Sorry if this is posted in the wrong forum .But wasn't sure were to put it . Ive got to put it in storage for a few months. I don't want to just let it sit. I want to start it about twice a week and maybe pull it out and wash and wax . My question is will the car be OK with out running it on the street? Any suggestions.

 

If it is only going to be a few months, just clean it up (wash/wax) cover it with a good car cover, disconnect the battery and store it away. Don't worry about starting it (some say that actually does more harm than good). Some fuel stabilizer is always a good idea. Up here in the cold climates we have to pack our cars away for 4 to 6 months every year. I have been doing mine this way for years with no problems. If big temp changes are expected it is a good idea to put some plasitc and plywood under the car to avoid condensation but in CA you shouldn't have to worry about that. When you are ready, hook up the battery and go. Good luck!

 

You should be fine, some things to consider,
if you let a car sit on tires, sometimes the tires may get flat spots, it was more common in the old days with Bias Tires, but it does happen. I will sometimes jack up my car and put on cheap jack stands ( I got a set of 4 for $20 total ($5 each))... I use rags to set the car on as to not scratch my suspension pieces. If I get really ambitious I will let the air out of my tires as the stress of full pressure maintains a stretch on the tire which lessens the life of the tire...

If you lived in a colder climate ( I see you do not ) however I would suggest setting up some fans to blow strategically to keep moisture from condensing... I do this in my barn in the winter and I have never had any rust on my rotors by spring comes around... . (Of course I live in MI), where a single rain storm has been known to show more rust on my rotors than sitting in my barn over the winter.

A cheap car cover should suffice, especially if is able to breathe. Avoid vinyl or plastic car covers as they can hold the moisture on the car. Of course like mentioned before I usually wax my car prior to storage.

FILL the gas tank.. Old gas comes from evaporation, if you have more gas, then the longer it will last. Of course newer fuels are way better than what we had even 10 years ago. 10 or 15 years ago Gas that was 6 months to a yr old would not even light with a match... I have had cars with old gas (no stabil) still fire after 3 years. So there have been improvements. STABIL is a good idea however and is a recommendation, not a requirements...

Make sure your other fluids are full, An oil change is not a bad idea either, Make sure your Radiator does not have leaks, and is full, as well as your transmission...

IF your storage place has a dirt floor, I would recommend getting some heavier plastic to put under the car, place a board on the ground under it as to keep a gap between the ground and the plastic... This will help condensation coming through the ground to the bottom of the car...



John

 

If you add a fuel additive, be sure to run the car long enough so that the fuel/additive mixture also travels throughout the fuel system providing some protection from staleness and varnishing in all places.

Unless you can run the engine long enough for the engine and exhaust to reach top operating temperature, don't do it. The exhaust (including the cat) can't even reach top temps while idling and must be driven.
Often what happens to those who only run the engine for a few minutes will fill the exhaust with water (byproduct of combustion). Overtime this will result in premature exhaust fail, corrosion and rust through. A hot exhaust has a chance to evaporate moisture build-up and stay drier.

 

Thanks for all the suggestions .

 

If it is going to be in a place that has a chance of mice getting into it get 1 or 2 boxes of moth ***** (never reuse mothballs) and mouse traps. I found this out the hard way it is really hard getting mice smell out of a car. I have a better place to store it now too.

 

It's also very hard to get the mothball smaell out of car!!!

 

Do yourself a favor and skip the moth *****.

 

Agreed... The smell alone...

I think a good many mice traps is not a bad thing... I never had that problem, but I can see where you could.