Keeping car off the road for 6 months?

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Hey guys,

Long story short the car will be off the road for next 6 months and won't be driven so I'm wondering what needs to be done to make sure I don't have any major issues when I come to drive it again? There will be someone about to start the car and let it tick over but they don't have a license so it can't be driven.

So how often should it be started and left ticking over for?

Is there anything else that should be done?

Thanks
 
Once a week should be more than enough...

Ideally leave handbrake off - leave in gear when left,

I know you said the person can't drive but a good drive now and again is good as it keeps all fluids fresh etc
 
I would have thought starting it up for a few minutes now and then is not a good idea that's like doing short trips. I'd get a trickle charger to keep the battery topped up and lift the cars weight off the tyres to stop getting flat spots (ie on axle stands).
 
full tank
trickle charger connected
car in the air
sorted
 
Is it good enough to tick car over for an hour every week and maybe just move it a few feet each week to keep tyres from getting bald spots? Only have access to two axle stands. If I was to do this is there anything else I should look at?
 
Do a search on Google for standing a car up for winter etc....

Theres loads of views and advice, my personal prefence is to run it up every now and again, but theres the issue of condensation in the engine, exhaust etc cos it wont get hot enough to burn it off.
I leave my Cobra for 6 - 8 months sometimes, it always starts ok, but the starter sticks sometimes....and the gearbox leaks a little oil..but thats been stood now for over 2 years..
The short of it is cars don't like being stood up, the best cars are the ones used regulary, 6 months not too bad though..
 
worse thing you can do is to run it up for a bit

It causes condensation in the oil and the car wont be left running long enough to burn it off

Bez101 is spot on but as well as that I would drop the oil and stick fresh in before you lay it up as the hydrocarbons in the oil can do some damage after a long time
 
personally I would just stick a trickle charger on and thats it . to save the battery,could take it off the car and keep it in the garage to charge. I couldnt be mithered about dropping the oil, as you could do that when the car is back in use if you wanted to. you can look into things to much what if this what if that , the car will live it's only 6 months !!

the engine will live being stood for 6 months not run, just when you come to run it for the first time let everything circulate before setting off
 
A good idea to stop fat spots on a car when storing it for any length of time is to inflate the tyres to the maximum pressure written on the side wall. It must not be driven like this though so when you get back in it don't forget to deflate them to the correct pressure. If you have vagcom you can put it in to transport mode which shuts down most things not needed so the battery won't run its self flat. Then with a solar charger thing plugged into the cigarette lighter to keep the battery topped up. Also there is an additive for the fuel to stop it going bad. When you come to start it again do an oil change with fresh filter and put some fresh fuel in the tank
 
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A good idea to stop fat spots on a car when storing it for any length of time is to inflate the tyres to the maximum pressure written on the side wall. It must not be driven like this though so when you get back in it don't forget to deflate them to the correct pressure. If you have vagcom you can put it in to transport mode which shuts down most things not needed so the battery won't run its self flat. Then with a solar charger thing plugged into the cigarette lighter to keep the battery topped up. Also there is an additive for the fuel to stop it going bad. When you come to start it again do an oil change with fresh filter and put some fresh fuel in the tank

That is a good idea with the tyres, I had never thought about that before. I had an Escort off the road for just short of 5 months last year too, I'll bare that in mind for next time !
 
Hey all, reviving this post rather than starting a new one.

Going to start using the car again in a few weeks. On checking the car this evening when I got back home (working abroad for a while) obviously the battery was completely dead. Tried to get a jump start but the battery wasn't taking any charge after about 15 mins. Reds came on etc and car tried to start (one turn then nothing) so either battery is knackered or it needs a full charge. I've taken the battery out and going to have the mechanic test it tomorrow.

Point now is that my doors won't close as there's no power in the car. Yes, I can manually lock the drivers door and boot (trunk) but the other 3 doors are open for some reason. Is there a way to manually lock them? Could be a few days before mechanic checks and if necessary recharges the battery for me.

As always a big thanks in advance!
 
Hey all, reviving this post rather than starting a new one.

Going to start using the car again in a few weeks. On checking the car this evening when I got back home (working abroad for a while) obviously the battery was completely dead. Tried to get a jump start but the battery wasn't taking any charge after about 15 mins. Reds came on etc and car tried to start (one turn then nothing) so either battery is knackered or it needs a full charge. I've taken the battery out and going to have the mechanic test it tomorrow.

Point now is that my doors won't close as there's no power in the car. Yes, I can manually lock the drivers door and boot (trunk) but the other 3 doors are open for some reason. Is there a way to manually lock them? Could be a few days before mechanic checks and if necessary recharges the battery for me.

As always a big thanks in advance!

It's OK guys got it sorted. You can manually lock the doors.
 
How? I see a lock symbol on the inside edge of the doors, putting the key in and turning didn't seem to do very much.

Lol I was stuck on the same issue as you. What you are trying to turn with the key is literally a small cap/cover. You turn it slightly with your key to release it then take it off with your finger nail. When it's off just insert your key into the door (it only fits in the one way) and that should lock your door.
 
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Done! Very little movement of the key required once you got those caps off. It didn't feel like anything had happened but I shut the door and it was locked, result!

Nice to know you can keep it secure even while you've got the battery disconnected. Cheers.
 
Done! Very little movement of the key required once you got those caps off. It didn't feel like anything had happened but I shut the door and it was locked, result!

Nice to know you can keep it secure even while you've got the battery disconnected. Cheers.

Indeed mate feels like nothing has happened. You just push the key in and job done.

Glad the info was helpful mate ;-)