Storing my car

[Raghavan]

Not me...   

I thought you're 25?

[CJ]

I would put a car cover over it.

[CALL_911]

Also, I agree with Jordan on just letting it run.  It does more harm to a car to run it around the block without letting it warm up than it does to take it on a short trip or something.  You want the engine to have time to warm up.

That's what I meant. Not just around the block, but let it warm a bit.

[dazzleman]

Not me...   

What's your insurance annually?  Didn't it just go down when you turned 25?

I got mine down last year from $1600 per year to $1100 per year....

[Colonel Cadillac]

What's your insurance annually?  Didn't it just go down when you turned 25?

I got mine down last year from $1600 per year to $1100 per year....

That's nothing! Our insurance is crazy since my mom's accident a few years ago forced the insurance company to settle for an apparently very large sum of money before the lady my mom hit sued for even more. Apparently, they'll never make money off us.

[The Pirate]

What's your insurance annually?  Didn't it just go down when you turned 25?

I got mine down last year from $1600 per year to $1100 per year....

I'm at just under 1400 per year now.  Not too bad, now that I think about it.  It was much higher til two weeks ago though.

[dazzleman]

I'm at just under 1400 per year now.  Not too bad, now that I think about it.  It was much higher til two weeks ago though.

That's not too bad, though your area is cheaper than mine.  Does that rate reflect a perfect driving record?

[The Pirate]

That's not too bad, though your area is cheaper than mine.  Does that rate reflect a perfect driving record?

No points on my license and I have never made an insurance claim.

[dazzleman]

No points on my license and I have never made an insurance claim.

I think your rates will go down in increments for the next five years unless you get married sooner, in which case it will drop more quickly.  Males reach a full adult insurance rate at 30, or when they get married after age 25, whichever is sooner.

[Catman]

You're an idiot. That is all.

Ummm, is there really any need for comments like this?  Knock it off.

[Danish]

I'm with hounddog, disconnect the battery, fill up tank, add stabilizer.

I also wouldn't take off the insurance or the plates (why did you think of this in the first place?). You might want to look into putting the car onto jack stands but the other guys here know more than I about whether the car sitting for three months warrants this or not

BTW Treppo, I like the reference photo

[TheIntrepid]

I'm with hounddog, disconnect the battery, fill up tank, add stabilizer.

I also wouldn't take off the insurance or the plates (why did you think of this in the first place?). You might want to look into putting the car onto jack stands but the other guys here know more than I about whether the car sitting for three months warrants this or not

BTW Treppo, I like the reference photo

Is the photo comment sarcasm?

Well the plates are going off because I'm getting my new vanity plates in March, which is likely when the car gets back on the road.

[AutobahnSHO]

If you're going to "run it periodically" anything under 10minutes is crazy.  It needs to get FULLY warm, not just the oil/radiator fluid but the Catalytic converter too- otherwise it will get moisture built up and will rust out earlier...

Check on "garage insurance"- should be cheaper than comprehensive.

Ditto on the fuel stabilizer, put it in THEN run the engine to let it get into the fuel lines.

And if it's in an area where critters might get to it, put a rag into your air inlet to keep them out..

[Secret Chimp]

This thread reminds me of some moron who spent 5 minutes wiping all of the rain drops off of his 2006-ish Pontiac Gran Prix in the Best Buy parking lot before going inside.

[sparkplug]

I feel like my experience can be a great help here. Disconnect the battery for wintertime. Fill up the fuel tank.


Last but not least:
Never drive it without liability insurance.

[giant_mtb]

Over a grand for 3 months' insurance?  Shit, you need a new freakin' insurance company.

[VTEC_Inside]

- If you are about due for an oil change, do it now.
- Fill the gas tank
- Tires to max inflation pressure
- Disconnect battery

Thats more than enough for a 3 month sit. Don't start it again until you are ready to drive it. Idling the car or even a short drive around the block will do more harm than good.

Call your insurance broker and find out what coverage you should have on it in case the house burns down and takes the car with it in the mean time. Its possible that your house insurance MAY cover it in that case, but better to find out for sure.

[etypejohn]

10 or 11 weeks? 

Wash it.
Fill the tank

Change the oil
Top off the fluids
You might want to put a trickle charger on the battery.
If your garage gets real cold make sure your coolant can handle the temp.

Doing anything more is needless overkill


Gasoline won't go bad in 2-1/2 months.  I'd be more concerned with mice looking for a place to nest.  Top off the tank to limit condensation in the tank.  If you want to be fanatical go buy an enexpensive car cover, the kind that allows moisture to migrate through it.

Typically your homeownere insurance won't cover any loss on a car parked in the garage unless it's not an operable car, say something you are restoring and it's in pieces all over the garage.  Cancel your car insurance and you could suffer an uninsured loss.   

[TheIntrepid]

Thanks to all. The car's going into storage Friday. My dad's put liability insurance on the car, but is taking off all the rest. Also, the homeowner's insurance covers up to $25,000 of automotive damage. The car's worth less than that, so I'm fine.

The oil was only changed 1000km ago, I'm not going to do that. The tank's full, and will be at about 85% full by then.

[Champ]

All the tips here have been good except the start it for 5 minutes once a week ones, those are nothing but bad.

Either store it or drive it, don't futz around with 50/50.

[sparkplug]

I might add you should keep the critters out by removing the interior of the vehicle. You can put all the seats in your closet in the new mansion.

[TheIntrepid]

Car's in the garage. Done and done. Thanks for all the help, guys

[CALL_911]

Car's in the garage. Done and done. Thanks for all the help, guys

Enjoy the "psychoacoustics" of the Camry.