Auto Storage
 

Never having to do this before I am not totally sure what should be done.

I am leaving the area for several months and do not wish to give a friend keys to my car
so that it can be started on a weekly basis. I also do not wish to give them to the house-watchers either.

So can anyone suggest what I should do to the car, so that on my return I won't have any problems getting it up and running.

I have heard elsewhere that the battery/s should be disconnected but is that all?

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Remember - If you disconnect the battery you may have to reenter your radio code on lots of cars - especially more expensive cars. Make sure you know if you have that kind of radio and where the code is.

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If it's a really nice car, preferably a convertible, I have a two car garage. And you know you can trust me. :bigthumbsup:

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Fill the gas tank, add a fuel stabilizer. Change the oil and filter. I'm assuming this is a newer car but, if not, remove the spark plugs and put a few drops of oil in each well. Get a trickle battery charger for the battery -- do not just disconnect it but remove it from the car in case a leak develops. Top off all fluids.

The ideal thing to do when storing a car is to actually have someone drive it for about 10 minutes a month but I do understand your reluctance on this one. Next best is, as you said, the start up weekly. If you're going to be gone more than 3 months, then I'd suggest you find someone you trust to start it up for you.

Don't forget that your golf cart needs to have water checked at least monthly and it should be driven a little at least once a month.

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We used to top off the gas tank to keep water out of the fuel. Now with the new pressurized fuel systems you do not want to fill the tank. You will only end up with old fuel.

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Find a New friend ô¿ô

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Car is a 1994 Mercedes Benz SL 500 Convertible. I agree with the fuel stabilizer, and I have a trickle charger. However finding a timer that will come on once or twice weekly will be a hard find. Or should my trickle charger be run daily and for how long?

Isn't that to much over a long period of time?

I agree removing the battery/s from the car is a good idea.

Since car is now 14 years old does it matter how much fuel remains in tank?

Most neighbors are seasonal guests anyway. Besides I don't know them other than to say hello. So thats out. BTW, thanks to all that have responded.

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Handie, is that what you use for the "blow up doll?"

Oops, is it too early in the day for "that" kind of joke?? Sorry, Couldn't resist!

Kath

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Stupid question -- why don't you just have the people who are watching your house start the car? If they're doing this as a business, it should be part of the things they do for your home and they should be insured and bonded. Besides checking the house to make sure everything is okay, they should be adding water to the golf cart batteries, keeping it charged, driving it around the block on occasion, starting the car weekly (doesn't need to be driven unless the gas is low). I know these are part of my services (along with the insurance and bond), whoever is watching your home should have it be part of theirs.

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Liability, liability, liability. Never give your car keys to anyone thats watching your house. Should they drive your car bonded, insured or not it will be a nightmare waiting to happen if they cause a serious accident. You will be sued even if their insurance is the first one that gets hit. Your carrier will still need to defend any excessive claims awarded to the plaintiff.

Now if you have a limited amount of liability and the house watchers insurance doesn't cover the amount awarded be prepared to pay the difference if found guilty of any negligence on your behalf. Now that seems highly unlikely but do you want the headache. NOT ME.

My golf cart has a switch that is changed to tow rather than run. During tow all power is stopped at the batteries and upon return all I need to do is flip switch to run and charge the batteries for 24 hours making sure levels are correct.

I will google for the right trickle charger since my charger doesn't go off when charge is complete. Again thanks for the replys

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I can appreciate the practical suggestions you've been given, but really, don't you have a friend whom you can trust to simply come in once a week or whatever and simply start the car and let it run for a few minutes? Wouldn't you be willing to do that for a friend? I understand your concern about liability, but I'm talking about a trusted friend!!! Hmmm....

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Larry, I understand your fear of liability but why in heck would someone watching your house drive your car? There is no way I would even consider doing that (well, maybe if it were Testarosa but nothing less), let alone do it! I think the same would be true of any service. It's just not worth the risk and loss of business to drive someone's vehicle. Write down the odometer mileage (better yet, take a picture of it), let it be known that you did so and then don't worry about it. Obviously, you would know they did in fact drive your car without permission and, if they did, I'm sure you could report it to the police and press charges for, at the very least, joy riding.

I do understand wanting to protect yourself from liability but why hire someone if you can't trust them? Or, as Sidney said, asking a friend you can trust? (Personally, I'd trust the service more than a friend because a friend might use the logic that a quick trip to the store won't hurt.)

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Lets say for example you do everything mentioned above and someone still uses your car and creates an accident. Although the court decision is not against you it still creates a headache that you must address whether you like it or not. In addition who's to repair at what cost to your car, that you hope was to be someday a classic car. The car is now 14 years young and is in excellent like new condition with less than 40K.

So my decision is to find a trickle charger that turns off when they are fully charged. I also plan to have the batteries out of the vehicle while away.

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How about getting a boot, like the police use for people who haven't paid parking tickekts.

Boot the car in the garage, and take the key for the boot with you.

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Great idea about the boot so I will look for one. Thanks.

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I wouldn't get carried away with all this. I have a 71 jag that just sits in a garage in NY most of the time and about all I do is start it every few months and let it run a bit with the AC on. No special battery disconnecting or adding anything to the fuel or anything else . After about 35 years of this treatment it runs great. At most all I need to do is charge the battery when I'm ready to bring it out of its cage / This might not be the right thing to do but it sure doesn't seem to have hurt this old cat. THis will be my first complete winter away from it without any starting at all but with a little luck all I expect to do is charge the battery and start her up. I guess all those other recommendations wouldn't hurt and might help something,

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Couldn't locate a boot but did find an automatic charger that comes on when the battery's charge drops down to a certain point. You just leave the battery in and connected so the systems and alarms remain intact.

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You won't need a 10-20 amp charger even if it has the auto cut off. 1.5 amp chargers are a popular item for bikes,boats,vehicles.

F16

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Thats what I got at Auto Zone on RT 441 & 466.

$ 20.00

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That'll work fine. I too will do the same. I changed the battery on Mrs "F's" car and had to take the vehicle back to the dealer to have the sunroof reprogrammed. Just a pain to make the trip to the dealer. One simple job to do....UGH! >:(

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Admittedly i don't know much about cars but every year when i need to restart my lawn tractor after it has sat idle all winter i just charge the battery for an hour or so and let it rip. Seems to work fine and I've used the same battery for the 5 years.

Is this just a convenience issue so the car will be ready at a moments notice when you return or is there some issue with letting a battery run down (length of life issue?)?