Storing a car for a year

Maintenance/Repairs
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1

I will be storing a Honda Civic for a year and need to know if there are special things i need to do before it sits idle for a year. I live in Minnesota. The car will be in a garage for the majority of the time. Other than an oil change, I’m not sure what to do.



Thanks for your suggestions.



LeeAnn

2

This has been answered many times. Search this forum for answers and also search Google.

3

Put in StaBil fuel stabilizer in a full tank of gas. Run it a few miles to get it through the system. Undue the battery. Putting it on jack stands would also be a plus. Make sure your antifreeze is not over 2 years for the green stuff or 5 years for the pink/red stuff.

4

I wish I could find these discussions. I have searched many times using “storage” “store a car” etc and I seem to get everything but information on this topic - roof luggage carriers, squirrels, road trip, motor mount, etc.

I’ll try Google.

5

That’s pretty well it! I would also do an oil and filter change, and make sure all regular maintenance is up to date. Jack stands are not really necessary; modern tires don’t flat spot. But inflate them 5 ps1 above the normal. I would also cover up the air intake and the exhaust to keep out critters.

A year is not a long time; many slow moving cars sit on delaers lots for that long.

6

Thank you both for your input.

Enjoy your Saturday afternoon.

7

Call your insurance company. You should be able to temp cancel the collusion insurance since you will not be driving it. Collision is the most expensive part of your policy. However you want to keep comprehensive, to protect you from possible theft etc.

8

If you do not wish to disconnect the battery a battery maintainer can be a good 40 to 60 dollar investment. The fuel stabilizer is a good idea, I’ll wait for other responses but you might consider using the 91 octane with no ethanol or oxygenation available in MN as that will be a more stable fuel. I do not know how fogging oil works on cars but I use it on my boat every year, there are 2 schools of thought on fogging oil.
School 1 is to spray it in each cylinder to prevent piston walls and rings from rusting.
School 2 is to spray fogging oil into the air intake until it dies to prevent above and other things from rusting. I think the fogging oil either way would be a good idea.