Are you worried about storing your car after listening to the numerous horror stories how conditions of cars rapidly deteriorate when stored? While it is true that the conditions of cars deteriorate when it is stored, you can avoid the same happening to you by adhering to a few simple yet effective maintenance tips for storing your car.
Here are 3 tips on how you should go around storing your car:
Give It Thorough Wash First
Before you tuck away your car for a long vacation you must ensure that it is in spanking clean condition. You must ensure that all the internal parts are free from any trace of dust or foreign particles. Don’t be satisfied by giving a good polishing to the exterior car body. You must take good care to clean all the minute parts of your car. This includes (but is not limited to) the engine, brakes, fuel tank, and other similar parts.
After you have washed it thoroughly you must ensure that it is completely dry before you store it away. In case you fail to dry it completely you must be prepared to witness some serious amounts of rusting when you get your car out of storage. It is recommended to keep it on the road on a hot sunny day. Once you are done drying the car, apply a protective layer of wax on the car. This will prevent it from corrosion while in storage.
Take Care Of The Engine’s Corrosion
One of the biggest worries of any car owner when they are storing it away for a long time is that the engine of the car might get corroded. You must spray some oil on each of the cylinders of the engine in order to ensure that the engine is not corroded during the period of inactivity. It is also heavily recommended that you remove the spark plugs during the storage period.
In order to ensure that there is a protective coat of oil on the engine’s walls you must crank up the engine for a single revolution or a short burst. You must perform this with the spark plugs removed. Don’t worry about any fuel being sprayed inside the engine during this process. This trace amount of fuel will evaporate away shortly.
Cover It Properly
Consider laying a plastic on the floor before rolling your car over it and storing it in the garage. This will ensure that humidity from the ground won’t rise up to the car’s internal parts and damage it. You must also consider installing a dehumidifier inside the garage in order to ensure that the humidity is controlled inside the garage. Also consider blocking the air vents in front of the engine and the exhaust pipe of your car with rags. This will ensure that you keep away any rodent or dust from entering the internal parts of your car.
Lastly, but surely not the least, cover it properly with a thick and strong sheet of plastic or tarpaulin in order to ensure that it is completely protected.
Taking good care to store your car properly will ensure that you don’t have to spend a fortune for servicing it once you bring it out of the garage.