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Winterizing your car properly
Tips and tricks for preparation and storage
How to winterize your seasonal car - tips and tricks for preparation and storage
If you want to bring your seasonal car into the next season without any problems after the winter break, there are a few things you need to do beforehand. During the winter months, a number of things can happen without the right preparations that will spoil your enjoyment in the spring. These include mold in the interior, scratched paint or even damage to the engine. To prevent this from happening to you, we'll show you how to prepare your seasonal car for the winter. In addition to your beloved convertible, this also applies to other vehicles that should not be moved in winter, such as a lovingly restored classic car, a motorhome or even a motorcycle. Correct winter storage is crucial for all of them.
CONTENT
- 1. Why should you winterize your seasonal car?
- 2. At a glance: Checklist for winterizing seasonal cars
- 3. Detailed cleaning: how to prepare your seasonal car for winter
- 4. Maintenance and repairs before the winter break
- 5. Checking and topping up fuel levels
- 6. The right storage for seasonal cars
- 7. What you should check regularly during storage
Why should you winterize your seasonal car?
There are many reasons for "mothballing" seasonal vehicles. First and foremost, this includes protection from the weather. The car must be protected from snow, ice, rain and UV radiation. If it is exposed to these influences for too long without protection, the paintwork, tires, upholstery, chassis and engine can be damaged. For example, if your car is buried under snow on the road, the melting snow can get into the engine compartment and freeze into ice when the temperatures drop again. We don't need to tell you that this is not good for your engine. Rust and corrosion are also problems that your car will have to contend with if you don't take care to winterize it properly. If your car is stored in a protected area, it is also safe from theft and vandalism. Another reason for mothballing your seasonal car is to preserve its value. The better maintained the car, the higher its resale value.
At a glance: Checklist for winterizing seasonal cars
- Cleaning: Remove coarse and fine dirt such as insects, resin, bird droppings etc. from the bodywork. Also think about all gaps, joints and edges. Thoroughly clean the interior, especially the steering wheel, gear knob and seat belts. Allow everything to dry thoroughly! Clean the seats with suitable care products.
- Repair/maintenance: Have all inspections and maintenance carried out before you send your seasonal car into winter. Also check all seals and lines.
- Refuel: Make sure your car has a full tank.
- Tire pressure: Inflate the tires or jack up the car.
- Storage: If possible, store your car in a heated, dry and well-ventilated area.
- Cover up: Use a breathable tarpaulin to protect the paintwork. Never choose a material under which condensation can form!
- Battery: Either use a trickle charger for the battery or charge it occasionally. In either case, it should be disconnected and removed.
Detailed cleaning: how to prepare your seasonal car for winter
Before your seasonal car is allowed to go into the cave to hibernate, you need to roll up your sleeves and do a few things. This includes a thorough clean, both inside and out. Grab a vacuum cleaner and remove the dust from the interior. Don't forget the hard-to-reach places, joints and edges and remove all mats and floor coverings to reach every nook and cranny. Food scraps, garbage and anything else you don't want to see alive again next season must also be disposed of. When cleaning, pay particular attention to the areas where the most bacteria thrive, especially the steering wheel, gear knob and seat belts. Everything that you clean with a damp cloth must dry thoroughly afterwards to prevent mold from forming in the interior. The seats should be treated with a suitable cleaning agent, such as leather care.
The outside of your car also needs to be cleaned of anything that could damage the paintwork: Thoroughly remove bird droppings, insects, tree resin residues and dust and make sure that there really are no residues left that can cause damage unnoticed. Also think about the rims, wheel arches, trim strips, water drains and folds and remove everything that doesn't pay rent. The same applies here: let everything dry well afterwards so that you don't send the moisture into hibernation with it. If you discover moldy areas, the cause must be eliminated immediately, as there is a risk of mold here too. In particular, check the drainage lines and rubber profiles of the sliding roof of the convertible, but also of the trunk lid. In the case of a convertible, the soft top must also be thoroughly cleaned, dried and then treated with a suitable care product. This prevents it from drying out and becoming brittle. Also check that the mechanisms of the soft top are working properly.
After cleaning, your seasonal car can look forward to a polish and hard wax to protect the paintwork and ensure that it shines again in the spring. However, this is optional and not absolutely necessary.
Maintenance and repairs before the winter break
If your vehicle still needs repairs, these should be carried out before the winter break. Leaking pipes, oil changes, spark plugs and the like are things that you should take care of as soon as possible and not just after the extended downtime. If you leave the old oil in, it can cause corrosion. You should also top up the antifreeze. Under no circumstances should you run the engine for a short time after it has been mothballed. This increases wear and causes more damage than it helps.
In addition to the usual maintenance work, you should also bring forward the inspections that would fall in the winter period. This saves you two birds with one stone: repairs that are useful for "mothballing" are carried out immediately and you can enjoy your car in the new season without having to worry about these things. If necessary, remember the papers for tuned vehicles during the inspection.
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Checking and topping up fuel levels
To be able to send your car off for a break, the fuel levels must also be checked. Fill up the tank once more to protect the fuel tank from corrosion, which can be caused by condensation in the tank.If the car has been parked for more than one season, it may also make sense to add a stabilizer to the fuel.
The tires must also be well inflated, approx. 0.5 bar above the specified maximum pressure, depending on the age of the vehicle.This will help you avoid a flat tire.It can also be a good idea to regularly move the car a few centimeters. However, it is best to jack up the car. This not only protects the tires but also the chassis.
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The right storage for seasonal cars
After all the preparation, your seasonal car needs a nice place to be stored. A well-ventilated, warm and dry garage is best. There are also special warehouses for storing seasonal cars over the winter. Air circulation is particularly important for the correct storage of seasonal cars. This prevents moisture and mold growth.
To protect the paintwork, you can also cover the car. This must be breathable so that no condensation can form underneath. This prevents rust and other damage to the paintwork.
If the car is in storage, it may be a good idea to remove the battery and store it in a cool, dry place. You can also connect a battery maintainer to charge the battery during storage. This is particularly important if the service life is to be longer.
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You should check this regularly during storage
If the car is in storage, you should still check the conditions regularly:
- Air pressure: Check the air pressure of the tires about every 4-6 weeks and inflate them to the recommended pressure if necessary.
- Moisture: Look out for signs of moisture or mold in the vehicle. Keep the storage area dry and ventilate occasionally.
- Battery: If you have removed the battery, check its charge status and recharge it if necessary.
- Oil level: Check the oil level, especially if the storage is long-term.Change the oil if necessary.
- Vehicle cover: Check the condition of the vehicle cover and repair or replace it if necessary. Check for moisture under the cover.
His first car was a G60 Corrado, followed by several VW models, which did not remain untouched. Currently Jerôme is focused on the conversions of the VW and Audi models at BAR-TEK®. After his school career, which he finished with a technical high school diploma and then did his apprenticeship as a car mechanic, Jerôme worked in the DTM for 12 years. In over 100 races, Jerôme was responsible for Mercedes-Benz as well as for Audi-Sport as a gearbox mechanic and chief mechanic for race cars. Since mid-2021, he is now wrenching in the BAR-TEK® workshop and takes care of customers' vehicles, specialized development/special conversions as well as various implementations of Bartek's ideas.
Expert in
Cylinder head tuning
Prototype construction
Chassis components
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