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July, 2025

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Storing my car and looking for advice

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sniper_6
Posts: 1919 - Karma: 1,573
Hey guys, In a few weeks I'm headed to Afghanistan. Since I'm single, the army comes and stores all the furniture and other stuff in my apartment. As far as vehicles go, they have an outdoor lot available but you basically leave your car outside unattended for the full deployment and I'm definitely not interested in that. So, I've decided I'm going to pay to store it. Does anyone have any experience storing a vehicle long term? If I leave it in a storage unit, is there anything I should consider doing (like disconnecting the battery or other preventative things)? I've looked around my area (Nashville TN) for the type of place that stores cars long term and runs them periodically and stuff but no luck so far.

If you cant tell, I'm by no means a car expert but I have a bmw 135i and I try to take real good care of it. I know there are a lot of people on here are into modding and tuning their cars so I'm hoping someone might have some advice on the best way to keep my car in good shape while its stored for 9 months.
13 years ago
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andybob
Posts: 474 - Karma: 35
First off, thanks for serving the country.

Both of my parents both have summer cars and we store them indoors for the winter. Here is what we do:

-Add some stabilizer into the gas so it doesn't go to shit. Make sure you run the vehicle for a bit after adding it so it can get into the fuel lines, injectors, etc.
-Depending on where you store it, I would look into putting on a trickle charger. It just maintains the charge in the battery and charges at a very slow rate.
-We like to jack the vehicles up on put them on jack stands so the weight is off the tires and suspension, but again, you might not be able to do that where you store it, idk.
-One of the most important things is to make it mouse proof. I was a mechanic for a year and mice will fuck shit up inside a car. Remove any and all food from inside the car and give it a decent cleaning. Don't use moth balls to keep them away, you'll make your interior smell like ass forever. We use dryer sheets placed throughout the vehicle and they work good. I don't know what it is about them, but apparently they keep them away.

Other than that there isn't much to it. After you get it out of storage, you'll want to check tire pressures and take it easy on it for the first few miles so everything can get warmed up and stuff. I would also get the oil changed as soon as possible because of condensation. If I remember right 135i's are turbo (twin or single depending on the year) and you want to make sure the oil is nice and fresh so they don't go to shit.

That's about all I can think of.
13 years ago
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Island_skier
Posts: 116 - Karma: 14
Put fuel stabilizer in your tank and then fill it completely full. Get an oil change to get any water/ acids out of the engine. If you have power in the unit purchase a battery trickle charger. You could also put in some sort of dehumidifier to help prevent mold. But you most likely won't have power. If you cant plug in your battery to a charger than you should disconnect it. Then store it on a piece of wood up off the floor, so it doesn't get to hot or cold.
13 years ago
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sniper_6
Posts: 1919 - Karma: 1,573
Thanks guys, +K to both of you. Especially thanks for the advice on the dryer sheets. I would be extremely pissed if the engine, battery, tires, and other systems in the car were taken care of but i had a family of mice move into the back seat. If anyones got any other important shit, let me know. thanks again
13 years ago
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tronned
Posts: 1098 - Karma: 790
store the car on jackstands and remove the wheels so you dont flatspot your tires. store with a full tank of 93 octane fuel with additives for prolonging fuel life. do an oil change prior to storage. put a tarp under the car to prevent condesation from weather on the cold floor that promotes vapors underneath your car. remove your wiper blades and put them in the passenger seat in a sealed bag to prevent them from drying out. make sure you dont have your parking brake engage when its time to store it, that shit will seize on. remove your battery from the car and put it in a warm dark place inside your apt on a intelligent trickle charger that will automatically charge and turn off so you dont cook the battery. Place a car cover over your car to avoid dust fucking up your paint when you wash it for the first time after storage.

13 years ago
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Darth.Maul
Posts: 2472 - Karma: 652
You forgot the /thread after that post
13 years ago
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so_gangk
Posts: 530 - Karma: 94
good luck on your tour of duty
13 years ago
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Darth.Maul
Posts: 2472 - Karma: 652
This. Good luck dude. Represent NS hard out there and be safe above all!
13 years ago
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Sherlock_Holmes
Posts: 280 - Karma: 48
my advice would be to sell it or trade it in to the dealership where you got it, and make a deal with them where you can buy a newer one when you get back. that way it doesn't depreciate and doesn't just get old and sit.

trust me, you're gonna spend atleast 1500 dollars plus storing it for a year in any place that will protect it, and it's just not worth it to let it sit for the 12 months youre deployed and the 3 months you'll be training up.
13 years ago
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Static
Posts: 8598 - Karma: 3,972
If the outdoor lot is fenced I wouldn't be too worried. Outdoor storage is much cheaper than covered, especially a unit big enough for a car.
13 years ago
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doitbig
Posts: 4818 - Karma: 315
listen to this man.
13 years ago
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