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1. Change the oil and filter, unless you are still within the “break-in” period (pre-3,750 or 7,500 miles). Let the engine run for a while.
2. Fill the gas tank to the top. You want the smallest air gap in the tank because temperature changes will cause condensation in there. The consensus seems to be that fuel stabilizers are NOT necessary.
3. Wash and detail the car including treating the inside vinyl and leather. Drive the car to remove any standing water that gets trapped in the nooks and crannies and to remove moisture in the exhaust and engine.
4. Run the air conditioner for about 10-15 minutes on the last drive to ensure all the moving parts get the lubricant circulated so the seals don’t dry out.
5. Clean out the interior really well, leaving nothing behind. Check all small compartments, ashtray, etc. Mice getting into the car can eat wires, vinyl, leather, carpet, etc.
6. Apply a silicone spray lubricant to door and trunk seals to minimize sticking.
7. Stuff a rag into the airbox intake to keep mice out.
8. Stuff a rag into the end of the tail pipes to keep mice out.
9. For those who are paranoid about mice, place several mothballs around the interior, placing them on small paper plates so they are not in contact with the car. Place several mouse traps around the car, bait them with peanut butter.
10. Spray lightly a bit of Febreeze (fabric deodorizer) on both floor mats.
11. Make sure the window wash fluid is the anti-freeze kind and not straight water.
12. Check the anti-freeze and adjust if needed.
13. Top off any other fluids under the hood.
14. Keep the CV joints in good shape by keeping the CV boots in good shape. When stored, the boots do not go through a regular routine of being flexed and this may cause them to develop a sort of “memory” such that when you drive it in spring, it may aggravate the start of cracking. You might want to consider going under there and liberally using some “rubber safe” silicone spray and get those (there are 4 on the rear half shafts) babies dripping wet with silicone.
15. Depending on how long you plan to store the car (more than a couple of months), you might also look into an “oil fog spray”. They sell these in auto supply stores. It is an oil mist that comes in a spray can, specially marketed for this application. Just before you put the car to bed, after your last drive, you take off the intake hose to expose the throttle body. You then spray this mist into the throttle body till the car begins to run a bit rough. Stop the spray and immediately shut the car off, replace the intake hose. This will keep a coat of oil film on all the internal engine parts so that the first start of next season will be less metal-to-metal wear.
16. Open up the battery cells and fill up with distilled water, NOT tap water. Tap water contains impurities that can shorten the life of batteries.
17. Pump the tires to about 45PSI to avoid flat-spotting. Place a piece of scrap carpet or foam insulation under each tire while parked.
18. Support the wiper blade arms with a rag to help maintain the rubber.
19. Put the transmission in reverse.
20. Roll the car ¼ to ½ turn 3 to 4 times per winter to ensure the rotors don’t stick to the pads. Work the pedals.
21. Keep windows down half way to keep condensation and moisture from collecting in the car. Do NOT set the ventilation selector to “re-circulate”. Leaving it selected to “vent/floor” will allow for air to expand and contract in and out of the car.
22. Keep the parking brake off to avoid having the pads rust to the rotors.
23. Sweep the garage floor and lay down a plastic tarp or park the car on linoleum. Concrete can get damp in the winter and if the car sits on linoleum or a tarp it will help to keep most of the moisture away from the car so the underbody does not collect condensation.
24. Disconnect the battery. Some recommend removal of the battery and taking it into the warmth of the heated house. Removing it will completely prevent electrolysis between the thousands of spots in your electrical system where it could occur. If you remove it, do not store it on concrete. Make sure you have the stereo code before unhooking the battery! Buy a “battery tender” which differs from a “trickle charger” in that it knows (has a chip in it) when the battery is fully charged and thus turns itself off. Two sources are: (http://www.griotsgar....jsp?&SKU=77655 ) (http://canadianbiker.com/tender.html )
25. Put a breathable car cover on.
26. DO NOT start the car unless you are going to drive it. When the car sits, all the oil drains into the oil pan. Starting the car is the hardest thing on the engine. Doing it once in the spring is better than several times throughout the winter.
27. You may want to call your insurance agent to suspend some of your insurance while the car sits in the garage. Rumor has it, if we have a nice day in the middle of winter and you want to take it for a drive you can call your agent and get coverage restored for the day. Call your agent to make sure this is an option with your policy first!
28. In the spring, start it up and let it idle until it's almost warmed up before driving it anywhere and then drive it easy for a couple of miles so your transmission, differential & CV joints can get a good lube "workout".
29. Remove the CD from the CD player. If you have a CD changer, remove the CD magazine.
This post has been edited by OhioRacer: 04 October 2011 - 11:35 AM
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