I just bought a new 10 Mustang. It is my first.

It's also my first car that will have to sleep through the New England Winter in my garage.

Any tips on what to do to successfully winter over a new Mustang?

Oh yeah, and here she is.... I really didn't get enough time with her this year.

 

All I really do is put fuel stabalizer in the tank (full tank of fuel)

and then open both doors, disconnect the battery (remove if you need to) and then close the doors...
(I do this just incase I need to get anything from in the car...the window indexing will have them in the half inch down position, so you don't have any problems closing the door after)

Lock it and let it sleep

 

Thanks. Stabil in the tank & battery disconnect. Check.

You don't get any issues with your tires flat in one spot on the cold concrete all winter? I had a freind who mentioned that...but he might not know what the hell he's talking about.

Thanks again

 

I'd just park it.... put a cover on it.. wake it up in the spring. That what I do with my 65. All the hard work comes in the spring checking the fluids and such.

 

just drive it, only when there is a few inches of unplowed snow on the road must it rest, that happens maybe a few times total all winter? salt and sand wash off.

 

Flat spots on tires are a thing of the past ... like 30-40 years ago.

From what I remember, it was more of a problem with bias-ply tires than radials.

I've been storing my '69 Mustang & '67 Fairlane every winter for over 20 years on BFG Radial T/A's and never had flat spot issues.

However when I first got my '69 in the early 80's, I would always put it up on jack-stands thinking I was avoiding flat spots for the winter until I was told I was waisting my time & effort doing so !! That and it's better to keep the suspension compressed and there is no simple way to do so on the front of most cars (or the rear of cars with independent suspensions).

Doug

 

I have slow leaks in 2 of my tires that I have yet to fix from a abnormally cold winter 2 years ago....

I just pump them up to 37psi and double check them every few weeks and add where necessary.
But normally no, they are fine.

 

i have a 4x4 Tocama to go with my stang and when its dry and cold my 4.6 will be making extra hp with that dense cold air and i will be driving it....

 

I park it in the garage, cover it, and once a month back it out and warm it up. I warm it up long enough so the fan comes on with idling, a few moderate revs, a short drive to the mailbox (1/4 mile) and/or in and out the driveway to wet the seals and rotate the tires. But the exhaust should be warm enough to evaporate any condensation by waiting until the fan comes on. Turn on the A/C for a bit too. All seals need fluid to stay flexible. And I put on Jaegar Bros removable splash guards so as long as I drive slow I don't have to wash it before I put the cover back on it.

Some collectors say don't start it at all. The only problem is leaking seals. So I like to splash the lube around a bit during storage.

But keep in mind I only do about 12k/yr total between my Bullitt and 2 older 4x4 vehicles anyway.

Then again my winters in the Cascades can be more serious that others. LOL

This is what I have to do after each storm to keep the driveway open and a path to the barn to feed horses:

 

I would think that would be harsher on the car than keeping it sitting for a couple of months.

 

Nice car man... How many miles you got on her?

 

I put dryer sheets on top of the floor mats, in the trunk, and under the hood. Supposedly it keeps rodents away. Also put some Stabil in my full tank of fuel. Oh yeah, give her a blanket to keep warm.

 

Oops. Forgot to mention the Stabil. For sure. Fill the tank to avoid condensation. And I changed the oil right before storage.

 

I dont quite understand the reasoning for leaving your window down 1/2 inch. Is the door REALLY that hard for you to close with the window in the fully up position? I'd rather have everything sealed up nice and tight so no unwanted bugs/dust/etc can get into the car.

Changing the oil is not necessary.

Here's what I do:
Add stabil and drive for several miles to circulate it through the fuel system
Top off the gas tank
Inflate tires to 38-40 psi to avoid flat spots
Use car cover

That's all there is to it. The dryer sheets sound like a good idea - cheap insurance.

 

Have you ever tried to open then close the door on an S197 with a dead battery?
I know mine won't. The lip that it sits in will allow the door to open, but closing, thats another story.

The shortdrop window isn't enough to let anything in the car.. it just won't sit in the 'upper seal' to stop wind vibration while in motion...which isn't a big deal when its, well, parked for the winter.

 

My thinking was to change the oil because I don't want the by-products of combustion from say 3 or 4k miles of summer driving to sit in the crankcase/valve train all winter. I have a BKU oil separator and what I collect in the catch cup smells and looks nasty!!

The oil in the crankcase has only 1k on it and the dipstick looks like clean oil. But this is what is collected:

 

Thanks 69Cali

I have just over 500 miles on it. I love the glass roof option, and the interior is really what sold this car. I had always liked the new Mustang (since 05) but looked at an Audi TT - way overpriced - and a Pontiac Solstice Coupe - no way to take the targa top along with you if you remove it - before settling on this car.

I am really glad I did.

Maybe next time I will move up to the GT and the wife will inherit this Pony Package V6.

I think they have me for good.