Storing my TL-S 6MT for a few years
#1
Storing my TL-S 6MT for a few years
AS the title states I'm going to be storing my TL for a few years. What should I be doing to prepare the car to sit for that long its going to be indoors not-heated. Any suggestion's will be much appreciated. TY AZINE community in advance
And btw I know I'm gunna get shit for this lol I'll be driving a 2013 corolla (company car).
Besides when I get bored I'll take out the Mugen Si
And btw I know I'm gunna get shit for this lol I'll be driving a 2013 corolla (company car).
Besides when I get bored I'll take out the Mugen Si
#5
Desert Life Sucks!!
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I have never had good luck with cars that sat for extended periods of time.
But there is not much you can really do. Make sure the fluids are good (which depending on storage time will all need to be replaced)
Will need to check tires frequently for pressure and dry rotting.
Lots o stuff is gonna rust most likely.
The best way to keep it in good condition is to drive it unfortunately.
But there is not much you can really do. Make sure the fluids are good (which depending on storage time will all need to be replaced)
Will need to check tires frequently for pressure and dry rotting.
Lots o stuff is gonna rust most likely.
The best way to keep it in good condition is to drive it unfortunately.
#6
Your Friendly Canadian
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Toronto, Ontario
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^
Sell either the TL or the Civic, or drive them when you get the chance.
Sell either the TL or the Civic, or drive them when you get the chance.
#7
I have never had good luck with cars that sat for extended periods of time.
But there is not much you can really do. Make sure the fluids are good (which depending on storage time will all need to be replaced)
Will need to check tires frequently for pressure and dry rotting.
Lots o stuff is gonna rust most likely.
The best way to keep it in good condition is to drive it unfortunately.
But there is not much you can really do. Make sure the fluids are good (which depending on storage time will all need to be replaced)
Will need to check tires frequently for pressure and dry rotting.
Lots o stuff is gonna rust most likely.
The best way to keep it in good condition is to drive it unfortunately.
I deff hear ya fluid's will most deff need to be changed on the regular. Deff gunna be taking it out ocasionally most likely when i go upstate
This.... thanks guys for all your input. Seems like I overlooked a few things
Last edited by Steven Bell; 12-22-2012 at 11:17 PM. Reason: Merged Posts
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#8
Safety Car
Disconnect the battery. Check fluids. If possible get someone to start it and let it run every now and then.
#9
Burning Brakes
here's some info for ya...
Long Term Winter Car Storage.
Here are some good ideas for those owners who like to store their prized automobiles for the winter months. These ideas, again, can save you a bundle of cash in the spring. Spend the money you save on repairs, on other things, like road trips!
Find a place to park your car for the winter where you will not have to move it, or move it as little as possible. A garage stall is best, Heated is good (in this case), but a heated garage kind of negates the need for a WINTER storage thread.
Change your oil and filter. Fresh oil in your engine will help keep your components from corroding.
Have your coolant checked for freeze threshold before you park. Replace it if the threshold is a higher temperature than -40F.
Add Sta-Bil and HEET to a fresh, full tank of fuel when you store it.
Leave the battery in the car, but disconnect it and put it on a trickle charger. This will keep your battery freshly charged, and warm. Cold kills batteries. If you are parking your car over the winter in a storage lot, remove the battery entirely, take it home with you and put it on a trickle charger. Do not store it on the ground, there needs to be at least a wooden 2x6 between the earth and the battery, or it will discharge over time.
Invest in a block heater (if your garage/long term parking area is not heated and is near an outlet), and plug it in. Block heater’s heat the coolant in the engine and keep it at a constant temperature. This is not crucial, just added insurance, so if you are not going to have a reliable outlet nearby, don’t worry about it too much, your car will be fine.
This is very important: Jack up the car, and either remove the wheels and set it on stands/blocks, or leave the wheels on and set it on stands/blocks (1 on each corner). I am a huge fan of the wheels on method if I am storing in my garage, because then I do not have to worry about where to store a set of wheels. If you are storing in an open storage lot, take the wheels off and take them home with you. Not only is there a possibility they will not be there when you come back for the car, but you will probably come back to 4 flat tires (if they are there). The reason you jack the car up off of the ground (there needs to be about an inch between the ground and the tire if you leave them on) is so that your tires do not form “flat spots” from having the weight of the car pressing down on the same spot for months. Many times, these flat spots can be permanent, requiring you to shell out cash to replace your tires.
If you are storing outside, you might think a car cover or tarp would be a great idea. Well, car covers on cars stored outside are generally a bad idea, and a tarp is an even worse one. In the winter, water can get under the cover and then freeze, freezing the cover to your paint! In addition to that, high winds can whip a cover around all over your paint, causing heavy marring and scratches. Imagine if it was both? High winds on a cover frozen to your paint? It could literally rip paint chunks right off of your car. It is much better (believe it or not) to leave your prize possession exposed to the elements with a good coat of wax and a sealant applied just prior to storage.
Be sure to put silicone lube on all the rubber hoses, boots and CV Joints that you can reach to help keep the rubber conditioned…with the exception of the serpentine belt. Better leave that one alone .
Either pull your Windshield Wipers up and off the glass, or remove them entirely. This will ensure you have wipers when you return to your car and that the ice and snow did not damage them.
(Outside/Unheated storage only) Either run your washer fluid completely empty, or fill it with washer fluid with a freeze threshold of -30 or lower, to ensure that your washer fluid does not freeze. I prefer to run it empty, because you just never know. Be sure to bring some with you when you come to pick up the car, as your windshield is bound to be dirty.
After its all done, sit back, watch your favorite football game and enjoy your winter, knowing your car will either be running fine all year, or be running fine next year.
__________________
Long Term Winter Car Storage.
Here are some good ideas for those owners who like to store their prized automobiles for the winter months. These ideas, again, can save you a bundle of cash in the spring. Spend the money you save on repairs, on other things, like road trips!
Find a place to park your car for the winter where you will not have to move it, or move it as little as possible. A garage stall is best, Heated is good (in this case), but a heated garage kind of negates the need for a WINTER storage thread.
Change your oil and filter. Fresh oil in your engine will help keep your components from corroding.
Have your coolant checked for freeze threshold before you park. Replace it if the threshold is a higher temperature than -40F.
Add Sta-Bil and HEET to a fresh, full tank of fuel when you store it.
Leave the battery in the car, but disconnect it and put it on a trickle charger. This will keep your battery freshly charged, and warm. Cold kills batteries. If you are parking your car over the winter in a storage lot, remove the battery entirely, take it home with you and put it on a trickle charger. Do not store it on the ground, there needs to be at least a wooden 2x6 between the earth and the battery, or it will discharge over time.
Invest in a block heater (if your garage/long term parking area is not heated and is near an outlet), and plug it in. Block heater’s heat the coolant in the engine and keep it at a constant temperature. This is not crucial, just added insurance, so if you are not going to have a reliable outlet nearby, don’t worry about it too much, your car will be fine.
This is very important: Jack up the car, and either remove the wheels and set it on stands/blocks, or leave the wheels on and set it on stands/blocks (1 on each corner). I am a huge fan of the wheels on method if I am storing in my garage, because then I do not have to worry about where to store a set of wheels. If you are storing in an open storage lot, take the wheels off and take them home with you. Not only is there a possibility they will not be there when you come back for the car, but you will probably come back to 4 flat tires (if they are there). The reason you jack the car up off of the ground (there needs to be about an inch between the ground and the tire if you leave them on) is so that your tires do not form “flat spots” from having the weight of the car pressing down on the same spot for months. Many times, these flat spots can be permanent, requiring you to shell out cash to replace your tires.
If you are storing outside, you might think a car cover or tarp would be a great idea. Well, car covers on cars stored outside are generally a bad idea, and a tarp is an even worse one. In the winter, water can get under the cover and then freeze, freezing the cover to your paint! In addition to that, high winds can whip a cover around all over your paint, causing heavy marring and scratches. Imagine if it was both? High winds on a cover frozen to your paint? It could literally rip paint chunks right off of your car. It is much better (believe it or not) to leave your prize possession exposed to the elements with a good coat of wax and a sealant applied just prior to storage.
Be sure to put silicone lube on all the rubber hoses, boots and CV Joints that you can reach to help keep the rubber conditioned…with the exception of the serpentine belt. Better leave that one alone .
Either pull your Windshield Wipers up and off the glass, or remove them entirely. This will ensure you have wipers when you return to your car and that the ice and snow did not damage them.
(Outside/Unheated storage only) Either run your washer fluid completely empty, or fill it with washer fluid with a freeze threshold of -30 or lower, to ensure that your washer fluid does not freeze. I prefer to run it empty, because you just never know. Be sure to bring some with you when you come to pick up the car, as your windshield is bound to be dirty.
After its all done, sit back, watch your favorite football game and enjoy your winter, knowing your car will either be running fine all year, or be running fine next year.
__________________
#10
Desert Life Sucks!!
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Join Date: May 2011
Location: Land of Entrapment
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And there you go. I just leave mine in the garage and drive it only on very nice days to keep the tires turning. Usually when its nice enough to wash it and put it back in the garage.
#11
Instructor
Don't forget to protect against varmints. Put plenty of dryer sheets inside the car and in the trunk to discourage mice and squirrels from eating your interior. I'd put a bunch of moth-balls on the ground underneath your car and in the engine bay as well.
#12
Safety Car
iTrader: (4)
Some decent ideas here. One thing that I always cringe when I see or here people recommend doing is starting the car and letting it idle like UA6 recommended above. First off DON'T do that. If the car is not going to be driven do not allow the vehicle to be started. That does more bad than good.
IMO the absolute best way to store a car is:
#1 ensure you have a safe and clean garage with little to no traffic (people going in and out). You're own garage would be perfect.
#2 fill the fuel tank and do a oil change.
#3 clean the exterior and interior
I personally do not recommend raising the vehicle and removing wheels and all that. Best thing to do is let it sit and leave it be, and if possible drive the car once a month or so on good weather days. Enough to get all fluids and engine to full operating temp. Again, don't just start the car and let it idle.
The worst thing for a car is to be stored long term outside. I think you said yours will be inside, but I just wanted to be sure. If a car is going to be stored outside chances are very high it will get damaged from anything like weather, to animals/people, vandalized, etc etc. I would sell a vehicle before I stored one outside regardless of what climate I lived in.
Hope this helps
IMO the absolute best way to store a car is:
#1 ensure you have a safe and clean garage with little to no traffic (people going in and out). You're own garage would be perfect.
#2 fill the fuel tank and do a oil change.
#3 clean the exterior and interior
I personally do not recommend raising the vehicle and removing wheels and all that. Best thing to do is let it sit and leave it be, and if possible drive the car once a month or so on good weather days. Enough to get all fluids and engine to full operating temp. Again, don't just start the car and let it idle.
The worst thing for a car is to be stored long term outside. I think you said yours will be inside, but I just wanted to be sure. If a car is going to be stored outside chances are very high it will get damaged from anything like weather, to animals/people, vandalized, etc etc. I would sell a vehicle before I stored one outside regardless of what climate I lived in.
Hope this helps
#13
here's some info for ya...
Long Term Winter Car Storage.
Here are some good ideas for those owners who like to store their prized automobiles for the winter months. These ideas, again, can save you a bundle of cash in the spring. Spend the money you save on repairs, on other things, like road trips!
Find a place to park your car for the winter where you will not have to move it, or move it as little as possible. A garage stall is best, Heated is good (in this case), but a heated garage kind of negates the need for a WINTER storage thread.
Change your oil and filter. Fresh oil in your engine will help keep your components from corroding.
Have your coolant checked for freeze threshold before you park. Replace it if the threshold is a higher temperature than -40F.
Add Sta-Bil and HEET to a fresh, full tank of fuel when you store it.
Leave the battery in the car, but disconnect it and put it on a trickle charger. This will keep your battery freshly charged, and warm. Cold kills batteries. If you are parking your car over the winter in a storage lot, remove the battery entirely, take it home with you and put it on a trickle charger. Do not store it on the ground, there needs to be at least a wooden 2x6 between the earth and the battery, or it will discharge over time.
Invest in a block heater (if your garage/long term parking area is not heated and is near an outlet), and plug it in. Block heater’s heat the coolant in the engine and keep it at a constant temperature. This is not crucial, just added insurance, so if you are not going to have a reliable outlet nearby, don’t worry about it too much, your car will be fine.
This is very important: Jack up the car, and either remove the wheels and set it on stands/blocks, or leave the wheels on and set it on stands/blocks (1 on each corner). I am a huge fan of the wheels on method if I am storing in my garage, because then I do not have to worry about where to store a set of wheels. If you are storing in an open storage lot, take the wheels off and take them home with you. Not only is there a possibility they will not be there when you come back for the car, but you will probably come back to 4 flat tires (if they are there). The reason you jack the car up off of the ground (there needs to be about an inch between the ground and the tire if you leave them on) is so that your tires do not form “flat spots” from having the weight of the car pressing down on the same spot for months. Many times, these flat spots can be permanent, requiring you to shell out cash to replace your tires.
If you are storing outside, you might think a car cover or tarp would be a great idea. Well, car covers on cars stored outside are generally a bad idea, and a tarp is an even worse one. In the winter, water can get under the cover and then freeze, freezing the cover to your paint! In addition to that, high winds can whip a cover around all over your paint, causing heavy marring and scratches. Imagine if it was both? High winds on a cover frozen to your paint? It could literally rip paint chunks right off of your car. It is much better (believe it or not) to leave your prize possession exposed to the elements with a good coat of wax and a sealant applied just prior to storage.
Be sure to put silicone lube on all the rubber hoses, boots and CV Joints that you can reach to help keep the rubber conditioned…with the exception of the serpentine belt. Better leave that one alone .
Either pull your Windshield Wipers up and off the glass, or remove them entirely. This will ensure you have wipers when you return to your car and that the ice and snow did not damage them.
(Outside/Unheated storage only) Either run your washer fluid completely empty, or fill it with washer fluid with a freeze threshold of -30 or lower, to ensure that your washer fluid does not freeze. I prefer to run it empty, because you just never know. Be sure to bring some with you when you come to pick up the car, as your windshield is bound to be dirty.
After its all done, sit back, watch your favorite football game and enjoy your winter, knowing your car will either be running fine all year, or be running fine next year.
__________________
Long Term Winter Car Storage.
Here are some good ideas for those owners who like to store their prized automobiles for the winter months. These ideas, again, can save you a bundle of cash in the spring. Spend the money you save on repairs, on other things, like road trips!
Find a place to park your car for the winter where you will not have to move it, or move it as little as possible. A garage stall is best, Heated is good (in this case), but a heated garage kind of negates the need for a WINTER storage thread.
Change your oil and filter. Fresh oil in your engine will help keep your components from corroding.
Have your coolant checked for freeze threshold before you park. Replace it if the threshold is a higher temperature than -40F.
Add Sta-Bil and HEET to a fresh, full tank of fuel when you store it.
Leave the battery in the car, but disconnect it and put it on a trickle charger. This will keep your battery freshly charged, and warm. Cold kills batteries. If you are parking your car over the winter in a storage lot, remove the battery entirely, take it home with you and put it on a trickle charger. Do not store it on the ground, there needs to be at least a wooden 2x6 between the earth and the battery, or it will discharge over time.
Invest in a block heater (if your garage/long term parking area is not heated and is near an outlet), and plug it in. Block heater’s heat the coolant in the engine and keep it at a constant temperature. This is not crucial, just added insurance, so if you are not going to have a reliable outlet nearby, don’t worry about it too much, your car will be fine.
This is very important: Jack up the car, and either remove the wheels and set it on stands/blocks, or leave the wheels on and set it on stands/blocks (1 on each corner). I am a huge fan of the wheels on method if I am storing in my garage, because then I do not have to worry about where to store a set of wheels. If you are storing in an open storage lot, take the wheels off and take them home with you. Not only is there a possibility they will not be there when you come back for the car, but you will probably come back to 4 flat tires (if they are there). The reason you jack the car up off of the ground (there needs to be about an inch between the ground and the tire if you leave them on) is so that your tires do not form “flat spots” from having the weight of the car pressing down on the same spot for months. Many times, these flat spots can be permanent, requiring you to shell out cash to replace your tires.
If you are storing outside, you might think a car cover or tarp would be a great idea. Well, car covers on cars stored outside are generally a bad idea, and a tarp is an even worse one. In the winter, water can get under the cover and then freeze, freezing the cover to your paint! In addition to that, high winds can whip a cover around all over your paint, causing heavy marring and scratches. Imagine if it was both? High winds on a cover frozen to your paint? It could literally rip paint chunks right off of your car. It is much better (believe it or not) to leave your prize possession exposed to the elements with a good coat of wax and a sealant applied just prior to storage.
Be sure to put silicone lube on all the rubber hoses, boots and CV Joints that you can reach to help keep the rubber conditioned…with the exception of the serpentine belt. Better leave that one alone .
Either pull your Windshield Wipers up and off the glass, or remove them entirely. This will ensure you have wipers when you return to your car and that the ice and snow did not damage them.
(Outside/Unheated storage only) Either run your washer fluid completely empty, or fill it with washer fluid with a freeze threshold of -30 or lower, to ensure that your washer fluid does not freeze. I prefer to run it empty, because you just never know. Be sure to bring some with you when you come to pick up the car, as your windshield is bound to be dirty.
After its all done, sit back, watch your favorite football game and enjoy your winter, knowing your car will either be running fine all year, or be running fine next year.
__________________
Some decent ideas here. One thing that I always cringe when I see or here people recommend doing is starting the car and letting it idle like UA6 recommended above. First off DON'T do that. If the car is not going to be driven do not allow the vehicle to be started. That does more bad than good.
IMO the absolute best way to store a car is:
#1 ensure you have a safe and clean garage with little to no traffic (people going in and out). You're own garage would be perfect.
#2 fill the fuel tank and do a oil change.
#3 clean the exterior and interior
I personally do not recommend raising the vehicle and removing wheels and all that. Best thing to do is let it sit and leave it be, and if possible drive the car once a month or so on good weather days. Enough to get all fluids and engine to full operating temp. Again, don't just start the car and let it idle.
The worst thing for a car is to be stored long term outside. I think you said yours will be inside, but I just wanted to be sure. If a car is going to be stored outside chances are very high it will get damaged from anything like weather, to animals/people, vandalized, etc etc. I would sell a vehicle before I stored one outside regardless of what climate I lived in.
Hope this helps
IMO the absolute best way to store a car is:
#1 ensure you have a safe and clean garage with little to no traffic (people going in and out). You're own garage would be perfect.
#2 fill the fuel tank and do a oil change.
#3 clean the exterior and interior
I personally do not recommend raising the vehicle and removing wheels and all that. Best thing to do is let it sit and leave it be, and if possible drive the car once a month or so on good weather days. Enough to get all fluids and engine to full operating temp. Again, don't just start the car and let it idle.
The worst thing for a car is to be stored long term outside. I think you said yours will be inside, but I just wanted to be sure. If a car is going to be stored outside chances are very high it will get damaged from anything like weather, to animals/people, vandalized, etc etc. I would sell a vehicle before I stored one outside regardless of what climate I lived in.
Hope this helps
Btw I agree that letting the car idle and not driving it afterwards is something that needs to be avoided.... too much moisture buildup.
#14
Race Director
Then I'd say you don't need to do anything out of the ordinary...battery tender maybe....
#20
Suzuka Master
ok just sell your TL-S to me and I will sell it back to you years later, problem solve.
#21
Suzuka Master
I store mine every winter .. mid Oct to late March and all I do is;
1) Change fluids and make sure you drive it a few miles to condition the oil.
2) Add Stabil to the tank "before" I fill it and drive it a few miles to get it throughout the system.
3) Plug in the battery tender ... not a trickle charger as they can boil the battery dry over time. <--- great in the summer too if the car sits a lot.
4) Put the car cover on.
5) And I put a little block of mouse bait in front and behind each tire just in case they get in the garage. Check garage for mouse poop every few days .. then guys cant go 3 feet without crapping.
Done this for years ... many cars ..
1) Change fluids and make sure you drive it a few miles to condition the oil.
2) Add Stabil to the tank "before" I fill it and drive it a few miles to get it throughout the system.
3) Plug in the battery tender ... not a trickle charger as they can boil the battery dry over time. <--- great in the summer too if the car sits a lot.
4) Put the car cover on.
5) And I put a little block of mouse bait in front and behind each tire just in case they get in the garage. Check garage for mouse poop every few days .. then guys cant go 3 feet without crapping.
Done this for years ... many cars ..
#22
-Brandon
Great looking Civic!
No shame in holding the TL off in storage especially if you drop insurance on it while its not being used (is that possible?). The TL is more than capable of lasting the time away from you with proper care and precautions. Best case, you look to sell your TL-S in a few years and you will be 'supa' low mileage
No shame in holding the TL off in storage especially if you drop insurance on it while its not being used (is that possible?). The TL is more than capable of lasting the time away from you with proper care and precautions. Best case, you look to sell your TL-S in a few years and you will be 'supa' low mileage
#23
I store mine every winter .. mid Oct to late March and all I do is;
1) Change fluids and make sure you drive it a few miles to condition the oil.
2) Add Stabil to the tank "before" I fill it and drive it a few miles to get it throughout the system.
3) Plug in the battery tender ... not a trickle charger as they can boil the battery dry over time. <--- great in the summer too if the car sits a lot.
4) Put the car cover on.
5) And I put a little block of mouse bait in front and behind each tire just in case they get in the garage. Check garage for mouse poop every few days .. then guys cant go 3 feet without crapping.
Done this for years ... many cars ..
1) Change fluids and make sure you drive it a few miles to condition the oil.
2) Add Stabil to the tank "before" I fill it and drive it a few miles to get it throughout the system.
3) Plug in the battery tender ... not a trickle charger as they can boil the battery dry over time. <--- great in the summer too if the car sits a lot.
4) Put the car cover on.
5) And I put a little block of mouse bait in front and behind each tire just in case they get in the garage. Check garage for mouse poop every few days .. then guys cant go 3 feet without crapping.
Done this for years ... many cars ..
Great looking Civic!
No shame in holding the TL off in storage especially if you drop insurance on it while its not being used (is that possible?). The TL is more than capable of lasting the time away from you with proper care and precautions. Best case, you look to sell your TL-S in a few years and you will be 'supa' low mileage
No shame in holding the TL off in storage especially if you drop insurance on it while its not being used (is that possible?). The TL is more than capable of lasting the time away from you with proper care and precautions. Best case, you look to sell your TL-S in a few years and you will be 'supa' low mileage
#24
You looking for one of these? Not a bad price.
#25
http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...36603564&Log=0
You looking for one of these? Not a bad price.
You looking for one of these? Not a bad price.
#26
Not to thread jack...
It has the Tan interior. I'm also signed up for AutoTrader alerts when it matches one in the US regardless of distance so long as it's a 6MT TL-S 07-08
Also, read reviews on EMG the dealership. Not pleasant reviews online at all.
Thanks for the link though.
It has the Tan interior. I'm also signed up for AutoTrader alerts when it matches one in the US regardless of distance so long as it's a 6MT TL-S 07-08
Also, read reviews on EMG the dealership. Not pleasant reviews online at all.
Thanks for the link though.
#28
Racer
1fstTL, if you're driving the car every couple weeks, you're driving it more than a lot of my 'Vette friends drive their cars. Keep the fluids fresh and don't sweat it...
#29
Suzuka Master
OP just checking around on youtube and found this fit you.
#31
Racer
Not to thread jack...
It has the Tan interior. I'm also signed up for AutoTrader alerts when it matches one in the US regardless of distance so long as it's a 6MT TL-S 07-08
Also, read reviews on EMG the dealership. Not pleasant reviews online at all.
Thanks for the link though.
It has the Tan interior. I'm also signed up for AutoTrader alerts when it matches one in the US regardless of distance so long as it's a 6MT TL-S 07-08
Also, read reviews on EMG the dealership. Not pleasant reviews online at all.
Thanks for the link though.
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