Ghostrider8U

Hey guys,

Woke up today; lovely Calgary was at 0C, frost all over my 8, eating away at the new paint. So now that our 3 months of non-winter weather is over, I would like some tips on how to store my car for the next 9.

What do you guys do? I'm at 2300 kms and I'm thinking of getting an oil change before storage, or should I wait until after? Plus I will be disconnecting the battery, covering my baby with an RX-8 cover and it will be kept out of the rain, cold weather and snow. I just put on some Nu-Finish protectant which I will probably do once or twice a year. No other polish, wax or protectant.

Comments. Anything else I need to check or do before hibernation?

rotten42

Well, I drive mine...I can;t see the point of buying a car and only driving it for 3 months.


if frost is "eating" at your paint you have a crap paint job.



Even though I don;t agree with what yuo are doing:

1) Also get the car off of its wheels. You will get a flat spot on the tires from letting it sit for 9 months

2) I hope you are planning on running the engine once in a while during this storage time...otherwise there are a few other things you have to do.

3) Try to mice ptoof your car. If there is a way into the engine bay they will find it.

herbert

Frost wouldn't eat paint any more than rain would ??

I figured that it was just too much hassle to store mine last year ... gotta deal with battery, tires, jacks, cover, mice, not driving it, blah, blah, blah . I run it through winter and love it.

Ghostrider8U

Man are you ever Rotten!!!!

Although I appreciate some of your comments, like keeping the tires off the ground (didn't think of that), try to read between the lines. Metallic paint, especially the bright colours (like my VR) tend to fade in the elements if not properly cared for. Acid rain and lots of dried on rain spots cannot help things, so maybe when I say " frost eating at my paint", I'm exaggerating to make my point. We all love our cars, and I know I would like to keep the paint job looking spectacular for as long as possible. Also, isn't a crappy paint job on an RX-8 an oxymoron?! :D

I'm also exaggerating about the weather, but if you live here in Calgary, then you know I wasn't full of **** when I said there was frost this AM. Plus I have a second car for winter, so storing my sweet 8 is like waiting for X-mas morning, except let's be honest, Christmas in Calgary comes in May (again try to use your English 101 skills to figure out my analogy here).

I don't live on a farm, so I don't believe mice will be an issue.

I will research about engine care if not run for several months, so thanks for mentioning that.

Anymore useful storage tips?

rotten42

1) A quote of good wax every 3 to 4 months will protect your paint. (properly cared for)

2) If you live in Calgary...then there is potential for mice. I say this through experience. I've lived here for 41 years.


...and yes, yes I am Rotten :D :D



ps. also consider a gas conditioner and keep more than a 1/2 tank to limit condensation.

CowTownWoody

I have mice in my shed, in McKenzie Towne. I will be amazed if they aren't in the garage by winter. Put some traps on the ground between the front tires.

My advice (from a friend who used to have a couple nice cars): You can get moisture under the car cover, and that's not good. So whenever you get a nice warm chinook combined with a lot of sun, take the cover off (hang it in the sun) and crack the windows to try to get everything nice and dry.

It's not a problem in other places, but in Calgary the wild temperature swings in winter can make moisture very damaging.

Redshift

iTrader: (2)

I've stored my car for the last few winters, plus a few motorcyles over the years.
I've done a TON of research on different techniques. As usual, different people have different opinions.
You do want fresh oil in the car. That's been constant. Also, make sure to put a stabilizer of some sort into a FULL tank of gas.
A tank that is not full can result in condensation and water build up in the tank.

But, as for putting the car up on blocks, and running the engine, I disagree.

Modern radial tires will not likely not flat spot from sitting in one place (unless we are talking about years and years here.) Just take the air pressure up a bit, and you will be fine.
In fact, some people avoid putting the car up on blocks because the suspension will extend, and the shaft will be exposed out of the shock body for a long period of time, exposing it to the air and contaminants. I personally think the suspension is designed to support the weight of the car, not hang off of it.
Now, if you can get the car up off it's tires and keep the suspension loaded, then you have the best of all worlds.
This is one I can see both sides on.

As for running the car periodically, NO. BAD. Don't do it!

1) Most engine damage is caused at cold start up. Why would you have regular cold starts rather then one cold start when you take it out of storage? There will be essentially no difference in the amount of oil in the combustion chamber 2 weeks or 2 months after you shut it off.


2) The frequent starts without bringing the vehicle up to proper temp. (which you will never do while idling) will result in more contaminants in your oil (not enough heat to burn them off) as well as condensation in your exahust, which can result in it rusting out from the inside.

While I can see both sides of getting the car off it's wheels, I have never seen a good reason to regularily start and idle a car.

Frostee

stuff a couple of rags into the tailpipes for the mice. they like to go in there (at least its recommended it for storing motorcycles)

Rotary Titus

Make sure you put fuel stabilser and try to put in highest octane fuel you can find. varnish developes from gas that's been left for over a month and it can clog your fuel filter/damage your engine when you turn it on after storage~
and I think you should change the oil before you store it

The FOG

I am also going to store my new 8 for the winter. Pretty much everything I've read agrees with what RedShift has said. The key points are to fill the gas tank, change the oil and the consensus seems to be to not start the car until the spring. You should also give the underside of your car a good cleaning, park it on a plastic dropsheet (after it dries) and fold the sheet up inside the doors to prevent moisture from penetrating. A moisture barrier is a good thing for the underside but not good for your paint. That being said, make sure you buy a decent indoor cover. I have it narrowed down to the Dustop and Tan Flannel, both by CoverCraft. Does anyone have other suggestions for which cover to go with?

scoop

Yes, a few coats of wax . . . If it's in a garage that's not extremely dusty and it's out of the elements and the sun why bother with a cover??? I have never used one on this car or others . . . I also don't like that tarp to the bottom of the doors business mentioned above unless you are talking about a dirt floor or something that has excessive moisture in it. You want the car to breath and not trap moisture anywhere (yes I know covers can breath, but not as much as having none), open all the windows a tiny crack also so the inside can breath. I am not sure I like the idea of plugging the tail pipes either. There is often lots of moisture in the exhaust that you don't want to trap, I say polish the tips and Mr. mouse will have a very hard time getting in. There are a million other places in the engine bay that the mouse could go anyways, I found a nest once inside the clutch master cylinder box on an MG I had. Reality is that mice like warm places and will pick a house before a cold garage in winter, in summer you will find them everywhere. If in doubt about the moisture issues, look at the rotors, they tell all. Mine look cleaner after winter storage (i.e. less rust) than 30 minutes after I have washed the car in summer and that's with no fancy covers or tarps on the floor . . .

After disconnecting the battery as above, bring it inside and charge it up once a month or so, it naturally loses charge through internal leakage and if left uncharged for a long time it will die for good . . .

MyRxBad

iTrader: (1)

I've always used the same method as Redshift, and don't take the tires off the ground. I just put a couple more psi in the tires and it's never flatspotted on me.

Deep Blue

Thumbs up to Redshift, coming from another owner who has stored his eight every winter. Forget the blocks - and DO NOT start it. Another important point is to NOT leave the parking brake on or leave it in gear. Store the 8 somewhere flat, and use wood or bricks to block the wheels (don't jam them into the tires, just sit them adjacent to the front and back of each tire.

I also dump a container of fuel stabilizer into a full tank of gas, and throw a cover on it for good measure.

The above has always yielded a great result for me on that joyous day in spring when she comes out.

Gerael

You can do a search on this topic... I already asked before the summer...

Use a nice car cover for dust andc rpa.. I know my rx8 likes to play in the dust in the garage or something.. or maybe she sneaks out at night... who knows... um...

And in the owners manual it says to run the a/c at least 15 minutes a month..

I don't know about all the other stuff.. like adding stabilizer to the fuel and such.. my batteries were okay.. and my fuel may have sucked.. i dunno... 3 months won't hurt your tires... but if yer **** you can do it... just make sure its the right pressure..

Murray16

I'm sure most of what I'm going to write will be a repeate of what was just said but I'm going to add what I do for my car.

1. Oil change- this is obvious... and remember to get an oil change immediately when you take the car out in spring.

2. Full tank of gas- this prevents the roof of the gas tank from rusting.

3. Car cover- I use a car cover because it stays pretty cold and just gives me that peice of mind. But you dont need it. And like an earlier post said, if there's going to be any moisture don't leave it on.

4. I believe that leaving your suspension hang isn't the best idea for the car. It shouldn't hurt it... but you never know really. To avoid flat spots on your tires overinflate the tires (say 50 psi), and move the car back or forward every 2 to 3 weeks to further ensure no flat spots.

This is good also because if you do like to start your car, you can move it to get ther tranny and diff gears lubed up. To do this you do have to start your car and if you do that make sure you leave it running not ony to avoid flooding... but leave it running for a good 20 mins to make sure you're not leaving moisture in the exhaust.

5. Trickle Charger- I didn't use one last year and had to boost the car. not only that I went to my dealership, they told me it failed (it didn't) and told me I had to buy a new one which wasn't prorated. That BS could've been avoided by using a trickle charger.

Lastly, if your garage is not heated and a concrete floor, put a plastice tarp down underneath the car. this will reduce the moisture escaping the concrete from all the freezing and melting. but be careful to set it up so no water (or melted snow) can get on top of the plastic.



sounds like alot of stuff but it'll keep your car safe. in rare cases not driving you car in the winter and storing it can be worse than if you were to drive it through the winter.

halfon

I stored my car in Ontario in the winter of 2004


1. Oil change- just before sotrage and immediately in spring as soon as I was ready to go.

2. Full tank of gas with fuel stabilizer.

3. Car cover.

4. I used jacks but I kept the tires on the floor. Thus, only some the weight was off the tires.

5. I removed the battery and stored in the basement. Tricle charge every two months.

6. The car started the first time I tried it in May. No problems.

midlife crisis

I semi-stored my 8 last winter but that was because of the tires and traction issues. Why not drive it on the nice days and avoid all the nasty problems with battery, tires, etc.?
Nebraska isn't Canada but it sure aint Florida either in January (-20F).

Shamblerock

You got a point as long as you keep the trips fairly short and have an upto date weather report. Just don't get caught in the snow while out for a boot.

73JPS

Two more cents worth from a store-it-the-winter guy (this will be my '8's 3rd):

1) Remove all your CDs from the changer before removing the battery :p

2) Wash and Zaino. Or wax. Or whatever you use. Remove each wheel, clean
thoroughly, wax with wheel wax and replace.

3) Oil change. Before you store. Spring replacement after that is probably overkill,
but whatever floats yer boat.

4) Tires: 45 psi or so is all I have ever needed to prevent flat spots. Leaving the
suspension unsprung for a winter is a bad idea. I get more flat spots on my
Accord tires after it sits at the airport for 3 days. No kidding.

5) Full tank of gas... I have never used stabilizer, and have never had a problem.

6) Mice are definitely in my garage. Baited traps AWAY from the car, glue traps
NEAR the car, BOUNCE sheets in the engine compartment and around the car
(rumour has it they hate that stuff)... steel wool in the exhaust pipes. Never
had a mouse in the car, but killed over 12 of them last year in the baited traps...

7) Running the engine is a BAD idea. Concerned about the A/C? That's the price
we pay for storing the car.

8) Remove the battery. Charge it in your basement once in a while over the winter

9) Car cover.

10) Wait for spring... and wait... and wait... and wait...

p.s.... I stored a '7 for 6 winters using this procedure and never had a problem there either... so at least I know that 8 years of this sorta stuff has never hurt anything.