Hibernation anyone?

[Lukas]

No not you, but maybe your car is sleeping until spring 2016. 

 

Is anyone storing their car or cars in a lock-up or a barn during the salty season? 

 

If so, please show us which car you stash away. 

 

My garage-queen, the green 87 Pajero, is already hibernating. 

 

 

What have I done to prepare it? Filled up the tires a bit more than usual to prevent tthem getting flat, fill up the fuel-tank, disconnect the battery. Nothing more. 

 

And you?

[oldcars]

This is very sad but i would love to put the Kia away. I don't as i have no garage however so the rot will get worse. Hate winter.

[panhard65]

My Rolls is supposed to be off the road for the winter but I keep getting it out to sort out the little niggles whilst I am quiet at work. Not done anything to it at all other than disconnect the battery. It will have to come out again in Feb for it's mot though.

[Lukas]

 

 

It will have to come out again in Feb for it's mot though.

 

On a cold, dry day it might not be such a problem. But I would not do it on a day with wet, salty roads. 

 

Also keep in mind that the usual carwash-stations are not good for your car during winter! Why? Because the water they use for their pressure-washers is recycled water. The grit, sand and dirt is filtered out, but the water they use has a quite high concentration of liquid salt. So the car might get clean, but salty water is sprayed in every gap and every cavity. It will get everywhere. 

 

So the usual excuse like "I am driving my old car during winter but I wash it every week at the car-wash-centre" got a bad taste to it after the owner of a carwash-centre told me this. 

[Mr A Lawrence]

Wifes Mgf packed away for the winter

 

Tyres pumped up to 40psi

Washed,polished and protected.

Trickle charger fitted

Damp absorbers in footwells

Blanket over roof then dust sheet over the car.

 

Oh, picked this up on Wednesday so hibernation enforced rather than wanted.

[Jim Bell]

One of the benefits of having no storage. All cars get used all year round.

[mercrocker]

No hibernations for mine this year.....

 

The T25 is barn-stored for the winter but I am not SORNing it this year and it will be in use.   Cowley on light duties - garaged but will come out every fine day to ensure condensation doesn't become a problem.  Minor and 190E sharing winter use by Mrs R and myself.   

 

I considered a WBOD but anything worth having is likely to become a keeper and I don't want to drive anything not worth having.....

[Lukas]

Do you all-year-round-users prepair your cars (of course the old ones) for winter?

 

My 89 Pajero which has to do winter-duty has winter-tires on and during the tire-change I waxoyled the chassis and all the edges and notches on the body and sprayed cavity-wax inside the chassis. 

Nothing more than that. 

 

Lukas

[mercrocker]

Cowley - refilled sills with Dynax to guard against condensation.  Removed carpets. 

 

Minor - full underbody weldage and scrapage, fresh zinc primer to repaired/bared areas followed by 2 coats chassis black, stonechip and painted Dynax.  Fresh anti-freeze.  Carpet removal.  Bottles of water and de-icer added to box in boot.  Army blanket installed under seat in case FTP in bloody cold weather.   

 

Camper van - as mentioned, already in dry storage but will still be used on dry days (maintenance use-age).   I can leave windows and roof vents open in the barn which keeps the air going through.

 

190E - Shamefully I do nothing at all although I do jetwash underneath every week in depths of winter.   Boot is already full of winter blankets, water, shovel etc.  Complete waste of time as it never snows....

[chaseracer]

The Dyane's been hibernating since 2009...

[Jim Bell]

Do you all-year-round-users prepair your cars (of course the old ones) for winter?

 

My 89 Pajero which has to do winter-duty has winter-tires on and during the tire-change I waxoyled the chassis and all the edges and notches on the body and sprayed cavity-wax inside the chassis.

Nothing more than that.

 

Lukas

I don't. Other than gun oil in the locks if it gets really cold.

 

Winters arnt that bad here really.

[oldcars]

Do you all-year-round-users prepair your cars (of course the old ones) for winter?

 

My 89 Pajero which has to do winter-duty has winter-tires on and during the tire-change I waxoyled the chassis and all the edges and notches on the body and sprayed cavity-wax inside the chassis. 

Nothing more than that. 

 

Lukas

Yes, the Shuma has been treated to Bilthamber underseal and a waxoil like product, As has the Rover. The Reliant will get a couple of bits done but due to a leaking rocker gasket it has prepared a large amount itself 

[Junkman]

Sadly no WBoD buyage has been forthcoming yet, so no Winter mothballisation for the moment.

Prepared the haunted Rover for Winter by pushing the heater regulator a bit more towards warm.

[Eddie Honda]

Fuck it, I just keep mine going and accept that the welder has to come out again at some point. Got to keep those parts specialists and panel suppliers in business I suppose.

[PiperCub]

Not yet but GTi & LC will be going to sleep in garage-queen mode soon, the MX5 will be covered up under the car port shortly after. Usually when the first threat of salt being chucked around signals these events. All are rustproofed to the nines but just prefer to enjoy them ans keep them as they are. A waste? Maybe, but it's always been my way.

 

Work done prior to storage?

Good checkover

Fuel stabiliser in the petrol

Give the thing a decent run (ass.no salt & is dry)

Good clean and polish

Leave to dry out

Tyres to about 50psi

Move into position, in gear, h/brake off, wheels chocked

Remove battery for recharging (205 one left in car but disconn'd)

Cover up with decent cover - lightweight indoor ones for 205 & LC, heavy (bloody pricey!) external one for 5 that encloses the whole car.

All insured and MoT'd until April at the earliest so no paperwork worries there.

Will SORN both GTi & MX5 this year too until Mar/Apr. The LC being only a 350 isn't worth the bother (£37/yr).

 

That's it, has served me well for years, stuff fires up readily after a quick checkover & charged battery back in.

 

The hack role this winter is reprised by the 406, just serviced it thoroughly, all good, only a leaky rocker gasket and slightly weepy rear w/cyl need work (will be doing those early next week), other than that, it's a clean up and a few more emergency items in the boot than normal. 

[beko1987]

My car wishes it could hibernate! I've prepared it for winter by not washing it since the week before SF15, so when the salt comes it can sit ontop of the existing dirt and no rusting will occur*

[oldcars]

My car wishes it could hibernate! I've prepared it for winter by not washing it since the week before SF15, so when the salt comes it can sit ontop of the existing dirt and no rusting will occur*

Get that on detailing world winter prep thread 

 

Wait for hunderds of questions "what type of dirt is best for a blue 3 series bmw" 

[babydriver]

 

Mines been in hibernation for years, its gonna have to go or get fixed!

[groovylee]

the only thing going into hibernation will be the motorbike. and thats only when the gritters come out.

 

the white ranger will be on the drive, the green one is being prepped for a trial in early January, the skoda is still my daily, and the passat is the family car.

 

mind you, two of those are made of plastic lol

[Asimo]

If I had somewhere warm and dry to keep a motor through the winter, I would get something worth hibernating.

As it is, pouring my special mix* into/onto/all over the van and ordered new tyres.

 

*WD40 & sump oil - this year.

[Louise2cv]

The Dyane's been hibernating since 2009...

Ah-ha!

 

So this new push bike... it's a motivational tool?

 

:PP

 

(Never loved the Audi as much as I did when I was cycling to the motor factors to pick up the new EGR valve.).

[beko1987]

Get that on detailing world winter prep thread 

 

Wait for hunderds of questions "what type of dirt is best for a blue 3 series bmw" 

I'd love to get a DW thread going on the ZX, sadly I need to buy many things, mainly clay and snowfoam, cant do a detail without those.

 

Maybe next year etc

[dollywobbler]

I'm giving very serious thought to putting the Dyane into hibernation. I've not touched it at all this week.

 

My 2CV demonstrates very well what happens when you use a classic all-year, and live somewhere as damp as Wales. Also, they really do hurl the salt down around here as being high up, it can very often be very cold. Plus, I can't turn the heater on at the moment. The mechanism is seized, but I can still smell leaky cylinder heads, so that needs sorting.

 

I don't generally do hibernation, but I'm even thinking of sending the tax back. 

[oldcars]

I'd love to get a DW thread going on the ZX, sadly I need to buy many things, mainly clay and snowfoam, cant do a detail without those.

 

Maybe next year etc

Get a clay cloth, i got one from the autosmart rep, been great and ££ cheaper as you can re use it.

[Bear]

XJS is hibernating because it doesn't work.
300CE is hibernating because I sanded some rust off but need to do a lot more work before it's mobile.

SLK is hibernating because I won't drive it on salted roads.

MG F is hibernating because it's missing a lot of metal.

406 is not hibernating, though it may spend some time off road for servicing & sorting.

Honda is not hibernating, though it may have to go.

Hearse won't be hibernating, it'll be resting in peace.

E320 isn't hibernating so much as "dead" until I CBA fixing the gearbox.

Whoah. That's 8 cars. Shit. I knew I lost count somewhere.

[Junkman]

the only thing going into hibernation will be the motorbike.

 

Toe dipper.

[strangeangel]

The 205 will be getting used more if anything, winter days when I don't fancy riding was the main reason it was bought.

 

With that in mind I have two gallon cans of very old Waxoyl under the bench, some of which I will chuck over the underneath in the next week or so.

[brickwall]

Adjusted the thermostat on the Kenlowe fans - will allow a wee tad more heat.

[D Spares & Tyres]

My classics never see rain anyway so no extra measures

 

Did spray some waste oil under the Escort van though as that will be used

 

Shogun really ought to be done too but its a tedious messy job

[oldford]

The Cortina will be going away next Saturday as the tax runs out, I'll just whack it in the lock up and visit it occasionally to start it up and move it a short distance . 

 

Given the doom and gloom of the next ice age appearing this year, I'm sure that the Sierra will provide enough fun.