Winter Car Storage – 6 Tips to Organize and Store your Car for Winter

Most people would prefer to store their cars during winter to avoid damage caused by inclement weather and poor road and driving conditions, including snow, sleet, and ice. The winter car storage tips help such groups of individuals anticipating a harsh winter.

You will have to store your vehicle if you are unwilling to drive during winter; therefore, you should conduct vital preparations for prolonged winter storage.

Improper vehicle storage amounts to long- and short-term problems; thus, you must take the necessary steps to ensure your vehicle’s well-being. Below are six essential tips for storing your car for winter.

Pests and other rodents present a significant challenge when storing your car during winter. These creatures will infest your vehicle using the smallest exterior openings and cause massive destruction.

However, this problem can be avoided by storing your car in a clean, pest-free location and carrying out interior car detailing. You can also block the exhaust pipe and other openings by placing pieces of steel wool to make it difficult for these animals to access the car’s interior.

If the problem persists, however, or worsens, you may contact a professional like https://www.pestcontrolexperts.com/exterminator/pennsylvania/ to come out and exterminate your vehicle and storage area.

6 Ways You Can Ace Winter Car Storage -Try Them This Winter!

Now that you know how important winter car storage during harsh weather like winters is – let’s see how you can do it right. Read till the end to know a bonus tip, too! Let’s go:

1. Protecting the Car Battery:

The car’s battery will naturally drain its charge during the winter, freeze once it loses its charge, and then it toasts. When preparing the battery for winter storage, several options are available depending on the car’s model, year and make.

Some practices include removing the battery and attaching it to a battery tender, disconnecting your battery and securing it to a battery tender, or plugging a battery maintenance and monitoring device into the vehicle.

The most recommended method is to connect a battery maintainer to the battery and set the voltage and battery type. Then, the press starts and closes the hood for the winter.

2. Ideal Location:

An ideal location to store your car during winter is indoors, preferably in a dry, dark, and clean area, which is spacious enough but with limited access.

The location’s floor should be ideally concrete to reduce the moisture your car is exposed to. If the area does not have a concrete floor, you should place a tarp on the ground before parking the car to prevent it from excessive moisture.

3. Car Covers:

Whether you are storing your car indoors or outdoors, you must cover it with a breathable, water-resistant, custom-fitted cover. A car cover will protect your car’s paint and finish from rust and other damage, courtesy of extreme winter weather conditions.

Car cover manufacturers produce a wide range of covers depending on the model of the car or whether you would like to store your vehicle indoors or outdoors.

Therefore, you may want to go over car cover reviews to find the best cover for your vehicle at a reasonable price.

4. Check Your Fluids:

When preparing your car for storage during winter, you must top off all your car’s fluids to avoid corrosion and contamination of the vehicle’s internal systems.

When filling up in preparation for winter storage, you must add a fuel stabilizer to prevent the build-up of gums and solids that accumulate in gasoline when it sits for an extended period. This build-up can degrade the fuel tank, fuel lines, injection, and carburetor.

You should also make sure that you change the oil before storing the car for winter. Also, ensure the engine coolant works correctly before storing the vehicle.

5. Tire Practices:

The major problem facing tires during winter storage is flattening. This occurs when the tire’s surface remains in contact with the ground for a long time. Consequently, getting deformed.

The solution to this massive concern is over-inflating the tires to stay inflated for a long time. However, when the winter is over, deflate your tires to the recommended PSI. This should be before taking out your car for a drive during spring.

Also, about tires, don’t wait until you see snowfall for you to change them to winter tires. Since standard tires lose their effectiveness at seven degrees Celsius, making them dangerous to drive on.

6. Controlling Pests During Storage:

Pests and other rodents present a significant challenge when storing your car during winter. These creatures will infest your vehicle using the smallest exterior openings and cause massive destruction.

However, this problem can be avoided by storing your car in a clean, pest-free location. In addition, carrying out interior car detailing. You can also block the exhaust pipe and other openings by placing pieces of steel wool. This makes it difficult for these animals to access the car’s interior.

Bonus! Do these, too!

When we think of winter car storage, we seldom think of cleaning the car thoroughly with exterior wash and wax in mind. So before you drive your car into storage, make sure you wash your car to remove debris. For instance, any salt, dirt, and debris.

You should also apply a coat of wax so that the paint is protected from moisture and there is no rust. While you are at it, make sure you vacuum and clean the interiors thoroughly. This ensures there is no mold or mildew growth.

Cleaning the interiors will ensure there is no dirt, moisture, or food that can give rise to odors while your car is in storage.

Another essential factor to consider is ventilation in the storage space.

You must ensure that the garage or the storage area housing your car is adequately ventilated and there is a circulation.

This avoids the build-up of moisture, which can lead to rust, mold, or condensation while your car is sitting. The small step is quite significant when you think of the cost of reversing these damages.

Then, What Is Your Chosen Method?

Proper winter car storage is essential to prolong the life of your car. It avoids unnecessary repairs, which may be pretty expensive. Improper storage of your car during winter is worse than driving your vehicle on salt-covered roads during winter. Therefore, make sure you prepare your car for winter storage using the practices described.

Additional Reading:

• Use These Five Driving Tips To Stay Safe On The Road
• Why Personal Car Insurance Won’t Cover Commercial Vehicles