Hi Guys,

Just after your opinion on something.....

I'm looking at getting a new car but don't wanna get rid of the one I have. (A predicament I am sure many of us have had!) I have been offered stupid money for my 380VRX both here and at dealers so I have decided I will keep it an turn it into something special and just drive it on weekends......

My issue is that I only have a single garage and I don't want a car sitting out all the time..... I am wondering if anyone has had experience storing a car before. There are places I know that do it where I live (Ballarat, VIC) but I am not sure if anyone has had any experience with then (Storage King, etc)??

Also, if the car is not being driven frequently (ie. once a week - maybe 2 weeks) is there anything you would suggest me doing?

Cheers,

Here's what I have done in the past with success

-Disconnect and remove the battery and put it on a trickle charger with kambrook timer set for one hour a day.
-Get a good quality tarp from supa cheap auto.
-jack the car up on stands to save the suspension and tyres in case they go flattish
-run the petrol tank right down...fuel goes off after about 6 months so dont leave any in the tank
-put fresh oil in

what year VRX, what klms and how much you looking for just out of interest?

(sunroof? leather?)

If it is going to be a weekend car just maintain it as per normal I can leave my car a week with no problems

long term is different and like Blackstar said battery, jacks, drain the fuel, cover but also do all the fluid flushes (tranny, oil, rad) and drain the rad, Lube up any rubber hoses to prolong life.

Also give the car a full detail inside and out

Put some boxes of Bi carb in the car open to scavenge any residue moisture and smells that would build up otherwise

Oh blackstar when will you stop LOL

Hell my magna sits for months without being driven, Its done just over 15000kms since June 2005.
I make sure my dad starts it up once a week and lets it warm up (Ive got a lock on the throttle cable so as to hold engine revs at 2000rpm), once my new shed is built the car will be coming to my place so im sure it will get started a bit more often then what it does now but probably still wont get driven much.

Starting it up once a week is probably the worst thing you can do. Unless you get the oil up to a good working temperature - unlikely with it just idling - combustion products will accumulate rapidly. You are better off getting your Dad to drive it for an hour or so. Otherwise, change the oil and coolant, jack it up, wax the bodywork (don't rub off). take the battery out, put a car tarp over it (if you can't park it in a shed) and leave it for 6 months. Drain the petrol tank if you are going to store it longer.

Starting it up once a week is probably the worst thing you can do. Unless you get the oil up to a good working temperature - unlikely with it just idling - combustion products will accumulate rapidly. You are better off getting your Dad to drive it for an hour or so. Otherwise, change the oil and coolant, jack it up, wax the bodywork (don't rub off). take the battery out, put a car tarp over it (if you can't park it in a shed) and leave it for 6 months. Drain the petrol tank if you are going to store it longer.

The oil does get up to a reasonably good temp as my car isnt sitting at idle speed.... It it sitting at 2000rpm (or slightly over) while the engine oil cooler is blocked off whilst it is not being driven. There is no way my dad can drive the car on the road as 90% of the time it is unregistered. He only puts in small amounts of 98 plus fuel saver for the times that he runs the car and yes before i decide to put it back on the road i do a oil/filter change.... the joys of getting free penrite oil.

That reminds me, I'm going overseas for 3 weeks in August. Could I get away with just leaving the car as is in the garage? I did this 5 years ago (before the 380), also for 3 weeks and both cars still started okay, but I also gave the batteries a quick charge. Not sure about the battery in the 380 though; its 4 years old now (the original one).

Old batteries seem to die rapidly when the car isn't used for some reason, one week can be enough. Try just disconnecting it, but not being used for 3 weeks may kill it. Alternative is to put it on a trickle charger.

I left mine for 3weeks when I went to UK.
Started first time.

Jaycar sell a small solar panel that plugs into the console cigarette adapter which would probably keep the battery charged up...

starting it once a week or once in 2 weeks should not be too dramatical. just make sure when you drive it, give it a nice long cruise. The only thing that can play up is you tyres developing flat spots. Just pump them up should be fine a few minutes after that. Having said that, I left my car 6 weeks when I was travelling and it started first time just fine. No recharging whatsoever was necessary.. The thing about disconnecting the battery is that you need to retrain the gearbox, reset the radio stations, trip computer... its just a headache..

starting it once a week or once in 2 weeks should not be too dramatical. just make sure when you drive it, give it a nice long cruise. The only thing that can play up is you tyres developing flat spots. Just pump them up should be fine a few minutes after that. Having said that, I left my car 6 weeks when I was travelling and it started first time just fine. No recharging whatsoever was necessary.. The thing about disconnecting the battery is that you need to retrain the gearbox, reset the radio stations, trip computer... its just a headache..

That's the reason I'd rather not disconnect the battery. Hopefully 3 weeks will be fine... if not, it was probably time for a new battery anyway.

Just returned from five weeks in europe.

Car started first turn of the key and drove normally on my return.

Lived overseas for 6 months in 1998. Pumped up the tyres to 50psi (to avoid flatspots) and disconnected battery (KE Verada).

Hooked up battery on my return car started first turn of the key.

HI All,

I'm heading O/S for three weeks, and i have this beaut little charger, a CTEK 3600, it can do a maintenance/top up charge, and supposedly can leave it connected for months and it will maintain battery as needed.

Also can leave battery connected to car while doing this, only thing is, it says if car is negatively grounded, then attach negative to chassis, and positive to positive terminal. or vice versa if positively grounded.

Now does anyone know which terminal is grounded, and where would you attach it to the chassis?

Would it be risky to keep the battery connected and put trickle charge on it?

I'll just leave the battery alone, considering some of you guys have had equal or longer holidays than mine, with no car troubles on the return. I'm also reluctant to leave something connected to the battery the entire time (could be wrong, but doesn't sound like a good idea). I hadn't thought about the tyre pressure though... I keep mine on 40-41 now, so I'll crank it up to 50 before I lock it away. On my Commodore with 16in rims (215x60 I think), what pressure would you recommend there?

HI All,

I'm heading O/S for three weeks, and i have this beaut little charger, a CTEK 3600, it can do a maintenance/top up charge, and supposedly can leave it connected for months and it will maintain battery as needed.

Also can leave battery connected to car while doing this, only thing is, it says if car is negatively grounded, then attach negative to chassis, and positive to positive terminal. or vice versa if positively grounded.

Now does anyone know which terminal is grounded, and where would you attach it to the chassis?

Magna's are a negitive ground. Only some few very old crappy pommy cars have a positive ground (wolseley etc). I dont believe anything uses a positive ground anymore

Some good tips for long term storage...


Vehicles are always better off being driven on a regular basis.
If you must store, store indoors where the wind can't get to your car.
Car covers are ONLY for indoors use out of the wind, no matter what they advertise!
It is better to let a car sit for months than to run it once a week for a few minutes. The reason is that you can't get the engine and other drive train parts warmed up enough to do any good and you will create condensation in the crankcase and exhaust that will help kill your car.
Give your car a wash and good coat of wax including chrome trim before storage.
Give the car a good run and get it fully warmed up right before storage.
Fresh fluids at this point are a good idea. Oil and filter, anti-freeze, power steering fluid, tranny fluid and brake fluid should all be changed right before storage. A week or two before storage is OK except the oil, make that as fresh as possible.
Once the car is parked where it will sit, remove the battery, store in a cool dry place and trickle charge it once a month. Be sure to check the water level and fill if necessary.
Fill the gas tank before storing with fresh quality fuel. If you drive your car so little that last years gas is still mostly in the tank, then siphon it off and use it in the lawn mower or dispose of properly! Fresh gas will last a full year if kept at a fairly stable temperature below 80 degrees. Filling the tank helps prevent condensation which helps rust tanks and fuel systems. Fuel additives for storage are not needed if storing for less than a year.
Do NOT put your car on jack stands or blocks under the frame. This lets the suspension droop and puts the springs and bushings in an unnatural state. If you want to prevent flat spots on tires (not a problem with modern radials anyway) support the car at the outermost points of the suspension so the springs and shocks/struts are in a natural state. Be sure to keep tires (remember the spare) at the correct air pressure and try to keep them away from electric motors or high heat.
A good way to insulate a concrete or even dirt/gravel floor for better storage is to put down one or two layers of thick plastic sheeting under a layer of old carpet. The carpet won't blow around if the wind gets in when the door is open, and the plastic keeps moisture from coming up and rusting the underside of your vehicle.

Just wanted to add to this thread, that I returned home after 3 weeks in North America and the 380, garaged, started perfectly first go! I charged it anyway. Not bad for the original battery (over 4yrs old now).