Q: Hi All:
Not that I really want to think about it, but does anyone have a checklist of things to do before putting my beloved Elise into storage for the winter? With my Boxster, it was get it all cleaned up, stabil in the gas, overinflate the tires, get the battery on a tender, etc. Any huge ones I am missing? Thanks!
Brian
'06 Arctic Silver
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Climate controlled bubble?
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I've got a heated garage, so while not totally sealed, it should be warm enough...
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Originally Posted by bmelter I've got a heated garage, so while not totally sealed, it should be warm enough...
Hey - a new guy in the area . Welcome to the board. There are two of us with Ardent red Elises down in Racine. I haven't seen or heard of any others in Milwaukee yet, but there are a couple in Madison and the western part of the state.
I just did the basics with mine (Stabil in the tank, extra air in the tires, and a trickle charger on the battery) the last two winters and everything was fine. The A048's didn't have any trouble with flatspotting. They were surprisingly good in that regard.
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Great to be on board. I know that there is own other Elise owner, a friend of mine who just picked up an Elise Sport. He is in Milwaukee too.
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Snow tires...
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This subject has been covered several times before - a search will turn up several threads.
But...
Do not use a "trickle charger". Trickle chargers constantly charge at a low rate and will destroy a battery over time. Buy a Battery Tender/MINDer/maintainer - they are designed to charge the battery at a low rate, and more importantly, monitor the charge. When the battery is fully charged, they stop charging, when the battery charge drops, they start charging. They "float" the charge and are designed to be plugged in and maintain the battery for extended periods of time - like winter storage. Additionally, some of them, like the Battery MINDer have additional circuitry to "condition" the battery - apply pulses to the battery to reduce/eliminate sulfation which is the main thing that degrades the battery. This thread has some more information (as well as other threads):
To store the car:
- Change the oil and filter before you store it. The "impurities" in the oil can form acid, and this can degrade the engine's internals. The impurities are caused by the fuel/combustion/dirt/moisture that gets past the the piston rings, seals, and filters. A fresh oil change removes the gunk and gives you clean oil. If you don't change oil yourself, having it done and driving home to part the car will be sufficient.Inflate the tires to the maximum pressure on the sidewall. This will reduce any tendencies for the tire to flat spot - although this is not a real problem with modern/radial tires. Don't forget to lower the air pressure in the spring.Wash the car. A clean car is always better. A cover helps to keep the dust, etc. off the car.DO NOT "jack the car up". Don't store it on jack stands raised off the ground. That is a carry over from ancient times when old bias belted tires would flat spot and go bad. Storing a car with the suspension "drooped" is very bad on the rubber bushings, and will greatly accelerate the degradation of the rubber bushings. Even if flat spotting tires was a problem (it isn't), new tires are much, much cheaper than replacing the bushings in the suspension.DO NOT START THE CAR. Starting the car every couple of weeks is bad for the engine. Most of the impurities in the oil happen when you start the car. Running the car for a short time does not warm things up to the point that the impurities will be evaporated. In order to properly warm things up, you would need to take the car on a spirited drive for 30 - 60 minutes. Running it in the garage does no good at all, and is very bad on the engine.Add Stabil to the gas - this prevents the gas from going "bad" and/or forming varnish in the tank and fuel system.
Most years, I simply park the car, connect my Battery MINDer, and call it good. If there's a nice warm day during the storage, I may take the car out for a nice drive - but only if the roads are clear and there is no salt on the road. I've never had a problem with my cars setting out a few months of winter. I usually don't even get around to doing a "special " oil change, unless the car was actually due for one.
If you're really worried about it, do the oil change, wash the car, air up the tires, and plug in the battery. Don't really sweat anything more...
Edit: More threads with information:
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Tim, Nice reply... As I am reading your responses line by line, I said to myself yes I agree but no I am too lazy to do that. Then I got to the end... and you do exactly what I do. Now I feel better. But very nice write up.
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FVMC has battery tenders for $90.00