of bay leaves, and that if you spread some around and inside your car, that will keep them away. Does anybody know if this is true?

danimal15

Rub it in, why don't you!

I love the tropics, but think of all your missing. When it gets snowy here, it's really beautiful. Obviously it sucks for driving, but sledding, skiing, and just enjoying the pristine whiteness of a new snowfall are all things I treasure about living here in the great white north.

I really don't mind winter as long as the temp stays above 15 degrees or so. Once it's down below that, or sub-zero, which it can be for stretches here in Chicago, it's so uncomfortable you just want it to be over. And spring seems to take forever to come where I live, just a few blocks from Lake Michigan, with its cold breezes.

Norberd

I've also heard bounce sheets work.