If you think that park, lock, and leave is all you need to do to store a car, then you are wrong! You can do this if you want to leave the car parked for a few hours or overnight, but doing the same for an extended period can cause serious damages to your vehicle. For whatever reason you stay away from your vehicle, you must put your car in storage and for that, knowing correct storage techniques is important as you may return to a dead battery, ruined tyres, or worse a damaged engine on leaving your car parked on the street or in a garage for a long time.
Here is the list that you need to follow before leaving your car in the garage for a long period.
Clean the interior and exterior of the vehicle: Cleaning the vehicle before leaving it for a long time may sound lame, but it is one of the important steps to remember. Bird faeces and water stains can damage your car’s paint if left for long. Make sure to clean the car as well as the tyres thoroughly. Coat the car with wax for added protection.
Change the oil and coolant: You can skip this step if you are leaving the car just for a week or two. But, if you have longer plans, then you must change the oil and coolant of the car. Contaminants present in oil can damage the car’s engine. The damage will either make you put the car for sale or pay huge bills at repair shops.
Keep the gas tank full: While leaving the car for more than 30 days, keep the gas tank full to prevent moisture accumulate inside the fuel tank and keep the seals from drying out.
Keep it charged: Remove the battery and keep it in a safe place to save the battery life. Put the car on a trickle charger and if you cannot remove the batteries, simply disconnect them.
Avoid using parking brakes: There are chances that the brake pads and rotors may fuse when kept in contact for a longer time. Better to buy a tyre stopper instead.
Keep the tyres inflated: Neglecting the tyres and leaving them stationary for a long period will develop flat spots on them. Inflate the tyre and find them in a better shape on your return.
Spread mothballs inside and outside the vehicle: Don’t forget to put moth balls or cotton balls dabbed in peppermint oil to avoid rodent attack.
Putting used vehicles on sale is not that easy, it is therefore recommended to maintain your vehicle if you want its best resale value. You never know when you may get tempted to buy a new car.
