Roadster into winter storage
 

I live in Canada's snowiest city... and our seasonal plates expire Oct 31st.... so my roadster went into winter hibernation on the weekend

Here's my prep...

Check & fill all fluids
Full tank of gas - with fuel stabilizer
Full detailing inside & out - tires dressed too.
Battery unhooked
Windows cracked 1/4"
Dryer sheets inside the car - repells mice
Steel wool in the tailpipes - keeps critters out of nesting mode
4 open baking soda containers (I put them in a big plastic container) in the car - absorbs musty smells & keeps things fresh inside
Car cover
Remove PL/PD from insurance
Mine stays in a heated storage facility with security and fire protection

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... & Critter control...

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Any others in the same boat? Any other steps in your prep?

Mine is cleaned, covered and parked in a storage facility too. For years I went through the "storage" ritual. Now I clean it, park it, cover it and leave it until April 1.

Sorry, Mice don't care about dryer sheets.

Moncton is Canada's snowiest city? I'd have never guessed. It looks pretty nice in July.

Here in central Indiana I'm preparing for winter. I got a cover.

I don't mind the snow as much as the rain that freezes the windows. Kind of a hassle since they're supposed to roll up and down an inch (2 cm +-) when you open and close the doors. That's why I got the cover.

Anyway, good luck keeping the mice away.

^ lol - the concrete facility I'm in is heated and no mice that I know of - figure u can't be too careful though.

Here's a couple of shots of my yard from last winter...

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I feel for you... I grew up in St. Johns, NFLD and remember piles of snow like that. Fun as a kid, it'd be hell now though. Much more enjoying sunny Phoenix, AZ. Have the same year & color roadster as yours as well... I'll drive it extra as a tribute to you over the winter months.

A buddy put his motorcycle up for the winter. Pretty much a normal garage. Come spring he got it out and fired it up, at which point he learned that mice had built a nest in the airbox. Chewed a hole in the air filter and set up housekeeping. Bad news for both the mice and the bike. There's really never too much careful.

Yes, you certainly have trump over Indy. We get three feet, which we do get occasionally, and everything goes into park.

By comparison I have some Canadian motorcycling friends who trailered their bike to New Mexico/Texas a couple of Januarys back. They posted pictures of their bike still on the trailer, stuck in a rest area, road closed by the police, with just enough snow to say it had snowed. Maybe an inch on the ground. Maybe. All the other Canadians on the forum poked 'em in the ribs hard about being stuck in a centimetre. Of course, when the police shut down the road, whatcha gonna do?

Glad that I don't have to store the Z. Guess I'm lucky that I get to drive the Z everyday.

I have a double garage in my house so I just fill the gas tank, hook up my Battery Tender and put a cover over it. Same routine for my vette for the last 25 years. My summer vehicles start every spring without any issues. You don't need to go to any great lengths to store a vehicle for four to six months.

Some good ideas there

+5:happydance:

Definitely some good ideas I hadn't thought of before. The only extra thing I will be doing this winter is putting it up on jack stands so the tires don't get flat spotted. I was doing a lot of traveling for work this summer and ended up getting small flat spots after it sat for about a month. The vibration did go away after about 30 miles of highway driving.

Winter storage
 

Planning to change the oil this month (Nov). Washed and covered and stored in my garage on rubber mats. I start her every week and drive her out onto the driveway and let run in nutreul . Then I go back and forth to move the tires. Wipe her down with Meguires Ultimate detailer, dry the tailpipes and admire.Attachment 79410 Pic from last January

Be sure to bring the cats up to temperature... otherwise leaves water in the pipes...

Flat spots?? lol
 

I just increase the tire pressure to 50psi while in storage. Never had an issue with flat spots.

If parking in the cold - another trick is to put a piece of carpet under each tire

Mine's going to be put up this weekend.

1) Detail
2) Fill Tank and add a can of Sea Foam
3) Check tire pressure
4) Park
5) Attach battery tender
6) Cover
7) Cry like a biatch :crying:
8) Wait for April or May
9) Reverse procedure
10) Cry like a biatch again, but this time :excited:

Wow.....now that is some snow! I can definitely say the people that live in the northern climates are pretty hearty folks.

Quick question. Why do you unhook the battery? Do you take it with you?

Do you lose an settings and do you have to reset the radio?

Mine is a 2013, going to sleep in a couple of weeks. I do like your prep tho, very thorough

You don't need to because it should hold its charge for several months but why take a chance? Individual preference. I use a Battery Tender vice a trickle charger which could over charge i.e. destroy your battery, over a longer period of use.

You do need to reset radio and windows. I hear the 2013s may not need to reset windows. If you do -

If the windows do not close automatically

If the power window automatic function (closing only) does not operate properly, perform the following procedure to initialize the power window system.

1. Push the ignition switch to the ON position.

2. Close the door.

3. Open the window completely by operating the power window switch.

4. Pull the power window switch and hold it to close the window, and then hold the switch more than 3 seconds after the window is closed completely.

5. Release the power window switch. Operate the window by the automatic function to confirm the initialization is complete.

6. Perform steps 2 through 5 above for other windows.

If the power window automatic function does not operate properly after performing the procedure above, have your vehicle checked by a NISSAN dealer.

Thanks for this post and the replies. I'm looking outside from my desk this afternoon at falling and blowing snow. Thankfully I left the Z at home, but thus starts my Z's hibernation. I'll drive it when I can when the roads are clear, dry, and not salty/sandy.

I keep mine in my apartment garage, so taking note of your notes! :)

I don't think this can be stressed enough. I have a motorcycle that sleeps in the winter, and I use a Battery Tender on it.

As IDZRVIT mentioned, and for those not already aware, the Battery Tender isn't a simple trickle charger. It will keep the battery healthy, rather than just charged. It comes with a stub cord that can be hooked into the charging system by the battery so you just plug the Tender into the stub cord and unplug it as needed, no clamps on the post like standard chargers. The stub cord is relatively short with a cap for the connection to the Tender. Very convenient.

Do you have to have one? Nope. But I've never regretted getting one.

Thanks! I had an Audi with a similar process. My car is a lease so I'm not sure I'll bother with the battery part, just the cosmetic protection.

My roadster is put away for the season but it's sitting in my garage. I plan to exercise it at least once per month over the winter. I only have a 2-car garage and the other spot is taken by the wife's Land Cruiser. So, my dd will sit outdoors. This is my first winter with this arrangement so it will be my "test" of how much I really like owning a sportscar. I'm having a remote starter installed on my dd tomorrow so that will help. I did get a chance to flog the Z a little last Saturday. Never went over 115 mph. I swear.

Because I'm such a good forum member, I volunteer to sport anyone's Z down here in Florida during the winter for FREE!!! Let me know!

Sounds to good to be true =)

Any chance of arranging a few golf games for us when I drop 'er off???

:happydance:

While I certainly appreciate your kind offer, that would leave me with nothing to drive up here in Indiana. I'm afraid the motorcycle just won't do at all.

So you don't store yours away during the winter? OK, well I'll hold onto the bike for you no problem!

The depths of your kindness seem to know no bounds. But no, thank you. I ride a Royal Star Venture and get it out every now and then when the weather allows just to keep the twitching under control. I can't imagine I'd make it until spring without those occasional riding days.

Good List. Just completed the samething. Heres my checklist:

New Oil & Oil Filter
Full Tank of Premium Fuel
Stabil in the Fuel Tank
Wash & Wax Exterior
DetailInterior
Plastic Wrap under windshield wipers
Parked on Tarp
Heat left on Full (Re-Circulating inside to close the vents)
Car left in 1st gear with parking break off
Bricks or blocks under wheels (front and back wheels)
Over inflate tires (5-15pounds)
Dryer sheets (Quantity per Location)
____ Engine Bay
_____Interior (Gas Pedals)
_____Trunk
Steel wool in the exhaust
Car cover on

Parked on tarp?

I've seen some parked on strips of cardboard as well. As I get about one season out of my tires, I'm not to concerned - just increase the pressure to 45 or 50 psi and were good.

The reason I park it on a tarp is to protect against moisture build up, caused by my cold concrete floors.