Volvo 480 Club Europe

I don't know where this idea came from exactly but I'm wondering if I should put my car in storage over the winter months. I want to keep her going for as long as I can, and I'm aware that she's getting rustier and heavens knows I could do with doing a lot of repair jobs that I can't don't have the time for right now with her on the road; dash, rear lights etc. Bunny is my only car and I use her every day, so storing her over winter would mean I'd have to get another car.

What do other people here do/recommend? I'm not made of money but I could probably afford to keep 2 cars running, it's just whether storing Bunny would be a good thing to do for her future or not. Or am I being overprotective? It's not that I'm thinking of preserving her to sell her or anything, just that I want to keep her going as my car for as long as I can - I love her to bits. (Valentines timing unintended)

No serious plans yet, just thinking. Anyone else's thoughts welcome.

So.... if you were to store here, where would it be? Layed up on the driveway? Cossetted in a warm garage?

If there's rust already, its not going to go away, even if you lay the car up - it may even get worse quicker!

Using a car daily can be better for them, as long as you're giving the car a frequent wash.

Short term store - yes, over the winter is good as long as it's a dry garage, and the car is dry when it goes in. Operate electric motors monthly, keep an eye on tyre pressures and rotate the wheels every now and then to stop the tyres flat spotting (drive out, do a 3 point turn and drive back in again should put it on a different part of the tyres). While it's outside, run the engine until the fan comes on so you know it's up to temperature before you turn it off. Keep the battery disconnected whilst it's in store so it doesn't go flat. I'm sure someone will add to this list.

Long term store - no, mechanics start deteriorating, seals dry out, electric motors fail, etc. A car is designed to move.

If you have to pay for storage, maybe the rent plus cost of a second car would be better spent on tackling the worst of the rust. Perhaps think about having the underside inspected to see how far it's gone. Once you know that you'l have a better idea of what you're up against and of course advice is always freely available on here.

Good luck !

jifflemon wrote: ↑

Thu Feb 14, 2019 10:52 pm

So.... if you were to store here, where would it be? Layed up on the driveway? Cossetted in a warm garage?

If there's rust already, its not going to go away, even if you lay the car up - it may even get worse quicker!

Using a car daily can be better for them, as long as you're giving the car a frequent wash.

wash especially the under side of arches/body shell.

I use a 'hanging basket' attachment on the garden hose to get right in underneath, around the fuel filler area and up among top of front suspension struts)

Agree with all the above, I was laid on the ground last weekend rinsing the underside with cold water as best as I could.

I went as far as taking the wheels off and cleaning the arches thoroughly, particularly the lip that runs around the edge of the arch which seems to accumulate grit.

I saw a handy thing that was like a rake on wheels for cleaning the underside of cars - Attach a pressure washer and roll it under.

Then I saw the price and thought "I can probably make one cheaper!"

Thank you so much for the advice everyone.

I think the conclusion I've come to is yes, it would be good to take her off the road over winter but only if she's in a good state in the first place and if I can put her in a cosy garage and monitor her regularly.

I should have said that I only have on street parking so I would have to rent storage as well, and as my exhaust went kaput the other day on a speed bump it's clear I could better spend my money fixing her up and keeping her on the road.

If I ever have a house with off road parking and a garage then I think I'll revisit this idea but for now I'm going to fix the exhaust and the rust and keep her clean. I love driving her every day and fixing the rusty parts really would be satisfying.

ladyforatey wrote: ↑

Tue Feb 19, 2019 2:07 pm

I should have said that I only have on street parking so I would have to rent storage as well, and as my exhaust went kaput the other day on a speed bump it's clear I could better spend my money fixing her up and keeping her on the road.

No harm should really come to the car sat on the street, aside from people bumping into it.

Just don't put a car cover on it if it's sat outside!