Winter storage in Kitchener-Waterloo

[chiselwhit]

This will be my first winter with my 370z.

Does anyone have any suggestions of where to store my car over the winter? I've seen a few professional places that charge $100 per month. Have also found a barn with a cement floor in Elmira for $150 for the season. Any recommendations?

Also, any tips for storing it? Specifically, disconnecting the battery. I have one of those boxes that sends a low charge through the chasis to prevent corrosion. Clearly it won't work if I disconnect, but I don't think that really matters if it is sitting in a dry location? Presumably a lot of the settings will need to be reset?

Other than that, would put gas stabalizer and leave it with a full gas tank.

Any other tips would be much appreciated.

[Snakes709]

You pretty much hit the nail on the head. Full tank of gas and fuel stab. And disconnect the battery. Some people will say put air in your tires or jack the car up so it doesnt leave a flat spot on your tires...thats a myth. My bike was stored for 9 months and never had "flat spots"

My Evo and ZX6R are going in storage in 2 1/2 weeks, all that is being done when it goes to the storage unit is disconnect the battery and full tank + fuel stab.

[LMBmikeZ]

Yep! That's what I do full tank and disconnect the battery.

Where abouts are you in KW? I am also in the area. I have a lady I have been using for a couple years. It's $200 for the season and is just before you go in fergus on hwy 6.

[TripleBlkZ]

Last year did full tank, no fuel stab (heard good and bad things about fuel stab) and a battery buddy. Nice to get the car out in spring and don't have to reprogram anything. Oil change about a week or 2 before storing you don't want to store it with dirty oil but you do want fresh oil to work it's way though everything.I also give it a good detail in and out, cover it and it's kept in the garage

It was stored only for ~5mths went away late November and out late March/early April. We don't see much snow here most of the time but the gravel sucks until the roads get cleared.

[Reality]

-Fill tank with highest octane rated fuel you can find. Avoid Fuel Stabilizers.
-Flat spots are unlikely. But you can always us some old 3/4" board to place under your tires.
-Battery Tender is unnecessary. Unless you have an aftermarket alarm, the battery should not die on you.

Fill, Wash, Detail, Cover & Park.. That's always been the routine for my summer rides.

[Sibze]

I also don't do anything with my tires. Our tires have such a hard sidewall it is unlikely to have problems

[Dizzy]

A couple of thoughts....

Fill your tank to prevent condensation inside it. Fuel stabalizer is up to you. I've been storing bikes and cars for years, never used it, never had a problem.

Get an oil change as close as possible to storage day as you can. Ideally, you can do it yourself and change it where it will sit. The oil change is the very last thing I do before parking mine.

Make sure your tires are inflated to the proper max recommended air pressure. If you are worried about flat spots, jack the car and put a 1/4 rubber mat under each tire (those Goodyear floor mats are cheap and work great - COSTCO). Flat spots however are highly unlikely, but not a myth. They occur when a combination of things happen, but in reality, none of those combinations would apply to the Z tire and our winter conditions.

A battery tender trickle charger is cheap but for the most part, not needed. As mentioned, unless you have something after market placing a big drain on your battery (and your anti corrosion unit shouldn't do that), it's not required. I was fully connected all winter in an unheated garage and it turned in the spring like it had never been stored. Unless you bring you battery inside and properly tend it over the winter, simply disconnecting and leaving in the car does nothing other than causing programming headaches in the spring.

Detail, detail, detail. Wash wash wash...every nook and cranny. You want to put it away as clean as possible. That includes the underside and engine compartment as well as the interior. It's also the time I clay bar mine and give it a good coat of wax.

Put a vapour barrier between your car and the floor. A thick sheet of plastic taped to the tires and tucked into the doors is a good barrier between your Z and the floor. It helps prevent moisture transfer but more importantly, it helps combat your biggest potential problem - critters. Adding a few moth balls under the car will help keep mice and other chewing menaces away. This is the probably the most important part of winterizing - keeping the critters out! Also, a wad of steel wool in the tail pipes makes those nice dark tunnels a lot less appealing to mice. You have pay attention to critters if you are storing in a barn. Mice are prevelant pretty much everywhere, but especially in barns.

Cover the car with a good quality breathable car cover designed for winter storage.

It doesn't take a lot of effort to ensure it will come out just the way you put it away!

Sigh.....it is about that time isn't it?

[chiselwhit]

Originally Posted by LMBmikeZ

Y

Where abouts are you in KW? I am also in the area. I have a lady I have been using for a couple years. It's $200 for the season and is just before you go in fergus on hwy 6.

I'm in North Waterloo. I could do Fergus quite easily if it is a good place. Is is a warehouse with cement floor? Was trying to avoid the barn thing.

Would love to get the contact info for her if there is space.

[CAN-ZED]

Pretty much exactly what i do...

Originally Posted by Dizzy

A couple of thoughts....

Fill your tank to prevent condensation inside it. Fuel stabalizer is up to you. I've been storing bikes and cars for years, never used it, never had a problem.

Get an oil change as close as possible to storage day as you can. Ideally, you can do it yourself and change it where it will sit. The oil change is the very last thing I do before parking mine.

Make sure your tires are inflated to the proper max recommended air pressure. If you are worried about flat spots, jack the car and put a 1/4 rubber mat under each tire (those Goodyear floor mats are cheap and work great - COSTCO). Flat spots however are highly unlikely, but not a myth. They occur when a combination of things happen, but in reality, none of those combinations would apply to the Z tire and our winter conditions.

A battery tender trickle charger is cheap but for the most part, not needed. As mentioned, unless you have something after market placing a big drain on your battery (and your anti corrosion unit shouldn't do that), it's not required. I was fully connected all winter in an unheated garage and it turned in the spring like it had never been stored. Unless you bring you battery inside and properly tend it over the winter, simply disconnecting and leaving in the car does nothing other than causing programming headaches in the spring.

Detail, detail, detail. Wash wash wash...every nook and cranny. You want to put it away as clean as possible. That includes the underside and engine compartment as well as the interior. It's also the time I clay bar mine and give it a good coat of wax.

Put a vapour barrier between your car and the floor. A thick sheet of plastic taped to the tires and tucked into the doors is a good barrier between your Z and the floor. It helps prevent moisture transfer but more importantly, it helps combat your biggest potential problem - critters. Adding a few moth balls under the car will help keep mice and other chewing menaces away. This is the probably the most important part of winterizing - keeping the critters out! Also, a wad of steel wool in the tail pipes makes those nice dark tunnels a lot less appealing to mice. You have pay attention to critters if you are storing in a barn. Mice are prevelant pretty much everywhere, but especially in barns.

Cover the car with a good quality breathable car cover designed for winter storage.

It doesn't take a lot of effort to ensure it will come out just the way you put it away!

Sigh.....it is about that time isn't it?

[LMBmikeZ]

Pm'ed sorry for the delay. I was waiting for a reply from the landlord to make sure things were still good