Essential Tips For Preparing Your Vehicle For Storage

Posted on: 11 February 2016

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Self-storage units don't just store boxes and furniture; many storage facilities has special ground-floor units that can accommodate your vehicle. This allows you to store a vehicle when you will be out of the country for several months or when you know you won't be using it for a while. Here are some tips for preparing the vehicle before you put it in storage.

Wash it Inside and Out

Don't be lazy when storing your vehicle and store it as-is. You need to make sure it is completely clean on the inside and out. Make sure you remove all trash and anything you don't absolutely need to keep inside. Just having a fast food wrapper can entice pests, which you won't know until you retrieve the vehicle and find it filled with ants or cockroaches. Make sure you wash it completely on the inside, vacuuming the seats and floors, and washing the dashboard and windows. By reducing debris and build-up, you come back to a clean vehicle. Repeat the same washing process for the outside of the vehicle, not forgetting about rinsing underneath the hood as well.

Top Off the Fluids

With the fluids, it is best that you replace as many of them as possible, which ensures you have fresh, full fluids when the vehicle is stored. If you store a vehicle for a few months with oil that is already old, it isn't going to run very well when you drive it out of the unit. Make sure you have a tank full of gas and add a fuel stabilizer to keep it from breaking down. Flush the transmission and add more fluid, along with fresh oil, water, coolant, and power steering fluid.

Keep the Battery Charged

If there is any way you can keep the car battery charged while it is being stored, that will be ideal. The best way to do this is for you or someone in town to go into the heated self-storage unit every few weeks to start the car and drive it around for several minutes. If this isn't possible, you might want to keep the negative cables off the battery. This will help prevent the juice from draining from the battery, requiring a replacement when you return. Otherwise, expect to have a new battery put in when you get your car out of the storage unit.

To keep connections from freezing and from pests getting into your vehicle, choose a climate-controlled storage unit.