To Store or Not To Store

lemers · Mar 9, 2016

My GT350 will arrive after I deploy, so my wife will be its care giver during the 9 months that I'm gone. She really prefers not to drive it, for fear of causing some damage that I may blame her for later.

Anyways here are my 2 options:

1. Put it the garage (if it fits) or under a car cover of the entire deployment. My wife starts it on a regular basis but doesn't move it. This would allow a huge discount on insurance, but it CAN NOT BE DRIVEN ANYWHERE.

2. She drives it up the highway one exit and back on a regular basis. Each trip would be less than twenty miles but long enough to get it up to operating temperatures and highway speeds. There will not be much of an insurance discount.

Which option is better for a car than won't be driven daily until I return?

How often should she do it? (Weekly, monthly?)

No I will not let you take care of it during my deployment.

-------------------------------------------------
2016 GT350 Magnetic w/Black Stripes / Black Roof /Tech Package, ETA 10 March (Bremerhaven, Germany), under MSRP

MAV · Mar 9, 2016

My advice: find a place to store it inside a garage or building. Left outside, the elements will start taking their toll, and a car cover won't really help with that. Starting it doesn't do much good if it's not going to be driven, so I would disconnect the battery and let it sit. If you have a friend (or if your wife doesn't mind), have them hook the battery up to a charger overnight once a month and it would help save it from totally discharging over the 9 month period.

Just my $.02, and thank you for your service. :cheers:

GDP · Mar 9, 2016

Drain gas tank, disconnect battery. And let her sit. I would probably drain the oil once I get back too just in case water and condensates inside.

cjm1261 · Mar 9, 2016

When I deploy I store my Corvette in my garage, I have my neighbor once a month, or every other month start it up, roll it back in the drive way, let it idle up to operating temp, roll it back and turn her off. I will be doing the same with the GT350 if I decide to trade over.
This way I get the insurance discount because its stored and falls within storage mileage limit for the month.

And yes, leave as little fuel in it just to accomplish that, and i traditionally leave the battery connected because its getting the monthly charge. I always change the oil upon return as well.

GoBlues38 · Mar 9, 2016

9 months is nothing.

Let your wife keep the car. It will help her stay connected with a part of you. Trust your wife to drive it 1x a month or so, and if she wrecks it, big deal. It's just a freakin car.

And thankyou for your service sir.

lemers · Mar 9, 2016

GoBlues38 said:
9 months is nothing.

Let your wife keep the car. It will help her stay connected with a part of you. Trust your wife to drive it 1x a month or so, and if she wrecks it, big deal. It's just a freakin car.

And thankyou for your service sir.

Both options the car stays at the house. I just was wondering what was better for the car during the nine months.

-------------------------------------------------
2016 GT350 Magnetic w/Black Stripes / Black Roof /Tech Package, ETA 10 March (Bremerhaven, Germany), under MSRP

GoBlues38 · Mar 9, 2016

9 months, the only thing I would be worried about would be flat spots on the tires.

If she truly does not want to drive it. the wash and wax the car. Get it up on jack stands in the corner of the garage. Disco the battery, and wait the 9 months.

The only issue with this is. Heaven forbid something happen to the home, you would not be able to move the car in an emergency. My uncle has a 75 corvette with 9,xxx miles. extreme garage queen. They had a chimney fire when out of town. But the son knew where the keys were and got the car out while firetrucks were on the way.

If it would have been on jack stands with a disco'd battery, he would have lost the car.

Shift · Mar 9, 2016

GoBlues38 said:
9 months, the only thing I would be worried about would be flat spots on the tires.

If she truly does not want to drive it. the wash and wax the car. Get it up on jack stands in the corner of the garage. Disco the battery, and wait the 9 months.

The only issue with this is. Heaven forbid something happen to the home, you would not be able to move the car in an emergency. My uncle has a 75 corvette with 9,xxx miles. extreme garage queen. They had a chimney fire when out of town. But the son knew where the keys were and got the car out while firetrucks were on the way.

If it would have been on jack stands with a disco'd battery, he would have lost the car.

I'd make sure the insurance policy would cover the full value of the car, so if something like that happens, at least he's covered and the car is still being produced, and replaced.

montreal ponies · Mar 9, 2016

Here is what i would do.

Leave car inside garage ( if it fits ;) ), change oil if not fresh, fill up tank and add fuel stabilizer, remove battery and put it on a battery tender. Put car on jackstands , also put car cover on and forget about it....well that's easier said than done.

Hughespj47 · Mar 9, 2016

I pretty much agree with the above. Add the fuel stabilizer when fill the tank just before garaging it. A full tank leaves little space for air to condense its moisture. When you get back, change the oil and gently drive until the tank is about empty and put in fresh gas. I did something like this (without stabilizer) to my '65 Mustang and the gas did start to go south.

Another alternative is to siphon the gas out of the tank and use it in a car that runs on regular.

Caballus · Mar 11, 2016

Like some others, when on long deployments I fill the tank, add stabilizer, take the weight off the tires and disconnect the battery. On 67 Mustang I change the oil upon return. For newer cars I just drive, and haven't had an issue.

Break**with "CINC House" and the rest of the team you no doubt have a good support network, but you can add me to the support team. If you need anything PM. Got the advantage of good comm and free APO to APO shipping

.

9 months is a long one. As the saying goes, "For those who fight for it, freedom has a special flavor that the protected will never know"...and with folks like you around, will hopefully never need to know. God bless you and the family!

lemers · Mar 11, 2016

Shift said:
I'd make sure the insurance policy would cover the full value of the car, so if something like that happens, at least he's covered and the car is still being produced, and replaced.

I can drop the car down to "storage" for insurance and like everything it would be covered up to the Blue Book value.

For "storage" it would be covered if stolen, damaged in the garage or on the driveway. But if it's involved in a wreck out of the "storage" area, it's not covered at all.

-------------------------------------------------
2016 GT350 Magnetic w/Black Stripes / Black Roof /Tech Package, ETA 10 March (Bremerhaven, Germany), under MSRP

mustang_lurkers · Mar 11, 2016

My GT350 is being stored for 9 months now. Full tank with fuel stabilizer. It is in a car capsule with the car sitting on race ramps flat stoppers. I have a solar panel trickle charging the battery.

mustang_lurkers · Mar 11, 2016

Here is a picture.
IMG_0693.jpeg

raiderjatt02 · Mar 11, 2016

mustang_lurkers said:
Here is a picture.
IMG_0693.jpeg

You might want to try re-uploading the picture. I'm curious to see how it's sitting.

To Store or Not To Store

lemers

Globetrotter

MAV

Well-Known Member

GDP

Well-Known Member

cjm1261

Member

GoBlues38

Well-Known Member

lemers

Globetrotter

GoBlues38

Well-Known Member

Shift

Well-Known Member

montreal ponies

Well-Known Member

Hughespj47

HughesPJ47

Caballus

Well-Known Member

lemers

Globetrotter

mustang_lurkers

Well-Known Member

mustang_lurkers

Well-Known Member

raiderjatt02

Well-Known Member