Winter Storage suggestions?

I am planning on storing my 2000 C2 in the garage in the next month or so? This will be my first winter/storage? Any suggestions? Thanks!

Porsche Battery maintainer (or similar). Add air to tires; I usually go 45-50 PSI. Fire the car up every couple of weeks and run for 5-10 minutes, move car a few feet to help avoid flat spotting tires. The owners' manual has some good suggestions; if you are going to store your car without ever starting it over the winter, there are other considerations for long term storage. Remember too that your remote unlocking won't work after a couple of weeks; you'll have to use the key. And while the Porsche is "resting" have fun driving in the snow--my favorite form of on-road motorsport (seriously!).

If you go to page 5 , there is additional information on winter storage that was discussed earlier. It includes a bulletin from porsche directly. Cheers and safe driving.

If your garage ever has mice or other small rodents around, I suggest cutting the feet off your wife's panyhose (after she removes them of course) and putting them over the tail pipes to pervent mice from getting into the engine. You also want all windows closed. For piece of mind, I also put a couple of small mouse traps (the sticky kind you can get from Home Depot) on the front seats. Just in case a mouse gets in, he will be caught rather than knaw at my leather.

I never heard that? I will keep it in mind though.

A mouse or similarly small animal can and has made a nest INSIDE of a car's manifold. They only need an openning of a small fraction of their body size to get in.

Seeing as the gestation period for mince is about 4 weeks, its a very very good idea to safeguard your car. Wouldn't want that nice leather and carpet interior used as a nursery..... I think the mouse traps are key..

I would NOT start the motor, you'll only end up building up condensation which will make matters worse; unless you fire it up and DRIVE it for 15-20 miles....but then again, it's not really stored at that point. A month or two is nothing...assuming battery maintainer of course. Fill the gas tank completely, change the oil and filter, wash and DRY the entire car, remove carpeted mats, wax and use high quality car cover, overinflate tires or use TireCradles, etc. Here's a link to an article discussing this and other opinions: http://www.porschenet.com/winter.html

I would consider putting a chlorine based (toilet bowl cleaner) pellet on the floor of the car IN IT'S OPENED BOX. Don't let the pellet touch the carpet. The chlorine gas from the chlorine scent prevent algae on interior surfaces. Works great on my boat. When spring comes dump the pellet in your toilet.

In a boat, you won't notice the clorine smell that was assorbed into the leather and carpet. I suspect you would in a closed car.

Actually no smell at all on the vynel or fabric (and this in a closed cuddy). Before the pellet I had to use X19 (or 16??) high chlorine odor and only got 80% of the black off, so the pellet was far better with same results.

As a long time store your Porsche over the winter guy, I'm strongly in favor of periodically starting the engine. While it's true that short runs can lead to moisture condensation in the exhaust, I'd much rather periodically cover the internal engine parts with a fresth bath of oil. Given the choice between preserving the engine or preserving the exhaust system, I'll go for the engine every time. Furthermore many exhaust parts are stainless now, which reduces even further the chance of exhaust corrosion--in fact I haven't seen a rusted out exhaust system on ANY vehicle in recent years--and that used to be a common occurrence here in the Midwest... Lastly, it's important to run the A/C compressor periodically over the winter; not doing so can lead to leaks in the system. And it's not possible to run the A/C without starting the engine.

I agree with starting the car periodically. The reason exhaust systems used to rust so much in the past was due to the lead in the fuel we used. Now with unleaded and better materials, no need to worry. Anyway, you can drive your car hard for hours and park it in you garage overnight and if there is ANY humudity in the air, it will condense inside the exhaust system anyway. If you do start it up, let it run up to normal operating temps so the coolant has a chance to circulate.

In MN this is a ritual for us. Wash the car, change the oil, fill the tires, plug in the battery maintainer and whatever you do, DO NOT start the engine. Running your engine for a short period of time will create condensation in the engine as well as in the exhaust. You should never start your engine unless you intend to get it up to operating temp for an extented period of time.

I concur with no engine starts. Leave it alone until your ready to drive it. IMHO. Cheers

Just to chime in, the guy who stores about 100 cars here in Toronto does all of the above and never ever starts the cars. He stores Porsche, Ferrari, Lambo etc... Cheers

If you choose to go that way, make sure your oil is VERY clean, and remember that you're not running the A/C periodically as is recommended to avoid refrigerant leaks. Disuse is the enemy of most things mechanical.

Absolutely do not start the engine. As Jim said, it's not the exhaust we're worried about, it's the engine, moisture will be in the crankcase etc. which is not good. If you insist on starting the engine, you should take it out for a ride, which probably isn't possible so at least run it until the thermostat opens and then some. I don't know how long in water pumpers but air cooled ones takes a long time, however, I'm sure 5-10 min. is not enough. Still not convinced? Here's an engine storage procedure from Klaus Fischer at Amalfi Racing. He and the folks at the Porsche Museum in Germany use this for their historic Porsche race cars: � Take out spark plugs � Spray WD 40 into cylinders � Spray WD 40 into air intakes � Turn over the engine by hand with wrench a couple of times � Every three months repeat above (Spark plugs stay out of engine) � Also every three month turn wheels, or move car into different location to change the wheel bearing position � As well shift into one gear and move gear box internal around � Every six month drive the car! Here are some things to do winter storage: - Fill tank. - Change oil. - Wash car and if possible, take it for a spin so you get rid of water. - Wax - Treat seals and rubber trim. - Over inflate tires - Change brake fluid - Leave car in neutral, if needed, put some blocks or something to prevent rolling, don't put parking brake on. - Remove battery or disconnect negative terminal. Or use trickle charger - Cover car

If you start the engine, you don't have to do all that! I usually run the engine once a month to allow full temp; that does as good as you can ever do to release water vapor. What if the car is parked for the winter with water still in the system--if the water vapor is such an issue then it would be tragic not to have started the engine! Anyway, there isn't much difference to the engine between running it in the garage to full temp. gently; and taking it out on the road. Sure, there isn't air flow past the radiators, but the car isn't going to overheat. But to say it's dangerous to start the engine, is quite honestly, utter nonsense. I do agree that if you don't want to do that, removing the plugs and turning the engine over by hand achieves the goal of keeping everything lubricated.

If you are only storing the car for a few months, there is little need to do much prep. I store mIne in an unheated garage every winter for 3 - 4 months. Here is what I do and have had no problems. 1. Clean car and let it completely air dry with the doors open. 2. Check fluid levels and top off. 3. Place a sheet of plastic or other water proof material on the floor where the car will be parked. This will help prevent moisture from entering the car from the garage floor on the few warmer days you might get during the winter. 4. I spray the engine compartment and brake assembly and wheels with whatever spray oil I have available. 5. I keep the battery connected. 6. Cover the tail pipes with pantyhose feet and place 2 sticky mouse traps on the front seats. 7. Fill the tires to 44 psi. 8. Close all windows and lock the car. 9. DO NOT Cover. If you insist on covering it, make sure you use a breathable cover. Or if you don't have a cover you can use cotton sheets draped over the car. 10. Every 3 weeks or so I start the car and let it run for about 20 minutes. I run the air. 11. I mark the bottom of each tire with chaulk and back it out of the garage and then put it back making sure the tires are not sitting in the same possition. Now if I was unable to start the car every month or so, I would do the exact same thing but remover the battery or use a maintainer. I STILL HAVE THE ORIGINAL PORSCHE BATTERY IN MY CAR.

Caf, Starting the engine is ALWAYS bad for the engine. I once read a study where starting the engine was tested, concerning wear and tear, cold start equals 500 km of driving (this start was below freezing which obviously is worse than warm start but still) . For a brief moment, there is no proper lubrication and after a longer period of time without running, that brief moment is longer, so this kind of "storage start" even worse. So, it's just a matter of whether you want one, or six of those "storage starts" during the storage. Me, I store my cars in warm place so condensation is not much of a problem anyway but for sure I'd rather have only one of those starts.

I'll never start my car again and the engine will last forever!! Seriously, I agree with you on that point, when it comes to cylinder/piston wear. I'm not sure a cold start after a few weeks in a semi-warm garage is any worse than any cold start at any time of year. At the same time, by not starting the engine, you're compromising other systems: lubrication to valves and other cylinder head components, heat cycling of gaskets and seals in the engine and A/C, reducing oil sludging (hopefully not a problem with clean oil), and a chance for all the bearings and moving parts to get a fresh coating of oil. I follow pretty much the same protocol as 1999Porsche911, but have never worried about the mouse thing--but now I'm nervous!

The 993 manual actually warns you that after driving your car in the city for awhile and then taking a spirited drive, you will see a significant drop in the oil level. It explains that this is the result of burning off mositure in the oil, not burning oil. Every time your engine warms up it creates moisture. If you don't excercise the engine, the moisture will not burn off. Caf and Porsche911, if you want to start you engines in the winter, have at it. They're your's after all. Others, talk to your mechanic. They will have much better advice for you than you can get on here. Jim

I guess if you want the car to last forever and your want to spend numerous hours of your valuble time preparing it for storage, you should probably remove the engine completely and get it hermetically sealed. In addition, the body needs to be put in a weightless enviornment so that there is NO stress on any portion of the car. I kinda would rather take simple precautions and spend the rest of my time enjoying life. But I guess if some of you have all the time in the world to prepare your car for storage, then maybe you'll be lucky and get a few thousand more miles out of your engine than I do. OH MAYBE NOT! Cuz I'll be out driving mine during the time it is taking you to hermetically seal yours. It sure would suck if you had a stretch of good weather during the storage season and you couldn't take the car out without having to prepare it for storage again. To each his own I guess.

First of all, we were talking about whether to start or not (that procedure was for extremist like Porsche museum, just wanted to show how real experts do it to museum cars). You start it, I don't (I assume you agree changing the oil & filters is good before the storage and not waste of time), so which one takes more time? Second, the question was "winter storage suggestions"? Based on your explanation there, it might be better to just leave it as it is and save a lot of "valuable time" but since mdillian asked about storage suggestions, I assume he wants to do something for his "baby" in order to keep it in good shape. And since the question was about winter storage, I kinda assumed he is not talking about Florida winter but still, if the weather is good, taking the car out doesn't harm it, I already said, take it out for the drive, that warms the engine and gets rid of all the moisture. It's the starting during the storage and not driving it when engine is warm/hot that is bad. But like you said, to each his own, so go ahead and start the engine every day if you want.

I am facing a similar dilemma as to whether I should start the engine every month or so for the next six months, while my car is in storage. I was planning on using a battery maintainer, but discovered that the garage does not have any electrical outlets. The garage attendant offered to start my car every month or so to keep the battery charged, but now I don�t know what I should do. Do you all recommend disconnecting the battery (since I cant trickle charge) and not starting the car while its in storage? Thanks for your advice

How about Stabil in the gas????

I dont start my car up during storage unless Im planning to drive it. Been doing this for years and everythings been good so far so Im not planning to change my procedure. The mouse thing is real, I've had my seatbelts eaten apart when I left my car for months without driving it but glad it wasn't the leather.

I don't need stabl because our fuel in the midwest has up to 10% alcohol in it.

Wake up! We've given lot of good reasons not to start it anyway and now you're thinking of letting some garage attendant to start & run your car, that's the last thing I'd do even if Porsche engineers would recommend starting the engine!!!! Take the battery out and trickle charge it at your home (remember ventilation if you don't have gel battery). Then remember to leave your remote door locks & alarm off, close the doors with the key, however, could some of you 996 guys confirm this since I'm not 100% sure whether this is the correct procedure with 996s, I know it is for 993 & older.

Longest time I've stored my 911 was about 9 months and I didn't put stabilizer in it, had no running problems. I'd still concider doing it though.

I had to store a 928 I owned years ago in an old detached garage for about 5 months over the winter. Performed most of the above recommendations, removed the battery and charged it once a month. Didn't have good results. A/C stopped working, driver's side window was stuck, pulled a couple of nests out of engine compartment, battery won't hold a charge anymore and the engine/suspension took many months and miles to run and feel right again. Car was admittedly well worn at the time anyway, but I'm definitely a proponent of the every 2-3 week full warm-up and use regiment, if at all possible.

Jim, With all due respect, that's interesting information about the 993 oil levels dropping, but the manual isn't saying anything about how to store a car there. It is NOT the engine warming up that creates moisture in the crankcase, it's the engine cooling down that allows small amount of moisture to condense in the air passages of the engine. This is cumulative, such that over a period of time, more moisture collects. Thus the 993 manual mentioning that when the engine is FINALLY run hard, this moisture will be released (oil is burned off, technically, moisture is not). That's also why one sees moisture dripping from the tailpipe of a recently started car--the condensation that took place after the last shut-down is now being blown out the tailpipe. I would agree with your no-start policy if you ran the car very hard before storage, then ran an E-cylinder (0% humidity) of air into the intake for several minutes before shut-down, then sealed the engine. (That still wouldn't address all the other reasons to start relative to the AC, etc.) Otherwise, the process of moisture accumulation has already begun anew, and I prefer to at least re-coat the working parts of the engine with oil from time to time, knowing that there will always be some residual moisture in engine. I also favor the occasional full road test winter blast when possible as a great way to exercise more of the moving parts of the car.

As I mentioned I received a Porsche Technical Bulletin regarding storage procedures and it recommends not starting the engine until vehicle is put back into service. MHO! Cheers and safe driving.

caf, As I mentioned before, do whatever you think is right for your car. I'm sure you know a lot more about these things than I do. To others, check with a reputable Porsche mechanic and make your own decision. Jim

Question~ I don't have room in my garage for my porsche. Any suggestions on how to keep her looking decent? Do you recommend a canopy and/or car cover to protect against the elements? I'm bummed out about it, but I have a 2 car garage and it will NOT fit both cars...

What are you keeping in there? If it's not something great, take either the other car or junk (which you probably have in there since you say it's a 2 car garage) out and put the Porsche in.

Believe me, I value the Porsche and have thought of that many times before. I have another car in there now (mercedes) and a couple of motorcycles, storage, etc..... NO ROOM!

Sorry about re-hashing an old topic folks, but I was just wondering if some and I strongly enforce " some " of the RMS problems is due to seals drying out due to lengthy storage periods. Could this be possible? Cheers and safe driving.

I am curious about the RMS problem and storage? Could it be possible?