Automotive

What do you do with an undriven car in the winter?

  • Last Updated:
  • Nov 25th, 2014 10:12 pm
Tags:
None
Jr. Member
Aug 4, 2007
153 posts
3 upvotes

What do you do with an undriven car in the winter?

Heyo!!

Thx for checking this out.

I'm in Toronto. Gonna be moving to Vancouver for December onwards indefinitely.

I have a driveway I can leave my car at. But I'm wondering...

1) Is it better to store it indoors somewhere?

2) Should the car be driven every once in a while?

3) If storing indoors, do you know of any awesome places that have reasonable rates?

I know very little about cars, so I defer to your awesome expertise.

Thank you!!!
jcoltage wrote: How are they going to get out?
Setz wrote: ...did you not watch the video?
21 replies
Sr. Member
User avatar
May 29, 2008
652 posts
502 upvotes
I get an old dude on my street to drive it 100km once a month.
Member
User avatar
Jun 4, 2012
433 posts
211 upvotes
New Westminster
1. Yes
2. Start the car every 2 weeks and leave it for 5 mins to keep the battery charged
3. Friends or relatives or ex...?
Deal Expert
User avatar
Jun 12, 2003
15213 posts
1671 upvotes
Markham
I start it every week until it's warm
ShadowVlican
Deal Addict
Sep 14, 2010
1200 posts
318 upvotes
Toronto
lol.
I like the ex part XD

If i read right.. people said leaving out would be the best due to the cold preventing rust and other stuff but on the hand .. it is prone to scatches and other stuff that ppl will prob do .
best is to find someone that you can park underground i guess. ..
Not sure whether you still will have insurance on it since.. you stated undriven.
Deal Expert
Aug 22, 2011
41798 posts
30054 upvotes
Center of Universe
Preferably indoors, with the battery disconnected or hooked up to a smart trickle charger!
Do not start it at all for the entire winter!
Deal Addict
Jan 7, 2014
2722 posts
549 upvotes
Manitoba
SampahBau wrote: 1. Yes
2. Start the car every 2 weeks and leave it for 5 mins to keep the battery charged
3. Friends or relatives or ex...?
Wrong

“Starting the engine draws 100 to 130 amps, and idling the car for 15 minutes might put back three or four amps,” Brown-Harrison says. “If you’re idling only for 15 to 20 minutes, the battery never truly gets recharged. So each time you start and leave it to idle, the charge will get lower and lower and lower.”

source.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-dr ... le4490484/
Deal Addict
User avatar
Oct 11, 2008
1375 posts
283 upvotes
Mississauga
my coworker stores his car in the backyard (driveway goes to the backyard)

car cover, STA-BIL and battery disconnected

i think his car is on jack stands, or whatever he has rigged up to keep the tires off the pavement because he has his wheels on
Deal Expert
Jan 15, 2006
21392 posts
23732 upvotes
Richmond Hill
SampahBau wrote: 1. Yes
2. Start the car every 2 weeks and leave it for 5 mins to keep the battery charged
3. Friends or relatives or ex...?
Horrible horrible advice. OP there is a thread about this already...
Deal Addict
Sep 22, 2009
3862 posts
2940 upvotes
Markham
Why are there new threads every week on:

1. Why type of oil should I use?
2. What is the tire pressure?
3. How do I stored my vehicle?
4. Where to go to pass driving exams?
5. I need a lawyer.....because I hit another vehicle / pedestrian...
Deal Fanatic
Aug 12, 2006
6908 posts
3331 upvotes
Canada
Yes
Yes (for different reasons)
No Idea ...

Sometimes I run my vehicles over the winter, sometimes I get lazy. Never had an adverse problem either way. Some say it's good to keep fluids flowing and to run it every few weeks for a while to keep things from seizing up and seals lubricated.

I think it's important to run it long enough to burn off any condensation, because if you do it in too short of bursts it will actually increase it.

Regardless, a car is going to see less wear and tear sitting than it will see being used every day subjected to extreme heating and cooling .. so whatever you do, it's going to be better than driving it.

Pretty much the only thing that can go wrong is killing the battery .. which is more annoying than it is "harmful".
Deal Guru
User avatar
Sep 8, 2007
10978 posts
14471 upvotes
Way Out of GTA
BDSL wrote: Why are there new threads every week on:

1. Why type of oil should I use?
2. What is the tire pressure?
3. How do I stored my vehicle?
4. Where to go to pass driving exams?
5. I need a lawyer.....because I hit another vehicle / pedestrian...
6. Where to get remote starter?
7. Good deals on snow tires? (After first blizzard)
8. Rustproofing should I get it done and where?
9. Which of these lame eco turds will get me the most fuel mileage and has the most uninspiring driving dynamics as a bonus?
10. Gammatron thread
Deal Fanatic
Dec 24, 2005
5853 posts
1695 upvotes
i park one of my cars from Halloween to April 1st every year.

I am lucky that i'm in a condo so it's parked underground and covered -- but I would have no issues leaving it in a garage though.

I would not start it and let it warm up -- all this does it let moisture into the system since you won't get your oil warm enough to do any good.

If you want a safe underground spot ask a friend who lives in a condo to check his bulletin board. You can likely find a safe and warm spot for $100 a month if you care.
Deal Addict
User avatar
Jan 2, 2009
1995 posts
473 upvotes
It depends on how old the car is. If you are going to be gone for a period of time sell the car, this way no worries and you don't have to pay for insurance. There are tons of cars for sale by the time you return.
Deal Expert
User avatar
Jul 22, 2006
22438 posts
3065 upvotes
Pump up the tire PSI high
Full tank of gas
Take battery out and keep it indoors
Deal Guru
User avatar
Sep 8, 2007
10978 posts
14471 upvotes
Way Out of GTA
rotjong wrote: It depends on how old the car is. If you are going to be gone for a period of time sell the car, this way no worries and you don't have to pay for insurance. There are tons of cars for sale by the time you return.
Insurance is very cheap if you just have fire and theft..like $10/mth. The biggest cost will be cost of parking/storage vs the friction costs of selling a car (emissions, saftety, uvip, negotiating price, etc) and then buying a new one. In some cases it may make sense to sell and move on but in other cases storage isn't that big of a deal. It's less hassle to boost and recharge a battery or even replace a battery than going thru the whole buy/sell process. It all will depend on the circumstances.
Newbie
Nov 23, 2014
66 posts
22 upvotes
Thornhill, ON
Here is what I learned - the hard way.

- Get the vehicle up off the tires. Prolonged parking can actually cause flat patches to appear on your tires.

- Add a gas stabilizer so your gas doesn't go bad

- Start it frequently and let it run about 15 minutes at a time. This helps extend the life of the battery and will help the oil move through the system (please do this in an area with proper ventilation)

- Notify the ministry of transportation that your vehicle will be off the road. I failed to do this and when I went to renew my sticker I was charged for the year that it was parked in a garage simply because I didn't notify them.

I hope that helps!
Newbie
Nov 23, 2014
66 posts
22 upvotes
Thornhill, ON
Here are some decent car starters. I've bought from them in the past with good results. --> http://partsengine.ca/c-243-remote-starter.aspx
They don't have a store, but they are Canadian and there are no shipping charges.
As for tires, my wife has had great service at OK Tire (we went to a Kitchener, Ontario location but they are a chain) we got a set of four Toyo g2 tires. So far they have worked really well. She commutes over 100km a day for work.
Deal Addict
User avatar
Oct 2, 2005
2114 posts
1262 upvotes
I need to move my car every 2 weeks or else the brakes start to seize from rust. When i was away for 3 months I had my dad move my car ever week or 2 to wear off the brake rust. Not an issue if you store it inside.

Top

Thread Information

There is currently 1 user viewing this thread. (0 members and 1 guest)