i plan on going to australia for a year. and the ONLY person in the universe i trust to take care of my 2k2 6spd is my older bro (he has a max of his own).

I plan on buying a cover (good links? prices?) but i was wondering what is the necessary maintenance requirements when one is NOT using a car.

does he need to drive it once a week? once a month?

are oil changes still based on mileage? or does a car sitting in a garage for 3 months still need an oil change?
should i use fuel additives to prevent the gas from oxidizing or deteriorating?

should i put the car on stands?

 

as long as your brother drives it at least once a month is fine.... Also tell him to turn on the car between days and to use all the accessories including the A/C. Oil change is required no matter what, go with Sync... and it will last longer.

Other Org members will give more ideas....

 

Def at a minimum once a month. If it is a full three months, I would only ever put about 1/4 tank of gas in it as well. Fuel will start to degrade even as soon as 3 months. When he drives it make sure he doesn't fill the tank till the month before you get home. If he isn't going to drive it, run it till it's almost empty, put it in a garage if you can. If you don't have one cover the car. I would also, if it's not being driven, put it up on jack stands. This will keep your tires in good condition. Not moving a car for long periods of time with all the weight of the car on that certain part will possibly cause issues with the balance as well as integrity of the rubber. If you are going for the full year, I would scratch all that and find someone trustworthy, like your brother, and have him drive it to work once a week. This will illiminate 99% of any arising issues above. Have fun in Australia!!

 

Watch out for all those highly poisonous creatures Australia has over there such as Sea Snakes, Funnel Spiders. I don't remeber the name of it but there is a fish that lies on the stone beaches with long spines. It is supposed to be very deadly (talking seconds here). But its probably nothing to worry about, have a nice trip.

 

so i've been reading some different things about the following...
i heard an empty tank promotes water condensation... leading to rust? so people to say to filler up. additives? i've never heard of this... opinions?

i've heard that THIS can lead to bad struts. they uncompress for too long, then they rust or deteriorate or something.

won't overinflating the tires take care of this??


i'm not trying to bash your opinions at all. i honestly appreciate all the input (even the poisonous creatures warning) i've just been reading different people saying different things about these very topics. i'd like to get more opinions.

thanks for all the input!

 

I was abroad for half a year a couple years ago and had my parents take the car out for a few miles every week. IMO, I would do this instead of once a month. If the car is driven regularly, none of the other stuff really comes into play. Again, just my opinion.

 

Fill the tank and add some stabilizer to the fuel if you want, don't leave it empty.

My car sits for about 5 months of the year. Heres what I do with my car.
- Full detail interior and exterior
- Fill tank (I've never used a fuel stabilizer, probably should but haven't had any issues, I've heard that its not really necessary for periods of 6 months or less)
- Car cover (I just use the one from Nissan)
- Plug Tailpipe with a towel
- Dryer sheets under the hood (keeps rodents out, could use mothballs too)
- Put stock wheels on and overinflate tires
- Change oil before I let it sit, Change it again when I put it back on the road
- Remove battery

I think thats everything....

 

Here is a link from www.miata.net Those guys store their babies every year, so I think they know what they are talking about:
http://www.miata.net/faq/faq3.html#Y