I know a lot of guys drive their 'stangs in the winter, but I don't want to deal with the dirty snow and the salt from the roads getting on my baby. I have a two car garage and figured I should put her away - for not TOO long... - until winter's over.

Question is, what should I do? It might sound silly but I am kind of new to this. I've read and been told many things from friends, but I'd like to check with all of your opinions.

What's been suggested to me:

• Wash the car (duh)
• Clean up the dashboard and floor mats on the inside
• Wax the car (I've also been suggested to do this at the start of a season INSTEAD of the end - and also don't know wax brands that well)
• Get STA-BIL for the gas in the tank, or run the car every 2 weeks
• Get a car cover (I don't know what one to get, also the car will be inside a clean garage with my other vehicle for at most until March, if I do this end of November it's four months, do I even need a cover?)
• I've been told to not mess with the engine oil now, but get it changed once I'm good to start driving again.
• Either disconnect the battery, or get a trickle charger that connects directly to the battery or through an accessory port to keep the batt. from dying.

All of these things seem reasonable in one form or another to me, but I don't know which are good ideas or required ideas. I also don't know if there are things I'm overlooking (does it matter if I leave the car in gear, or just leave the brake on? random things I haven't mentioned).


So... what do I do? Or, what would you do?

 

i do most of this except for the sta-bil gas. i also clean inside and out, up and down and even under the car...the car is currently setting on jack stands with wheels off.
as long as it is not too bad out i start mine every month or so...that seems to help...but nothing wrong with just leaving it set. ive been doing this since 2006 and so far no problems. i change oil before and after winter.
cleaning consists of:
clay bar, paint cleaner, polish, wax.
for the inside:
vacuum, wipe down, treat any leather, clean windows, keep windows cracked (for air)
other than that i think your good.

 

I am laughing at your comment on waxing at beginning and end of season. Lol. I wax every week lol.

As to your question, I do nothing except fill air of tires to proper setting, fill gas, then trickle charge. I start her up once or twice a month to operating temp. Done. Enjoy in spring.

 

I've put away my cars for several years now. Cleaning interior-exterior and waxing are optional; if cleaned, it would also be covered. My hibernating cars have a manual transmission and they are parked indoor. These are the most important things I do prior.

1. Top off fuel tank
2. Hook up a float (not trickle) charger
3. Put it in gear and disengage parking brake

I do not start them during the 7-month hibernating period.
I do not change oil before or after unless it is time to do.
I do not use Sta-bil; never a problem with bad gas, not even on my lawn mower.

One of them gets to park on a set of tire pads and another gets to park on the lift. No, I don't kiss any of them good night.

 

7 months in Ohio? I sit them 3-4 months in CT, depending on conditions. I could see going 5-6 in a particularly bad winter; why so long?

 

I kiss all 3 of mine every night, even during summer months. French even.

 

We all know that you're a sick bastard that can't keep your hands off them. Always wiping them down, sicko

 

Here's what I do to prepare my car for winter storage:

1) Take key out of the ignition.

And then when I want to drive it again:

2) Place key into the ignition

 

You take the key out of the ignition at home?

 

I'd store it for about five (5) months here in Buffalo.

 

Heck yeah! That'd be the 1st thing a thief would steal. "F his wallet, I'm takin' this Stang!!" LOL

That sucks to not be able to drive the car for months. Do you start it every so often?

 

I wash mine, disconnect the battery, toss some sta-bil in the tank, put dryer sheets inside it (to keep critters away from it), put the cover on it and let it sleep till spring. I also usually do the oil both before I put it in storage and as soon as I take it out. That's probably overkill, but an oil change is cheap, so I do it anyways. Speaking of which, I'll probably be doing all of this in the next couple of days, as it's starting to get cold here in MI.

 

You don't? What's your address, Joe?

:goesofftobookflights:

 

Another thing I do that I read about was putting a tarp down on the concrete floor to act as a vapor barrier to reduce condensation coming up from the floor. I bought a 12 x 16 tarp and taped it to floor. Looks like this week will be the last week I drive mine. Fri and Sat look to be warm and mostly sunny, but after that long term forecast has highs in 30's and 40's with lots of rain.

 

October to May, that's a nominal of 7 months. On some years the time period ends early May, making it ~6 months. The roads are salted here (as early as mid/late October to early/mid April) when temperature is low enough, so I wait until there has been 2-3 big rains in late Spring to wash the salt off.

The cars that are put away in a winter have only dedicated summer tires and in the case of one, only slicks. There is no point of driving any of them in near-freezing or sub-freezing temperatures even if the roads are dry and saltless. March is mostly still in freezing category and April may get around half the days in freezing temperatures. May is a safe bet. The one with slicks doesn't even get revived till June.

 

Ah, tire choice a major factor. I didn't have to sit much last winter because we strangely didn't have winter. If the salt & sand have to hit the road, I'll be garaged from when it snows 'til April, I assume.

 

It's the other way around.

I decide which cars are put away and which cars are driven. The ones put away will not have winter set and the driven ones do except the truck.

 

I'm still trying to figure out why you guys would live in such a place, you must not know how good it is elsewhere.

 

Been doing this since I got my car in 05

-Stabil in tank
-top off gas (mixes the stabil)
-drive it to its sleeping spot (more than 10 min from the gas station, to get the treated gas into the lines)
- wash
- park
- open both doors (so when the battery is disconected, short-drops stay down and you can open the doors when you need to)
- 1st gear
- no parking brake
- block wheels
- disconnect battery
- close doors/lock manually (if they were unlocked before DC the battery, you won't get the alarm going off when you re-attach in spring)
- pump tires up a bit higher than stock (say 35-37psi)

Pretty hard on the car to start it up and let it run throughout the winter like that. Park it, winterize it, leave it. Always starts up without problems first thing in the spring.

'Cause some of us aren't p*****s and can enjoy the winter.

 

My Alaska car. I asked myself every year why I lived in such a cold @ss place. It broke my heart to only be able to drive it half a year. (If lucky)