winter storage (as in Canadian winter)

McFly · 10-16-2012, 11:49 AM

I went for my first test drive yesterday in a '13 sport coupe - love the feel of this car!! (not to mention the look! those vertical LED's on the bumpers are a nice addition IMO)

anyways, I asked about winter storage, he claims simply disconnecting the battery and covering for the winter is good enough. We can hit -30 to -40 C for weeks depending what part of the country you're in, do you all agree this would be suitable for such conditions? I've heard of people draining certain fluids when storing for the winter, would that be necessary?

I was also told that undercoating would be a good idea as well, does that make sense?

thx folks!

forza370z · 10-16-2012, 12:00 PM

You might also want to jack your car onto the jack stands coz you will get flat spots on your tires if you don't move your car for an extended period of time.

I put my z in a garage during winter. But I always take it out for a spin when it's possible to keep it running smoothly.

cooltoy · 10-16-2012, 12:07 PM

Are you storing it in a garage?

DjSquall · 10-16-2012, 01:03 PM

The Z will handle 3-4 months storage just fine. Make sure you jack it up so the wheels don't touch the ground or you will need new tires in the spring. When you take the car out, give it an oil change and you will be good to go.

Spending $100 on a battery conditioner will also be a great investment, an you do not need to disconnect the battery. It's gonna cause you too many headaches if you do it.

McFly · 10-16-2012, 01:07 PM

garage would be doubtful (i have a single garage thats FULL of stuff). odds are it would be out on the driveway, covered and on blocks as per recommendations. what battery issues would I have by disconnecting? would it be because of the keyless start, etc?

TheGreatOne · 10-16-2012, 01:27 PM

My car was parked from Dec 1 to about March 30th

Left it on the ground, tires had no flat spots. I actually left it hooked up to a trickle charger also (I had usually in the past disconnected the battery)

However you are leaving it outside so thats a different story (mine will be indoors) there are a couple threads on "steps for winter storage" here too that you can reference.

Might be worth it to find one of those huge warehouses that will store your car for $300 for the season, at least it will be inside.

10-16-2012, 11:49 AM	#1 (permalink)
McFly Base Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 22 Drives: 06 Kia Rio Rep Power: 12	winter storage (as in Canadian winter) I went for my first test drive yesterday in a '13 sport coupe - love the feel of this car!! (not to mention the look! those vertical LED's on the bumpers are a nice addition IMO) anyways, I asked about winter storage, he claims simply disconnecting the battery and covering for the winter is good enough. We can hit -30 to -40 C for weeks depending what part of the country you're in, do you all agree this would be suitable for such conditions? I've heard of people draining certain fluids when storing for the winter, would that be necessary? I was also told that undercoating would be a good idea as well, does that make sense? thx folks!

10-16-2012, 01:27 PM	#6 (permalink)
TheGreatOne A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Montreal, Canada Age: 46 Posts: 1,980 Drives: E60 BMW M5 Rep Power: 21	My car was parked from Dec 1 to about March 30th Left it on the ground, tires had no flat spots. I actually left it hooked up to a trickle charger also (I had usually in the past disconnected the battery) However you are leaving it outside so thats a different story (mine will be indoors) there are a couple threads on "steps for winter storage" here too that you can reference. Might be worth it to find one of those huge warehouses that will store your car for $300 for the season, at least it will be inside. __________________ 2017 SUBARU STI 2008 E60 M5 - SOLD 2010 40th Anniversary 370Z - SOLD (and missing her)

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10-16-2012, 12:00 PM	#2 (permalink)
forza370z A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: 403 Forbidden Posts: 2,512 Drives: 2009 NISMO 370Z Rep Power: 18	You might also want to jack your car onto the jack stands coz you will get flat spots on your tires if you don't move your car for an extended period of time. I put my z in a garage during winter. But I always take it out for a spin when it's possible to keep it running smoothly.

10-16-2012, 12:07 PM	#3 (permalink)
cooltoy Elite Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Calgary Posts: 13,938 Drives: 14 PW 370Z S/T MT Rep Power: 240204	Are you storing it in a garage?

10-16-2012, 01:03 PM	#4 (permalink)
DjSquall A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Tottenham, ON Age: 36 Posts: 1,340 Drives: My first car Rep Power: 22	The Z will handle 3-4 months storage just fine. Make sure you jack it up so the wheels don't touch the ground or you will need new tires in the spring. When you take the car out, give it an oil change and you will be good to go. Spending $100 on a battery conditioner will also be a great investment, an you do not need to disconnect the battery. It's gonna cause you too many headaches if you do it.

10-16-2012, 01:07 PM	#5 (permalink)
McFly Base Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 22 Drives: 06 Kia Rio Rep Power: 12	garage would be doubtful (i have a single garage thats FULL of stuff). odds are it would be out on the driveway, covered and on blocks as per recommendations. what battery issues would I have by disconnecting? would it be because of the keyless start, etc?