Indoor winter storage question

[MWS]

It sounds like you are well ahead of the curve. What you are doing is what I do for storage, except that I am storing for about 6 months (I am also using a car cover just to keep dust free, and garage is heated). It sounds like with your frequency of better "drive days", your parked times might only run a month or so (lucky bastard), so I wouldn't worry. Battery health is the only thing you should be concerned with, and it would appear you have that covered.

Last thing... You didn't say your MY; if you have a plastic window you might want to invest in a garage heater if you are planning on putting the top down after storage when it's cold outside to avoid cracking.

[TripleTrophy]

If you can get it, gas without Ethanol is a better choice. Esso (Exxon) and Shell 91 and up octane here fall under that. Fuel stabilizer is also a good option. The salesman that sold me the car recommended parking on plywood instead of concrete. I never bothered before this year, but this year since I had some scrap plywood around (and new tires) I thought I would try it. And this year I added a cover to keep the dust at bay.

Overall, sounds like you are doing good. I am storing mine under the same conditions (unlike my bike - used to be 2, which gets stored in a heated shed).

[DaveNW]

Originally Posted by TripleTrophy

If you can get it, gas without Ethanol is a better choice. Esso (Exxon) and Shell 91 and up octane here fall under that. Fuel stabilizer is also a good option. The salesman that sold me the car recommended parking on plywood instead of concrete. I never bothered before this year, but this year since I had some scrap plywood around (and new tires) I thought I would try it. And this year I added a cover to keep the dust at bay.

Overall, sounds like you are doing good. I am storing mine under the same conditions (unlike my bike - used to be 2, which gets stored in a heated shed).

Good ideas. Thanks. I'll have to find out about Ethanol here. I usually get gas at Costco, but I've never paid attention to whether it has Ethanol in it. Probably does, if that's more common. (I just did a bit of research, and it looks like Costco gas does contain Ethanol. Only a couple of stations in my town offer higher-octane gas without Ethanol. Good to know for next time I fill up.)

Parking on plywood is a new idea for me, although I can see how it would keep the concrete from affecting the condition of the tires. And if there should happen to be a fluid drip, it won't stain the concrete.

Dave

[DaveNW]

Originally Posted by MWS

It sounds like you are well ahead of the curve. What you are doing is what I do for storage, except that I am storing for about 6 months (I am also using a car cover just to keep dust free, and garage is heated). It sounds like with your frequency of better "drive days", your parked times might only run a month or so (lucky bastard), so I wouldn't worry. Battery health is the only thing you should be concerned with, and it would appear you have that covered.

Last thing... You didn't say your MY; if you have a plastic window you might want to invest in a garage heater if you are planning on putting the top down after storage when it's cold outside to avoid cracking.

Thanks. Good to know I'm not overlooking anything. I want to hang on to this great car for as long as I can. I do have a car cover, and will cover it when I'm fairly sure I won't be driving it for awhile. The garage is unheated, but it's attached to my house, so doesn't freeze, although it does get pretty cold in there. I don't have issues with mildew or anything, so I feel lucky about that.

My car specs are in my signature at the bottom of my post. It's an '02 S. The OEM plastic window was yellowed and cracked when I first got the car, so I opted for a new top with the newer glass window. It was plug-and-play wiring for the rear window defogger. (I got it from autotopsdirect.com.) Local auto upholstery shop installed it for me, and it fits like a glove. Very happy with it.

Dave