Baking Soda inside the car, I have not read or heard before.

 

If it works inside a fridge, why not a car to absorb odors.
Read it somewhere, sounds like a good idea in theory.

 

Yup, I put an opened box of baking soda in the cabin during long term storage. Same as a 'fridge.

 

add several sheets of BOUNCE antistatic dryer sheets to keep the interior smelling fresh.

 

Forgot one more thing on the list.

Remove all portable electronics e.g. Ipod in the glovebox, GPS etc.

 

Don't leave the car on jack stands until you loosen up the suspension.

Reason: The rubber bushings on the suspension are being stressed and might crack/break. It's similar to preloading a car. You should loosen those after it's jacked up, you will her it "snap" when you loosen it.

 

^that's why you jack it up with jack stands under the control arms so the car sits as it normally would on the ground, just no pressure on the tires.

 

Sound like Ka Kui 7 is going to keep my 8 company this winter. sweet

 

If you're looking for storage in Toronto I'll have one spot available in a secure underground parking garage from Nov 1 2009 to May 1 2010. The available spot is where I usually keep my summer toy. That car is going elsewhere to get painted over the winter.

The garage is located at Overlea and Thorncliffe Park drive (http://www.leasidetowers.com). It is secured by card key at the entrance and exits and patrolled by building security. The spot is back to back with the one where I keep my daily driver, an RX8, so your car will have good company and my eye on it at least twice a day. The cost is $60 per month (which is my cost for the spot).

PM me if interested.

J

 

As for a check list of things to do when storing your car for the winter (based on my experience with my old Porsche).

- Wash and wax your car
- Change your oil and oil filter if you're close to your oil change interval
- Add an entire container of fuel stabilizer to the tank (preferably while the tank is near 1/4 to aid mixing)
- Top up the tank with fuel all the way to the top of the filler neck (this will help prevent water from condensing inside the tank over the winter)
- Run the engine for 2-3 minutes to fill the entire system with stabilized fuel
- Put 45 lbs air pressure in the tires
- If you have access to a power outlet use a battery minder to keep the battery fully charged (these usually plug into the cigarette lighter)
- Disconnect the battery if you don't have access to a power outlet
- Put a couple of pieces of steel wool in each exhaust pipe to keep out critters
- Write a note reminding yourself to reconnect the battery and remove the steel wool, check under the car for a pool of oil, reducing the tire pressure, etc. before restarting in spring.
- Attach the note to your steering wheel with painters tape or put it on the driver's seat where you are sure to notice it
- Throw on a car cover and wave goodbye

 

^a full bottle of stabilizer? Not sure what size bottles they come in, but for my boat it is recommended so much per liter/gallon. Also read run/idle for 8-10 min.

 

Yup, 1 oz. of Sta-Bil per 2.5 gallons of gas (29.6 ml per 9.48 litres). But a great To Do list otherwise.

 

The manufacturers suggestion doesn't need to be followed to the letter when it comes to fuel stabilizer. Most bottles are around a liter and a complete fill from the bottom mark on an RX8 is around 50 litres so you end up with a 50/1 mixture which is more than good enough to keep the fuel from turning into varnish over the winter. The direction would give you about a 225/1 mixture.

Anyways, to each their own. I used a liter in my car when I put it away last winter and it started right up with no hesitation. So I'll be doing that again this winter for sure. Glad to hear the rest of the list is useful :-)