What are the things that need to be taken care of when the car is not to be driven for a month or so?

1996 GXE.

Thanks.

 

A month is not so bad, for long term storage...

click me

 

ideally you would like to start your car up every 15 days and move it around the block. A month won't hurt it though.


Will it be indoors? If so give it a good washing. You might even put a gas stabilizer in it but most gas is good for 3 months. Also you can let a little air out of the tires. Make sure your cooland and other fluids are at the appropriate level and not leaking.


A month is not that bad at all...

 

If you have jackstands, and it will be indoors, you can put it up on them. This will prevent flatspots on the tires. You should also disconnect the battery.

 

I thought the days of flat spots are over since we no longer use nylon tires.

 

First off: that can leave a hole in your floor board.

Second off: That can leave a hole in your floor.

Neither of these anyone would like to pay to fix.

 

Yeah ... I thought so too ... or was it steel belted that we'd worry about??? Hmmm ... I ain't a tire expert

 

If you go long term storage, the oil & filter change is a sure thing to do. Oil builds up contaminants and last thing you want is dirty, acid-rich oil sitting in your engine for months at a time

 

what's a gas stablizer?

 

Additive you can put in your gas tank when you're going to store your car for a while.

Most common brand I've seen is Sta-bil (izzit how you spell it???).

 

Had a 32 oz. bottle lying around

Sta-bil "keeps fresh fuel fresh for quick starts - prevents fuel deterioration (it won't do wonders on old fuel) - protects engine from gum, varnish, rust & corrosion - no need to drai fuel - contains no alcohol.

They've got a website http://www.goldeagle.com/sta-bil

If you're going to be storing your car for a while (especially during winter), it's good to use a fuel stabilizer. It'll burn off when you drive, no side-effects.

It's NOT an additive like Bardahl Paragon (I love that stuff) or STP stuff. It's not a fuel injector cleaner either. Just keeps your gas fresh.

 

got ya.. thanks.. learn something new everyday..

 

I'm not really sure the full reasoning behind it, but I used to park my car for 2-3 weeks at a time and it used to vibrate for the first few miles. I'm assuming it was until the tires warmed up and the flat spot was gone. Maybe it was something else.

 

How do you figure There are hardened points for the jack stands. If they are properly placed how are you going to end up with a hole in your floor??

 

Wondering this too... I've seen a car left on jackstands for months. As long as your floor isn't styrofoam you should be fine. Think about it... the contact patches for the jackstands is the same or a little bigger than the tires. Pressure equals force over area, and if the area of both is the same the pressure on the floor will be also.

 

I think you are talking about the floor as in the ground when he was talking about the floorboars as in the floor of the car. either way, I dont see anything bad with using the jackstands if you have them jacked up on the correct points.

 

Thanks everyone. Appreciate your feedback.

 

where ARE the correct places for jackstands?

 

On the 4th gen, find the places where you put the spare jack for the front wheels, then look straight in towards the middle of the car. You will see 2 long rectangular beams that start to run down the car lengthwise. For the first few inches of these you will notice it apears to be much thicker here. I place the jackstands here for the front. For the rear, if you feel along the side of the sill towards the inside of the car, you will find a squarish plate that has an oval hole cut into it. I've been placing the jackstands here for the rear. I know the front position is right, but I'm not positive about the rear. Although I have had my car constantly up on the stands using these points and there is/has been no damage whatsoever from using them.

 

I wish I could let my car stay put for a month just to keep the mileage off of it.

SuDZ