I live in massachusetts. I am consideringputting my car away for the winter. Any advice would be helpful.
Add some fuel stabilizer at the last fill up before storing it. Find a safe place to store it. In a secured garage if possible.
I suggest removing the battery and bringing it inside. That will reduce the chance of someone stealing the car, unless they just happen to have the right batter with them and it will help keep the battery in good shape.
If outside, I would avoid any type of cloth or plastic covering as they tend to blow around and scratch the paint.
Contact your insurance company. Chances are good you can cancel the collusion insurance (that is the expensive part) and keep the comprehensive (that is the only protection you need during storage).
I would use some fuel stabilizer. Follow the directions on the label to find the right amount to add. I would use a smart battery charger. It will monitor the battery and give just the right amount of charge. If the car is secure, you won’t need to remove the battery. You just hook up the charger. Also, I am a fan of car covers if the car is being stored outside. New ones are reasonably priced and are light and soft enough that they won’t harm the paint. If the car is being stored outside, I would also add sun shades to the front and rear windows for the limited amount of light that gets through the car cover. You might also consider covers for the tires if the car cover doesn’t completely cover them.
I would totally agree with the sun shades if it is stored outside.
I believe Whitey intended, but did not use the magic words [b] battery tender [/b] rather than battery charger. Not all small battery chargers have the battery tender function and leaving them connected for long periods can damage the battery. They are not expensive and it was my bad for not including it on my list. Even with the battery out of the car, you should have a battery tender.car will be stored inside my garage. garage is insulated.
In that case, I will add that you should be aware that a battery hooked up to a charger can lead to certain hazardous gasses being emitted. (I don’t remember which ones they are.) It shouldn’t be too serious in your case though. OSHA requires Hospitals that use battery operated floor maintenance equipment to have a vehtilation hood in the area where the equipment is stored and recharged. So in your case, I would make sure the area is well ventilated when you spend a lot of time in the garage. Basically, I would go out to the garage, disengage the battery tender, and open the garage door for a few minutes. Then you can close the garage door and start your work. You can plug the battery tender back in when you are done working in the garage.