I'm headed overseas for a year (military) and am going to store rather than sell the Max. Any suggestions on what to do to preserve it? I already have enclosed storage secured for it.

 

ehh thats sketcy storing it for a year, unless u have sum1 to take it out for a spin around the block once a month man, otherwise i dont really know

 

Read this: http://zhome.com/ZCMnL/tech/storing.html

 

DO NOT LEAVE IT ON BASE. it'lll go through all sorts of hell.

 

i would add some some sort of fuel stabilizer for sure. Other than that, I don't think there's much you can do. Just hope to God that when you come back, your electrical system still works, your tires aren't cracked, etc. Have a safe journey overseas and good luck!

 

I know the maximas are nice and all, but thats a big depreciation hit to take while not driving it. I dont know much about storing fuel injected cars, only carb'ed motorcycles. I would definitely use a fuel stabilizer and also change the oil before storage.

 

When I get back it'll be paid off, have only 42K on the clock, and go back to driving 600 miles/week for at least 3 years. I figure by the time I replace it in the summer of 2009 it will have 120K on the clock and have served me well. I just know if I sell it and try and get another when I return, I won't get what I want (6 speed) in the condition it is in (pristine) and will have to take on a loan for a few years to try and get something I'm happy with.

I've been looking into buying one of those "carcoons" or some other device to keep the humidity away from the unprotected cylinder walls. Griots garage sells bulk dessicant, but I'm not sure there's enough in the world to handle the range Ohio gets.

 

Lucas oil has a few products that will help you with the oil, fuel, and tranny fluid for storage purposes. Good idea to put it on blocks and cover it with a good cover. Not sure if I'd trust anyone to "take it around the block every once and a while" while your gone. When I was in the military I was a witness to a couple of very drunk guys entrusted to watch this guys car while he was deployed... real cool to see how a Subaru can perform on a very offroad HMMWV training area. www.lucasoil.com

 

over inflate the tires so you dont get any flat spots.... remove batt....fill gas to the tip top.....something inbetween the wipers....

 

Sell it and when you get back you'll get something else. There is always something newer and nicer. Why deal with the depreciation (which I estimate to be $3,000)? Unless you are planning to keep the car for 8-10 years. aka 2010-2012? If you sell you wont have to worry about storage costs or damage while in storage.

 

Well, with all due respect to the opinions about selling it stated here, that wasn't my question. My question is, given I've decided I'll keep it (good decision or bad, mine to live with down the road) and have very safe storage (not going to get damaged by stuff hitting it, nobody will drive it or even open the door to the storage facility), what can I do to limit the negative affects of long term storage? I've seen numerous write-ups on storing carbeurated engines, but nothing on whether fuel injected engines require anything special?

 

hey man, i dont have much of a clue on what to tell you about storage, but thank you very much for going overseas. Good luck man and i hope you come home safely GOD Bless! thanks again!

 

3Pedals - I used to have an '85 Z28 that I stored when I went overseas. Storing a vehicle is simple...

First and foremost, like mentioned before DON'T store it on base - they are highly vunerable to theft while you are away.

Then,

- Fill the gas tank up over 1/2 and, like mentioned, put in a fuel stabilizer (available at Autozone, Pep Boys, etc). You will still get sediment at the bottom of the tank while it sits, but the less condensation of water in the tank the better (depending on where you are - here in Louisiana the summer humidity is H#LL)

- At a minimum, disconnect (and remove, if possible) the battery

- If the inflation maximum on the tires is 44psi, inflate the tires to 40psi, they'll be just fine. You may still get a flat spot, but when you take it back out and drive it the flat spot will wear itself out. Don't be surprised if a tire loses air or deflates while you are gone... just fill it up and go.

- Don't worry about changing out any fluids before you leave it - you will have to change them again anyway. However, when you take it back out, the first thing you need to do is take it to a place and change the oil, flush the engine coolant, flush the tranny fluid, and check the brake and power steering fluids.

- Biggest thing is this... whether you have cloth or leather, it won't be getting much air in there, so you have two choices... if the storage area is self-contained and really good, you *can* leave the front windows slightly cracked for air circulation. Either way, buy a cheap cookie sheet or two and some Baking Soda powder. Put a cookie sheet up in the front seats (or on the floor) and one in the rear seats (or floor). Then put a nice layer of baking soda on the cookie sheets. The baking soda will act as two things... one, it will help eliminate any odor that would result from prolonged storage, and two, it will act as a de-humidifying agent to absorb moisture and avoid the worst possible thing - mold and mildew (I learned this the hard way the first time I stored my Z28 and came back to a cloth interior full of mold).

Hope this helps, and good luck overseas from a fellow soldier (at Fort Polk).

Oh, and make sure you contact your car insurance agent and change your policy over to a storage policy, should be only $50 (or so) for the year. Ensure that it covers any act of God type stuff.