I will be spending four months this winter in California and will be driving down only one car. Therefore, I will be leaving our other car in a heated garage.
What prep should I do so the battery does not wear out because of the electronics and what about the tires going flat?
Either disconnect the battery or attach a battery tender. Make sure you have stabilizer in the gas. The tires will be fine. Four months isn’t that long, so everything else should be okay. Since no one will be driving it, you could cancel your collision insurance and save a few bucks.
Try not to heat the garage!!! It will slow down any corrosion if you leave the car as cold as possible.
The tires will not go flat, unless they are already leaking. Just add an extra 5 lbs of air to them.
I would take the battery out if no one is going to drive the car, fill the tank with premium and add gas stabilizer. Change the oil and filter, and check the fluids. Nothing else is really necessary.
If it is your own garage and not part of a condo or apartment, you will need to have someone check the house every week to keep your insurance valid.That person could check the battery on a battery minder to keep it charged up. I do the same with my battery for the electric lawn mower.
Many slow selling cars sit on the dealer’s lot for more than 4 months. Your car will actually be treated better.
Both of the above responses are good. I would not worry too much about the stabilizer, but it will not hurt and it might help.
I do suggest that you remove the battery and store it someplace else. Not many car thieves carry a spare battery with them.
Remember to cancel your collusion insurance on that car, it is the most expensive part and if the car is not being driven, it does not need it. Talk to your agent.Four months isn’t that long to store a car.
I’d add fuel stabilizer to the gas tank. Park the car with a full tank.
You might want to inflate the tires a couple of psi above normal, but it’s not really necessary. Unless you know the tires leak, they should be OK for a few months.
A battery tender (not a charger) will keep the battery fully charged. If you don’t want to hook up a tender I suggest disconnecting the battery, but I like to use a battery tender. They do a really great job, and you don’t have to disconnect anything.
Make sure you have the security code for the radio if you decide to disconnect the battery cable.
I wouldn’t do a darn thing. Your battery will not wear out. It will just drain down a bit. When you get back, check the tire pressure and put a battery charger on it overnight and you’re set to go. The only thing I would do is crack open the windows so air circulates through and vacuum out all the fries that end up falling between the seats so they don’t get moldly…
:o)
How does corrosion get on your car?