well its starting to get cold outside and soon enough it will snow .. im planning on putting my car in storage .. are there any steps i should take before doing so? disconnect the battery? fluid changes?

 

1. change oil
2. add gas stabilizer to gas tank
3. disconnect battery
4. jack up car to prevent flatspotting tires
5. inspect it often to make sure animals aren't making nests in it!

 

cool thanks for the checklist

yeah ive read some nasty stories on the animals people find nesting in their 7s

should i get a cover for it?

 

If you get a cover, get a REALLY GOOD one. Otherwise, you'll end up with a mold fest -- do a search, some unfortunate forum member had this happen to them last winter I think.

 

yup that was me unfortunately! some tips... make sure all door seals are in good shape etc (the source of the problem.. after checking literally EVERYTHING... turned out to be these tiny seals above the rear hatch lights that are below these white plastic screw insets). anyway, long story short, those were bad, water leaked into the trunk wheel well and sat there for multiple weeks. had a car cover on and the entire car turned into a giant petree dish. check ALL of your seals to prevent moisture from accumulating inside of the car. and remember to physically inspect your car every so often for signs of anything weird. -heath

 

nice list

 

If you car isn't leaking water into the cabin, then it's fine (about the moss stuff).

Are you storing the car outside? If so, get a cover that will tie around the car so it won't get blown off. Before I had a house (or even an apartment with garage), I used to store mine for the winter. I just put a cover over it and started it every other month. Don't use the parking brake, just put some wheel chocks there and it will be fine.

Once I got a garage, the only thing different was that I didn't use a car cover and I removed the battery.

Unless you are storing the car for a REALLY long time (a year or more), I wouldn't worry about the car fluids all that much.

 

hmm well i dont have a garage .. i was thinking of renting one of those storage sheds and putting it there .. i guess i wouldnt need a car cover then

 

IMO, it's not worth it. Just get a decent car cover and save the rest of your money for something else.

Unless it's a show car, it will be fine with a car cover.

 

ok .. any recommendations? .. i think i read somewhere on the forum that the oem one is not waterproof

 

The one I used wasn't waterproof. The waterproof ones can be damaging if moisture is trapped underneath them (you ever seen a car bra that got moisture under it and then removed months later?).

You are just looking for something that will keep the wind from whipping stuff at the car while it's parked.

 

i see .. thanks for the advice