Proper Winter Storage

I will be storing my car inside a unheated garage over the winter. I was wondering who else has experience in storing there P-Car indoors over the winter cold months My Questions are (based upon a 4 month storage) Should I jack up under the suspension to get the tires off the ground? Should I use dryer sheets / moth *****, to keep the mice out of my engine bay / car? Should I change the oil before storing, or change it after it comes out of storing Should I start the car every week, month, twice, never? All the help I can get will be much sppreciated Thanks Guys

No help?

*dont need to jack the car, put an extra 7-8 lbs of air and let it be, you can even move it a foot or so *fill the car up with gas and put fuel stablizer. *changing the oil would be nice, also having it washed is a plus. *starting the car once a week/2 weeks...keep it running till it reaches normal operating temps, this will burn condensation in engine. Just starting it for 5 min is bad since it will develope condensation in the engine. *put a battery tender *about the mouse thing...put traps in a couple of spots This is all I could think of...hope it helps

Thanks, Yea I just washed and waxed it, vacuumed out the inside and took the mats out to clean them better, will be covering it, plan to move it about 2 ft every month or so . But good idea on the over inflating to prevent the flat spots. and thanks for the info on how to run it never even thought about how long I had to wait

Proper way to do it, from a canuck's point of view (read, car doesn't budge from november to april) - Don't lift car off the ground, leave it "normal" - Empty the gas tank as much as possible, you may want to add some fuel stabilizer - trickle charger - make sure you have access to engine/battery even when there is no power. I put some foam/wood blocks in the trunk and doors sills - I don't overinflate the tires, but I put 2 2x2 carpet pieces (double layer) to avoid flat-spotting - Depending on your area, watch out mice nests and stuff like that. - Last year I found quite a bit of condensation/humidity inside (even though the door was ajar), this time I'm putting de-humifidiers inside How I end up doing it? Park it. And spending 10x more time and money fixing what would have been find had I done it properly ... edit - just noticed the garage is un-heated ... make sure you have the proper anti-freeze. It gets down to -5 in our garage, when it's usually -30C outside ...

My 2 cents... Don't lift the car Overinflate tires by approx 8-10 psi As ZORRO stated, I also have put carpet pieces under tires in addition to more psi Full tank of gas with stabilizer (less air = less condensation) Hook up to a battery tender I think it is best to not start it at all until it's ready to come out of storage Change oil Clean in and out Cover If floor is anything but very dry it's not a bad idea to have a tarp under it as a vapor barrier. If possible leave it in neutral (manual trans) with parking brake off If rodents won't be an issue leave windows open a crack to release moisture Use steel wool in the tailpipe and air intake to prevent rodents from making a new home. I have put moth ***** around the perimeter to deter rodents (I wouldn't put them inside because it will take a long time for the smell to go away). Hope this helps.

I don't store mine, just drive it whenever it's dry and above freezing.

One question I have, I am buying a trickle charger, but should I pop the hood before storage just in case the charger doesn't work. That would make it easier to get to the battery in case it dies. Anyone do this? Does it trigger any sort of light if the hood is popped?

Yes, hood open or ajar ... getting a electric released hood or trunk open with a completely dead battery is a PITA. MN911 is right regarding the full tank ... I just had a bad experience with a full tank of gas turning bad (and having to empty that suck!). So now I empty it as much as possible, put de-humidifiers and fill it up to th brim with fresh gas prior to starting it in the spring.

When looking for a battery tender, be sure to buy one that can also act as a battery charger. Porsche dealerships up here sell both types. With a battery charger, if you plug it in with a dead battery it'll still give you enough power to pop the hood, etc. Also, make sure that whatever battery tender you use is actually supplying power to the car while it is stored. Pay attention to the cigarette lighter fuse... I've had that fuse blow once during storage and leave me with a dead battery come spring.

Heres what I do. check the tire pressure, oil, coolant, wash and Wax, clean the interior and treat the leather. Then put the key in the ignition, back it out of the garage and drive the hell out of it. Seriously, its a car (a great car) and is meant to be driven, to hell with the weather, my C4 is great in all conditions. And I have never had my gas go bad, my battery go dead or any mice in my engine comopartment.

I have been storing my car in Minnesota since 1999. Here is what I do. I change oil. Drive the car and get it fully up to temp. 1/2 hour drive should do it. Put in Sta-Bil in the tank before drive. I use Tire Cradles http://www.tirecradle.com/ . I understand that 4 layers of carpet will also work. Tire Cradles do work and never wear out. Read his web site to understand why not to overinflate your tires or jack up your car. Put on a battery maintainer not a trickle charger. Never start you car again untill spring and your ready to drive it. If you want you can call me and I'll give you all the boring technical details behind this. Steve From MN

where would you recommend buying battery tender? and what will it do?

Where to get one? Porsche makes one. Griots Garage has a couple. Probably auto zone sells them. I got one at Mills Fleet Farm here in MN. A battery maintainer takes the battery up to a specific voltage and then reduces the current into the battery to near zero. This keeps the battery maintained but will not boil away the battery acid. A trickle charger is ok for a day or two but then it keeps putting out current that will eventually ruin the battery. A battery maintainer is used on a fully charged battery it is not used to charge a battery although it will eventually. I hope this helps.

Thanks for the info. Off to Autozone!

Also contrary to what people think, you should not be starting the car a few times through the winter. There are no "seals" that will dry out if you don't start it. When the car sits even for a week its as cold and dried out as it will be if you let it sit all winter. The first time you start the car up its hard on the motor and there is no oil in the head or around any critical components until pressure is built up. It takes a few seconds for that to happen so most of your engine wear is in the first few seconds of starting the car... Especally after winter when it's been sitting. SO by starting the car every two weeks its like your starting it after a winters long hibernation but doing it 30 or so times through the winter. There is just no point to cause all that extra wear on the motor. Porsche doesn't even recommend warming up your car before you drive it, but to actually drive the car easily to warm it up. If your starting the car 30 times through the winter your just letting it sit and idle which is terrible for an engine. Save the winter start, and only start in the spring when you intend to drive it again. All your doing is causing extra wear and wasting gas.

Jim is right on. Unless you are going to actually drive the car and get it fully heated up and this is not just water temperature but getting the oil up to full temp which can take at least a 1/2 hour probably more on a cold day. You are going to do bad things like have water vapor condense form acids and contaminate the oil. This will not be good for your engine. This is why you need to put fresh oil in before storage. Modern seals do not dry out as far as I know. Model A's used leather seals! Porsches do not use leather except for the seats.

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Quote: Done 'em all - that's my routine also. Everything but the mouse traps! Remember to put car away with full tank with Stabil added. I also put extra air in (~ 5lbs per tire), oil/filter change, and bled brakes. Also, remember to cover it!

If you store your car for 4 months with nothing but Mobil 0W40 in it, do not be surprised is you leak oil in the spring. If you insist on staying with Mobil 1, at least fill the engine with their high mileage synthetic which has seal conditioner in it, or add a quart of after market seal conditioner to what is in there now. Put some pantyhose feet over the tailpipes to keep varmits out of the cylinders and you can use the sticky mouse traps inside the car to protect your seats from becoming a home to the same varmits.

of course another way to store it is to sell it and get a Cayenne Turbo or new GTS manual for 12 month use. that is what i am wrestling with at least!

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Quote: I totally agree with you guys but all Porsche dealers will tell you otherwise. Your car leaks oil because the seals dry out from sitting.....read RMS and IMS which Porsche can't get them to stop leaking for about 10 years.

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Quote: I hear what your saying, but some cars never leak other leak all the time no matter what. Subaru don't seem to have that problem for whatever reason, so it's not because of the boxer style engine. I leave my car all winter to sit and never start it, I have stored a lot of cars through the winter (other japanese cars I'v owned etc..) and never had a problem with "seals" drying up. Rubber seals don't dry up from sitting around in an engine. I think Porsche says that as a way to try and help stop the problem even though there is no problem on some cars and there is on others and even that wont fix it. It's kind of like throwing a glass of water on a fire, it will do some good, but not much you're mostly wasting your time.

I agree. My car has been stored for 7 winters with 0w40 and has never leaked. Don't belive anything a Porsche deal tells you. Or any other dealer for that matter. They sell cars wind **** and sand if they can. They know very little and only follow repair procedures laid out by the factory. If you could talk to the engineers who designed these cars you might get some straight answers. Neopreem seals do not dry out!

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Quote: The problem is not with the seal drying out, but with shrinkage.

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Quote: Totally agree but they control the warranty so I just go along with what they say until I take it out. I believe the RMS and IMS are a total design flaw.

so whats the verdict guys??? start the car every couple weeks OR do not start the car every couple weeks? thanks... and where can I can get some good fuel stabilizer?

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Quote: From the threads I've read ie. on Rennlist, more seem to favor NOT starting it - unless you plan to drive it and fully warm it up, for the reasons noted above. As for fuel stabilizer, Stabil is excellent - available at Pep Boys, AutoZone etc. Just follow directions as to amount to be added, and make sure your tank is FULL when storing.

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Quote: Sorry to bring this back but i need help Stored the car at a buddies over winter. Started it a couple times and it was fine. Now I come over and the battery is dead. I have a 99 and the lever in the car but its not letting me in the trunk. I tried jumping it and now have a battery charger hooked up to the back jump spots. First, how do I get to the battery? The battery isnt dead but it still isnt letting me in the trunk and my remote isnt working. I used the key to get in and out of the car for the last 2 months of driving because my remote just stopped working right one day even though the red light still flashed away. I tried turning the ignition over and its just clicking. When trying to jump the car with the cables hooked up and my buddies big new ford diesel HD truck still wouldnt turn over...... whats going on here?

Some extras you may want to think about : 1. Turn on the A/C for a 5-10 minutes to lubricate everything 2. Leave windows 30% open 3. Put the car in its one straight gear: reverse 4. Wax it, not just wash it 5. Change the oil 6. I like my gas tank full with stabil, and yes drive it. Did everyone forget car cover?

Curious if the newer high Ethanol Pump Gas that we all have buy these days is better full or better empty in the tank with Fuel Stabilizer. (no I understand why the tank should be full for moisture issues) But, I have been hearing about gumming problems from this crap if left in the fuel system/injectors etc... too long >45days. Is there a Ethanol Stabilizer product?

Buy 4 snow tires -- car drives great in the snow!

The more high ethanol gas, the more water vapor it will absorb. In the old days, I would winterize the boat with fuel stabilizer, dump a pint of marvel mystery oil in the carbs and choke the engine until it stopped. This would coat the cylinders, valves and guides, not to mention, a lot of blue smoke. Now, the manufactures recommend very little gas in the tanks. With the ethanol it is quite simple, more gas = more water. I will run my car every one to two weeks and take it out for a spin if the roads are salt free, give it a bath upon my return. James Greer

Does the car require any sort of special winter treatment to the body like a rust protection. I know the frame is aluminum, but what about the engine and other connectors?

Is it a problem to allow the battery to die in the winter and just charge it through on of those cigarette lighter charges in the spring?

curious you did say heated ? how is the new storage heated heated but no power "odd" lighting etc

If the car is on a CTEK, I keep it on the car icon and drive it or not drive it. Does not matter. I would not start it for "starting it sake". Why do a needless turn over of the engine? If I know it's going to be a month+ in the cold without starting, I'll switch the CTEK icon to snowflake.

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Quote: I kept) But you need to carefully do maintenance) So that there are no problems. Somewhere masala top up, somewhere antifreeze....