When a car sits for months, most of what can go wrong costs real money to fix. Knowing how to store a car long-term means you won’t risk a dead battery, flat tires, or a tank full of sticky varnish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you’re stashing your car for a couple of weeks, you don’t have too much to worry about. Long-term car storage<\/a> means parking a car you won’t drive for <\/strong>30 days or more<\/strong><\/a>. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n There’s a risk of damage, but all of it is preventable. These eight prep steps shouldn’t take more than an afternoon, and it means you’ll come back to a fully functional car.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You’re about to cover the car and walk away, so this seems counterintuitive, but it isn’t. Anything left on the surface can eventually eat into the paint<\/strong>, including bird droppings, tree sap, and road salt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To minimize the risk of tarnishing, wash the whole car, let it dry, then lay down a coat of wax as a moisture barrier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are some more tips: <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you’re storing for a year or longer<\/strong>, consider using a ceramic coating.<\/strong> It bonds to the paint and protects it better than wax. And if you have a convertible<\/strong>, keep the top on, so the fabric doesn’t shrink.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Old oil holds acids and moisture that eat at the engine from the inside. Get an oil change<\/strong> right before storage, even if you’re not due for one yet. Then drive for a few minutes<\/strong> to let the clean oil circulate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A standard oil change and filter at a shop will cost $35 to $75<\/a>, depending on your area. If you do it yourself, the oil and a filter come to around $30<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Empty space in your tank lets moisture build up, which can rust the tank and clog the fuel system<\/strong>. Repairs can run over $1,000<\/a>, so it’s a step you don’t want to skip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Plain gas also starts to break down after a few months, leaving behind sticky deposits<\/strong> that clog things up. Stabilizer prevents this and keeps the fuel usable for up to 1 year. Pour it in, then drive a few miles so it runs through the whole system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There’s one exception<\/strong> to this: If your car has a plastic tank<\/strong>, a few gallons plus stabilizer is enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even switched off, your car keeps drawing a trickle of power to run things like the clock and alarm. Left long enough, the battery goes flat, and a battery that sits dead<\/strong> for months often won’t take a full charge<\/strong><\/a> again<\/strong>. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n You’ve got three ways to handle it, depending on how long you’ll be gone:<\/p>\n\n\n\n When a car sits in one spot, the tires slowly lose air, and the parts touching the ground can flatten out. These flat spots<\/strong> mean you’ll feel thudding and vibrations when you drive again. <\/strong>There are two ways to prevent them:<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you’d rather not risk the stands, you can roll the car forward a few feet every couple of weeks<\/strong> so the same patch of rubber isn’t always against the ground. <\/p>\n\n\n\nStep 1:<\/strong> Wash and wax it before it sits<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Step 2:<\/strong> Change the oil<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Step 3:<\/strong> Fill the tank and add fuel stabilizer<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Step 4:<\/strong> Protect the battery <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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<\/strong>Always-connected features, like OnStar or Hyundai Bluelink, keep pulling power even when you’re parked, so switch that off before you go.<\/p>\n\n\n\nStep 5:<\/strong> Sort out the tires<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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