Classic car storage tips
by Anglo Parts
September 2022
September 2022
Winter is coming... Temperatures are dropping but unfortunately prices are not. We will all turn our heating down a notch this winter. In order not to damage your classic car by salt, snow, hail,... Most old-timer owners prefer to put their favourite vehicle aside during the winter. To avoid unnecessary costs after the winter break (and to keep the costs down), we would like to give you some storage tips that will make your classic car last longer.
Article content
1. Clean your car exterior. ...
2. Clean your interior. ...
3. Keep your car humidity free. ...
4. Inflate the tyres. ...
5. Don't use the handbrake. ...
6. Do change the engine oil. ...
7. Top up and treat the fuel. ...
8. Disconnect or charge the battery. ...
9. Grease and antifreeze. ...
10. Lift wipers from glass. ...
2. Clean your interior. ...
3. Keep your car humidity free. ...
4. Inflate the tyres. ...
5. Don't use the handbrake. ...
6. Do change the engine oil. ...
7. Top up and treat the fuel. ...
8. Disconnect or charge the battery. ...
9. Grease and antifreeze. ...
10. Lift wipers from glass. ...
1. Clean your car thoroughly
Bird droppings, oil residues, mud and dead insects contain acids that corrode the bodywork and paintwork of your classic car. A thorough cleaning and waxing is therefore rule number one before storing your car. Use your own products or check out our range of recommended car care products.
Make sure that all water in the doorposts, around rubber seals and mirror edges has disappeared, because this can also affect your car. Use a fibreglass or a hairdryer to remove the excess water.
Make sure that all water in the doorposts, around rubber seals and mirror edges has disappeared, because this can also affect your car. Use a fibreglass or a hairdryer to remove the excess water.
Anglo Parts has a wide range of car care products from Auto Glym. Auto Glym is te expert when it come to when it comes to cleaning the interior and exterior of your classic car
Take a look at our Auto Glym campaign page to see our range of car care products or visit the Auto Glym website for some cleaning tips.
Keep your car clean and it will increase in value.
2. Clean your interior
Check your interior for forgotten food, check the edges of seats and look under your chairs. Give your car a thorough vacuuming and clean and/or feed your fabric seats. This is to prevent unwanted pests from sniffing around or even staying in your car. Rats and mice like to nestle in insulation or air filters. Prevent these unwanted guests from getting inside by blocking the access routes. Block the exhaust pipe with some steel wool and close all air vents.
3. Keep your car humidity free
Use a car cover (light, breathable and elastic) to protect your car from moisture, dust, vermin and other external factors that can damage it. Also open a window to promote air flow and prevent a musty smell (If your car is clean, vermin won't be interested in entering through the window.) If your classic car has a soft top as a roof, don't fold it away as this is the ideal environment for mould. Some companies that store cars use a dehumidifier for optimal storage conditions.
A car cover also helps to keep your car out of direct sunlight and it prevents you car paint and seats from fading.
A car cover also helps to keep your car out of direct sunlight and it prevents you car paint and seats from fading.
4. Inflate the tyres
Through long storage, the rubber tyres can lose their shape. There are two options to protect your tyres. Either pump up the tyres as hard as allowed or make sure that the tyres do not touch the ground by jacking up the car and resting it on axle stands. If you don't have the space for axl stands you can also use tyreshoes to make sure your tires don't loose their shape. Use wheel dollies if you have a small garage and you want to easily position your car (they make turning around a corner or at a tight angle easy).
5. Leave the tank as good as empty or fill it up entirely.
Fill the tank with petrol if you expect the car to be parked for more than 30 days.
Refilling the tank prevents moisture from building up inside and the seals from drying
out. To avoid tank corrosion, you can also fill the tank with a product such as Millers tank safe, which protects your tank during long storage.
6. Change the engine oil and the oil filter
When the car is used, residues remain in the oil during fuel combustion. If the car is
used regularly, the residues are expelled. If, however, they remain in the oil during the
winter, they do their corrosive work. Change your car's oil and oil filter. Check your oil
level and let the engine run for a while to circulate the oil.
7. Don’t use the handbrake
Leave the handbrake off to prevent the brake discs and pads from fusing. Use tyreshoes or wheel dollies to prevent your car from rolling away.
8. Disconnect or charge the battery
A battery discharges naturally over time. It is therefore best to disconnect it
completely in order to preserve its life. The car will not have unnecessary battery
consumption such as from the clock, the odometer and other electronic components
if there are any in your car.
Disconnect the negative cable first, always, then disconnect the positive cable
second.
Do you want a less time-consuming solution? (because of a quick holiday departure
etc.) Then use a battery charger and connect it to your battery to
slowly charge it.
PRODUCT TIPS
- Optimate 1 DUO: Battery charger 12V (Motorcycles, quads or light vehicles) (201.103)
- Optimate 5 VOLTMATIC: Battery charger 6V - 12V ((Classic) car battery charger) (201.104)
- Optimate 6 AMPMATIC: Battery charger 12V ((Classic) car and motorcycle batteyr charger) (201.105)
HOW TO INSTRUCTIONS VIDEOS
- How to charge your classic with an Optimate 1 DUO (Motorcycle, quad or light vehicle batteries)
- How to charge your classic with an Optimate 5 VOLTMATIC ((Classic) car batteries)
- How to charge your classic with an Optimate 6 AMPMATIC ((Classic) car and/or motorcycle batteries)
9. Lubricate the necessary parts and use antifreeze
Consult your car's manual (see also our list of manuals) to see which parts need to
be lubricated.
You've come a long way by lubricating these parts: Carburettor, steering, drive shaft, suspension
struts and suspension ball joints.
Also check your antifreeze and coolant levels or have them checked.
10. Change wipers and lift wipers from glass
Change your wipers in case you do want to go out for a winter driver or just to be ready to leave when the first spring sun comes squeaking in. Do not let the rubber of your windscreen wiper make contact with the glass. Rubber and glass can react with each other. Therefore, put a piece of cardboard or newspaper between the wiper and the glass. Take a look at our range of wiper blades for your British classic.
11. Last but not least: protect your driveway or garage from oil spills
7 out of 10 classic cars lose oil at some point when parked. Use a oil drip pan to catch these spills and avoid unnecessary cleaning. You can even use this pan as a magnetic board, drawing board or even as a sledge.