What procedures to take, my car won't be used for 6 or so months

[elliss]

 

     Handbrake off , otherwise it will probably seize in the ON position .

  Run the fuel down too nearly empty ,  on your return put fresh juice in the tank ,

    re-charge your battery , and off you go ..

 

 

Edited July 26, 2020 by elliss

[tifino]

2 minutes ago, elliss said:

 

     Handbrake off , otherwise it will probably seize in the ON position .

  Run the fuel down too nearly empty ,  on your return put fresh juice in the tank ,

    re-charge your battery , and off you go ..

 

 

the more 'emptier' the tank - the more condensation

 (damned if you do, damned if you don't)

 

[Justgrazing]

On 7/25/2020 at 7:23 AM, villageidiotY2K said:

3.wd40 the brake pads

When you say WD the pads are you talking about just a quick spray onto the pad locating lugs to prevent them sticking in the saddle channel they move in .? 

If that is how I understand it just a tiny amount directed by the red tube should suffice if you can get to them .. do not overspray or spray outside of those channel or it will contaminate the friction material of the pad .. 

 

Edited July 26, 2020 by Justgrazing
Sp

[ericthai]

On 7/25/2020 at 2:47 AM, toofarnorth said:

I would do as suggested by Kwasaki above.   Close off all vents , pump tyres to 40psi , disconnect battery . 

Actually you should deflate the tires to 10psi less than manufactures recommendation and then put the car on jack stands if it is going to sit more than 6 months. This will relax the rubber and prevent cracking.  (Note: There are theories of "Flat Spots" if a vehicle is stored on the ground, but newer tires are engineered to prevent this and any flat spots will be worked out within 100 miles (160 km) or so.)

 

For the fuel filling is good, but I would also had a fuel stabilizer.  

PS Make sure your insurance is up to date and not going to expire while gone. 

 

Good luck!

[bwpage3]

11 hours ago, Asquith Production said:

I used to put my car on axle stands if left for more than 4 months and take the wheels off. Otherwise your tyres could develop flat spots. You could then put the tyres out of the sun where they wont degrade.

You don't need to take the tires off, jack up the car, cover the tires with trash bags.

[Lancashirelad]

WD40 is primarily a moisture repellant. Spraying the brake DISCS with it will help to prevent light surface rust forming. No harm at all in doing this so long as you remember to wash it off before driving it. Easiest way is with aerosol brake cleaner. New discs come with a light oily/waxy coating on them, I've fitted dozens. However, as others have said, it isn't really necessary, any light surface rust will soon disappear after a few brake applications.

[KonaRain]

My friend did the same thing up here in Hawaii, (same latitude as Thailand) the brakes were frozen when he returned. It was in a plastic tarp built 'garage' Cat litter and rice, absorb moisture for interior..as mentioned above... Tires were up on blocks (logs) Good advice here..These guys are good!

Alohas

[DrPhibes]

9 hours ago, CygnusX1 said:

When I used to be able to travel before the China virus, I left my car unused for 6 months on several occasions with no problems, just parked under a carport.

I remove the battery and connect it to a battery maintainer (not just a charger), put Sta-Bil in the fuel tank, and inflate the tyres to 40psi or so. Never noticed flat spots in the tyres, and rust on the brake discs comes off quickly after a few hard stops. Be sure not to use an ethanol blend as fuel, as this can cause separation of the ethanol and petrol, leading to water contamination (the ethanol absorbs water from the atmosphere).

Sta-Bil or Sea Foam if available for fuel stabilization.  Used to leave a '99 KZ ZR-7 in a garage for 8mo a year with Sea Foam mixed in the gas and the battery off the terminals.  For 7 years it would have just enough juice left in the battery to fire up.  Would laugh every time it did.  The 8th yr forgot to put in Sea Foam, carb stuck had to take it to the shop.  On blocks is a good idea. 

[mike787]

Sell the junk...cars are not investments...

[Curt1591]

Jack stands

[brianthainess]

15 hours ago, captnhoy said:

I have done what you are doing. And YES - mice was a problem. I have since learned that if you load up your car inside and under the hood with the shavings of a very strong smelling bar of soap that keeps the mice away. What soap that is in Thailand I am not sure. I just use my knife to turn one good sized bar into shavings then spread them in the car, under the hood and on the ground under the engine. No mice. Not too difficult to clean up in the unlikely event that you can ever return. ????

Sorry but that s the most stupid suggestion, soap is made from bones, i have seen rats teeth marks on soap in my bathroom, after that i used it in rat traps to huge success. edit; I would also advise not to put rice in the car ie rat food.

Edited July 27, 2020 by brianthainess

[brianthainess]

21 hours ago, Pilotman said:

I would say that if you have someone you can trust, that you can leave with a set of keys,  who can run the car once a month, check the oil and tyres and keep the oil circulating, then that is by far the best idea. 

Why check the oil of an engine not being used. On return to get oil and fuel around the system, with a full battery, you could remove the plug leads and even the plugs and spin the engine over a few times, 

Edited July 27, 2020 by brianthainess

[villageidiotY2K]

Hello my friends, thanx for the interesting advices. 

As someone mentioned not to fill with ethanol mixed fuel, I currently use e20. 

While the car being stored, is it alright to pump up with 91?

 

Also what's the performance diff between e20 and e85? 

Mah car is model 2008 Honda city manual and gets around 15km per litre. The manual says use e20. 

Will e85 cause some rusty bits inside as it abosrbs water?

[Grumpy one]

Have the car serviced and detailed, don't forget to fill the fuel tank

Then give to wife's family to carefully look after it  

[HauptmannUK]

15 hours ago, villageidiotY2K said:

Hello my friends, thanx for the interesting advices. 

As someone mentioned not to fill with ethanol mixed fuel, I currently use e20. 

While the car being stored, is it alright to pump up with 91?

 

Also what's the performance diff between e20 and e85? 

Mah car is model 2008 Honda city manual and gets around 15km per litre. The manual says use e20. 

Will e85 cause some rusty bits inside as it abosrbs water?

E20 is 80% petrol and 20% ethanol.   E85 is 65-85% ethanol and the remainder petrol.

Do not run E85 unless you are sure its suitable for your car - I doubt that a 2008 Honda is suited to E85.

E85 has about 30% lower calorific value than regular petrol so your engine will produce less power and you'll use 30% more fuel for the distance covered.

The main snag with high ethanol fuels is that ethanol is corrosive toward light metals and rubber. It also absorbs water. E85 very much so.

I would try to fill with 100% petrol or E10 blend prior to storage. Keep a minimal amount in the tank and fill it up on your return.

[captnhoy]

On 7/27/2020 at 12:57 AM, brianthainess said:

Sorry but that s the most stupid suggestion, soap is made from bones, i have seen rats teeth marks on soap in my bathroom, after that i used it in rat traps to huge success. edit; I would also advise not to put rice in the car ie rat food.

Somehow I do not think you are really sorry. You do like that stupid word. I think the MOST stupid suggestion would be to use peanut butter as a deterrent. All I know is that the suggestion made to me in good faith by locals with successful experience emphasized that it had to be a heavily scented variety. Irish Spring was one and Coast was another. I omitted brand names in OP as they might be so region specific. My car was in storage from Oct until Mar and there was no sign of mice anywhere near it. So I guess I just got lucky and they had other food to eat.

[transam]

On 7/26/2020 at 10:05 AM, briofoz said:

Do not put WD40 on brakes.

 

Bucket of rice on the inside of the car to stop mould growth from moisture.

...........but stick a notice on the window..."NO RATS ALLOWED".............????