Reply to: Laying up a Car....

[Platypus]

So IMO, you only need to take the battery off and keep it charged.

Agree. Six months is not very long. All this bollux about tyres flatspotting is just bollux.

[ctdctd]

I had a 1998 Fiat Bravo given to me by an elderly relative.

Driven into garage in July 1999, given to me 16 months later.

Replaced battery, started it, drove to a dealer for a service. Tyres, brakes, petrol etc were fine.

Sold it 4 years later, never missed a beat.

So IMO, you only need to take the battery off and keep it charged.

[BS1397]

As I can't drive for six months, and the missus won't drive my car, I'm faced with either selling it (Nooo!) or laying it up. I live on a private road, so I thought I would;

1. Remove the battery and keep it charged

2. Pump the tyres up a bit to avoid flat-spotting

3. Every two weeks or so wap the battery back on and whizz up and down the length of the private road (200 meters or so)

4. Every week fire it up and give it a rev? Bit pointless probably...

5. At same time give the leccy bits a work out - windows, wipers, headlamp washers etc..

Not sure what else, it's LPG, there's only a bit of that left in tank, and about a quarter of a tank of petrol left. Recently serviced so oils are new etc...

It's 2nd June since I drove it apart from the odd trip to end of private road, it's now SORN'd, insurance is still valid, MOT still valid, battery is sounding a bit farty now so I'm whipping it off later.

3rd of Dec 2012 is looking like my D-Day assuming the defibrillator doesn't shock me, it hasn't so far, if it does it's six months from whenever it does it, apparently it's like a Donkey kick in the chest so it's somewhat noticeable....

I was just checked, via a laptop in the hospital, wirelessly...She said "Gonna slow your heart down......" then, "Gonna speed it up a bit now, you might feel this..." - and I did, weird, like giddiness and slightly disconcerting.....

At the moment, at home, benched, living off warchest, bored, feeling loads better, just occasional bouts of fatigue now, lost three stone which was nice....

NEVER take out the battery unless you are really sure your Immobilizer will NOT play up afterwards and you have the Radio Code. Check with Main Dealer and a Specialist forum dedicated to you model.

I keep my SORN car in the Garden and every other weekend I start the car and drive it forward & backwards to make sure the Clutch, Brakes, Linkages and Battery are still OK, and at least once a month I will let the engine run till it gets to normal temp to make sure the battery is fully charged and the Water/Oil is circulated.

[stek]

Well, conflicting opinions here...

I must admit I am of the old school, jack it up - cover it, cover it in beeswax....

But it's what, two months now and it's not really suffered apart from battery sounding a bit sick, so I am tempted to continue to keep the battery charged, fire it up once a week for 30-40 mins with a bit of run up and down, persuade the missus to take it for a blast (after un- sorning). In fact, I'm off out now to start it, bet it starts!

Watch this space....!

It didn't - battery flat! Well, turned the engine but not enough to start - tmrw's job (not today's!) - need to build a pSeries Frame, bit of freelance work, don't tell the missus....!

[stek]

Well, conflicting opinions here...

I must admit I am of the old school, jack it up - cover it, cover it in beeswax....

But it's what, two months now and it's not really suffered apart from battery sounding a bit sick, so I am tempted to continue to keep the battery charged, fire it up once a week for 30-40 mins with a bit of run up and down, persuade the missus to take it for a blast (after un- sorning). In fact, I'm off out now to start it, bet it starts!

Watch this space....!

[BolshieBastard]

As I can't drive for six months, and the missus won't drive my car, I'm faced with either selling it (Nooo!) or laying it up. I live on a private road, so I thought I would;

1. Remove the battery and keep it charged

Far better getting a 'leisure' type battery charger to keep it topped up. CTEK are excellent but pricey.

2. Pump the tyres up a bit to avoid flat-spotting

Far better to jack it up so its off the road and the tyres arent bearing any weight.

3. Every two weeks or so wap the battery back on and whizz up and down the length of the private road (200 meters or so)

Not a good idea. The engine wont get hot so you run the risk of some very short engine runs causing condensation in the engine (turn the oil to mayo!) and also puts a lot of vapour in the exhaust which will rot it very quickly. You'll need to run the engine for at least 30 minutes at 2000 rpm or above. Wont impress your neighbours though!

4. Every week fire it up and give it a rev? Bit pointless probably...

Yep, see above.

5. At same time give the leccy bits a work out - windows, wipers, headlamp washers etc..

No real need really. Might be better to drain the radiator, headlamp and screen washer bottles though.

Not sure what else, it's LPG, there's only a bit of that left in tank, and about a quarter of a tank of petrol left. Recently serviced so oils are new etc...

It's 2nd June since I drove it apart from the odd trip to end of private road, it's now SORN'd, insurance is still valid, MOT still valid, battery is sounding a bit farty now so I'm whipping it off later.

Petrol can go off so you may be as well draining the tank if its going to be unused for nearly 6 months. LPG should be ok though.

You need to keep the insurance current now it is SORNed. In short, it may be wiser to move the car on as unless its in a heated garage, leaving a car standing for more than a couple of weeks isnt a good idea.

Hope your health gets better.

[Lockhouse]

If the battery is a bit weak anything you can't switch off like burglar alarms will drain it over time. I don't think a 1 Km run at a time will be enough. Idling it for 10 minutes (or longer?) afterwards might do the trick. Come December cold weather will be with us again and a weak battery doesn't like the cold.

Maybe disconnect the battery between runs?

A CTEK trickle charger £35ish. CTEK Multi MXS 3.6 Car Battery Charger - the smartest battery chargers in the world!

[doomage]

You have a private road, a car, and some free time available?

Cut a hole in the bonnet, drop a massive V8 in there, do some drag racing!!!

[Sysman]

If it has a burglar alarm and central locking make sure you have a spare key outside the car when either taking the battery out or putting it in again. The recovery man was most insistent I showed him my spare key when he replaced the battery on my motor and sure enough, the thing did try to wind up windows and lock the car when he put the new one in.

If the battery is a bit weak anything you can't switch off like burglar alarms will drain it over time. I don't think a 1 Km run at a time will be enough. Idling it for 10 minutes (or longer?) afterwards might do the trick. Come December cold weather will be with us again and a weak battery doesn't like the cold.

Maybe disconnect the battery between runs?

[ZARDOZ]

Leaving a car unused for a while | AA

http://www.wikihow.com/Store-a-Car

[Lockhouse]

Six months isn't really a long time, normally I don't run our classic cars over winter at all. I'd put the battery on a trickle charger either in or out of the car. Pump the tyres up a bit more and every two weeks just push them round so they don't deform. Leave it in gear and not on the handbrake. If it has air con you will need to run the engine it every 3-4 weeks at the minimum to keep the seals lubricated.

[BA to the Stars]

[QUOTE=stek;1585842]The 'Run' is only a Km at a time - not sure it's enough, since I've been doing that and the battery, while it still starts the car, it sounds a bit tired now....
QUOTE]

You may want to do a few "laps" of the private road, a few km's as just doing 1 may do more harm then good and could drain the battery.

IANAM (M=mechanic)!!

Good luck with your recovery - that is more important

[Spacecadet]

I would definitely be taking it for a few hundred yard spin from time to time. A lot more chance of breaks locking and parts siezing on an older car. Don't forget to run it while pumping the handbreak to keep it lose as well.

the engine has to get properly hot as well and be left running to get the exhaust up to a decent temperature.
Short runs will mean condensation forming and then being left in the exhaust which will lead to corrosion

[northernladuk]

I would definitely be taking it for a few hundred yard spin from time to time. A lot more chance of breaks locking and parts siezing on an older car. Don't forget to run it while pumping the handbreak to keep it lose as well.

[stek]

If you are going to give it a run every 2 weeks you don't need to take the battery out, or do any of the others either to be honest. By doing that you are avoiding bearing and break seizing and the engine is keeping a nice coating of oil. If your battery is ok is should survive the startups and short runs for quite a long time. You should also be able to check the tyres so no need to over inflate either.

I would say you only need to start taking extra mearsures if you aren't going to be in it for a couple of months a time.

You might try a car cover but it tends to be a magent to people having a nosey whats underneath.

Is it your baby and worth a lot? Can't rent a spot in a friends garage or something?

Not sure if the technology is as good as it claims but I would think about having the oil changed to the magnatec stuff that sticks to the metal longer so you don't keep starting it up on a dry engine but this only really starts to pay back when the engine is older. If you don't intend keeping it for high mileage it won't really affect you.

Worth £4k, it's happy outside my house and has been for ages so no car cover needed really, re: oil, it takes and has fully synth so might be covered - oddly enough on the quick drives it sounds quieter and the autobox moan in first has gone so something to investigate when I;m fit again...

The 'Run' is only a Km at a time - not sure it's enough, since I've been doing that and the battery, while it still starts the car, it sounds a bit tired now....

I might take the battery out anyway since I have a spurious light on on the dash, might reset it, it's the 'traction control light set to off' light, can't turn it back on via the switch, worth a punt.