Advice on car off road

[adam1983]

Im taking the Supra off the road for a year as i am saving for a single build.

Never taken a car off the road before so was wondering what i need to do to ensure that it is all ready and prepped for when its back next year.

It will be left outside in my carpark unfortunately as i dont have a garage so i will be getting a cover for it.

Any advice would be apreciated

[dwayne]

dont forget to SORN it

[SteveR]

Look into finding some indoor storage. If you can afford to go single, you can't afford not to protect the car from our great British 9 month winter and its elements. A cover won't offer the same protection.

[adam1983]

dont forget to SORN it

 

Yeah i did that yesterday mate

 

Was gutted when i did it though as it felt like the end

Roll on next year!! Then the real fun will begin

[adam1983]

Look into finding some indoor storage. If you can afford to go single, you can't afford not to protect the car from our great British 9 month winter and its elements. A cover won't offer the same protection.

 

I have applied for a garage where i live but am on a waiting list. Was looking at getting one of those stormforce car covers for the time being. Heard good reviews about them on here and they have a groupbuy going at the moment too.

 

Apart from covering it is there anything else i need to do? Im assuming i will need to disconnect the battery to stop it from going flat? Or would it be a better idea to just fire it up for 5 mins every couple of weeks?

[dwayne]

i would disconnect the battery and remove anything that isnt nailed down tbh. the problem with leaving it sat is its bound to attract opportunist thieves so you got to be real carefull. if you dont have anywhere to keep it you should be calling in favours from friends and family to see if they have room to keep it on their property. i always hide mine in my dads garage when its off the road (where its sat at the moment actually)

[Josh]

I read on here before to let the tyres down a bit or to roll it so you don't get a flat spot.

 

I could be wrong but I'm sure I read it here before

[SteveR]

Don't fire it up and leave it to idle, you'll cause damage to the engine.

 

Either disconnect the battery or if you're worried about security (alarm/immobiliser) wire up an 'intelligent' battery monitor/charger, or charge it every now and again with a standard charger.

[peter richards]

mine has been sornd for a year , just re did the form for another , got it on a trickle charger so the battery is always up , and also keep the insurance going as its not in a garage

[AJI]

Disconnecting the battery is a good idea.

Actually take the battery out of the car for added security.

But remember you will need radio codes etc. when you plug it back in. (Also any codes if required for aftermarket alarm/immobiliser units - sometimes).

 

Before going in to storage I would give the car a very good clean and a good wax on to the paint work to provide a barrier over winter time. If parked outside then moisture/rain will turn to ice and on top of that it will be exposed to all the elements. (Even if parked inside I'd still give it a wax as wintertime is very moist and this can dull paint if left on the paintwork for long periods of time - so I've been told).

[Chris Wilson]

Why not pay for indoor storage somewhere cheap, which usually means somewhere out in the sticks?

[Vicky]

Would you not still need to tax it if it's in a car park?

[adam1983]

Would you not still need to tax it if it's in a car park?

 

Its a private off road car park

[scotty71]

if not in storage I would invest in a carcoon d00d

[adam1983]

Don't fire it up and leave it to idle, you'll cause damage to the engine.

 

Either disconnect the battery or if you're worried about security (alarm/immobiliser) wire up an 'intelligent' battery monitor/charger, or charge it every now and again with a standard charger.

 

How would it cause damage to the engine if i turned it on? I thought it would be a good idea so that it keeps the parts moving rather than sitting for a year.

I dont really know much about things like this though so im probably wrong

[adam1983]

if not in storage I would invest in a carcoon d00d

 

Hi Scotty!

 

Have you got one of those carcoon covers? What size have you got?

[mwilkinson]

Be carefull with the SORN. By the sounds of it you car is still parked in a public carpark, although allocated to your flat it is a "place to which the public have access through payment or otherwise" as such it will still need insurance, tax and MOT. If it's shown as being private on the deeds then fine. Otherwise the car is there illegally and liable to be towed and you prosecuted.

[djg99]

I had to take my car off the road for year when i lost my job once, even though it was housed in a garage and i started it every week it still cost my around 1k to get it pass the M.O.T was going to scrap it but kept the faith and glad i did!

[adam1983]

I had to take my car off the road for year when i lost my job once, even though it was housed in a garage and i started it every week it still cost my around 1k to get it pass the M.O.T was going to scrap it but kept the faith and glad i did!

 

What did you have to pay 1k on to pass the m.o.t?

[djg99]

I had a full service done plus asked them to check everything which brought up a few problems the main ones being the brakes and 2 of the tyres!

Edited September 14, 2010 by djg99 (see edit history)

[SupraStar 3000]

Don't fire it up and leave it to idle, you'll cause damage to the engine.

 

I know this is true as I've heard if before, but whats the reason for the damage?

[Rob]

I don't see whats wrong with letting it idle up to a good temperature every week or two, about 20 mins worth to get the exhaust up to temp too.

 

Much conflicting advice here.

 

Re tyres. Pump them up hard, 60 psi if leaving it in one place. Ideally move it back and forth every fortnight. Jacking it up would be best, but if there is a theft issue, then thats just helping the wheel thieves a bit more.

[Rob]

I know this is true as I've heard if before, but whats the reason for the damage?

 

If you turn it over for just a short while, like moving it out of a garage, or moving it to move another car, the fuel mix stays rich and petrol washes down the bores, stripping the oil. Next time you turn it over, it starts with little oil so the bores get scratched a bit.

Which Is why you need to get it running a while to get the oil warmed and flowing for when you switch it off.

[adam1983]

If you turn it over for just a short while, like moving it out of a garage, or moving it to move another car, the fuel mix stays rich and petrol washes down the bores, stripping the oil. Next time you turn it over, it starts with little oil so the bores get scratched a bit.

Which Is why you need to get it running a while to get the oil warmed and flowing for when you switch it off.

 

So would the best course of action to be just leave it standing for a year switched off and battery disconnected?

When turning the wheels do i just move the car forwards then backwards a few times every few weeks?

Obviously i will leave the handbrake off and in gear so it doesnt freeze on.

Anything else im missing?

[Rob]

I'm saying, run it every other week for a good while to get it all warmed up, including the heating and the AC to keep that lubriacted with its own coolant. Do you have the option to just run it around a bit in the car park area without breaking any laws? Just to keep it moving about.

 

You'd also need to have little petrol in it and keep topping that up with a couple of litres every few months else that will go off in the tank as it sits there.

 

If you leave it outside for a year with no power, its going to start to rot. Long term storage needs to be inside in a warm dry place with the wheels off the ground and all fluids either drained out or swapped just before you turn it over for the first time.

Edited September 14, 2010 by Rob (see edit history)