Hi guys,

I'll be going away for three months and want to know what I need to do to the cars before I leave. Any advice is appreciated.

I'm storing the TL (80k miles) and an Accord (206k miles) so please let me know.

Thanks,
Roshan

 

Well there are few things you need to do.

1) Change Engine oil. This prevent more build up of acid that will eats away you barings.
2) Fuel you gas tank all the way up. add some water remover to remove moisture and then add some gas stabilizer. Make sure you run the car few miles after you add gas stabilizer so the chemical is in all your fuel lines and injectors.
3)remove the battery terminals.
4) check tire pressure make sure there's no leak( you do not want to see a flat tire when you come back )


since 3 months is not a long time. This should be good enought.

 

give it a big kiss!

 

Will tires flat-spot in three months? My car sat on the lot before I bought it for 3 months and the tires vibrate constantly.

 

Thanks for the advice. I was also told to overinflate the tires so the side walls don't get permanently warped where the tires meet the ground. What do you think of this?

 

I won't be driving a car for three months. This is torture for me as I love driving!

 

If you can, park with the wheels on some type of wood, instead of concrete. Concrete does something to the tires which can cause them to rot early.

 

Or you can put the car up on blocks so the tires dont touch the ground. Your best bet IMO.

 

If possible put the car on jack stands or park it on chunks of plywood

 

I would put ~55psi on all 4 tires.

 

Thats too much.

 

 

Yep i think that will work just fine!

 

Is the car going to be inside or out?

Ideally you would have someone start em, and drive em every few days. If thats not possible, and you are safely indoors, disconnect the battery.

I'd also store the cars on jack stands; if outside, inflate the tires to their max, and park the car on pieces of wood. The wood doesnt transmit ground temp differences to the tires, and helps them maintain pressure, and avoid flat spotting.

Put some fuel stabilizer in the gas tank, and fill it up. That'll help keep condensation in the tank down to a minimum.

Depending on how old the oil in your car is, you may want to change it before your trip. If its going to be alot longer than 3 mths, I'd change it before and after.

Thats about all I can think about.

 

just put some of that to clean the fuel injectors

 

what should the psi of some 215/35/19 tires be set at?

 

Should say on your tirewall, but its usually 45psi max.

 

Well the best way is to jack all 4 wheel up on jack stand, just make sure your jack stand is place correctly. If you place the jackstand on the wrong place of the car you might damage the body.

 

just put some of that down on my lawn. It'll keep you from having any clovers come up in the spring...

 

100%

 

I inflated the tires to 40psi and put fuel stabilizer in both cars. I didn't have time to put the car up on jack stands but asked my dad to start it once a week and move the car up and down the driveway. Hopefully, that should help.

As always, thanks for your help.

Cheers,
Roshan

 

I might be storing my 03 TL-S in my garage for 3-4 months as well...

Is it Ok to have someone to start the car once a week for like 3 mins and not drive the car?
The reason i ask is I really don't trust my mother driving a lowered car.

 

haha sounds like me when i first lowered my car, now my dad drives it around at random impulses just for fun...

 

the reason you don't want tires to be sitting on concrete for an extended period of time, ie storage, is because the moisture from concrete will seep into the tires and cause them to rot over time. if the car is on stands, why would you inflate the tires so much? i would just make sure they are at the correct inflation 32-34psi if stock about once a month. moving a car up and down the driveway is better than nothing, and make sure she runs the A/C also!!

 

I'll be car-sitting for two months next year, anything special I should do for this car while it's owner is away?