3-6 Month Covered Storage - Toyota Vigo

[Harmonica]

Truck has under 10K Km. -- will be stored under covered, but not enclosed parking -- during my overseas trip.

Is it enough to just run the engine once/week (GF can do this) for say, 10-15 mins. (& move the auto gears up and down)?

Have been told that the tyres could harden and crack if the vehicle is not actually driven -- true? If so, what would be the minimum # times per month that the truck should be driven? A few km. OK each time?

Better on blocks?

Any advice/suggestions welcome.

[chuchok]

IMHO, running the engine for a good 10/15 mins is fine.If the tyres harden and crack in this short amout of time i'd make the manufacturer eat them.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

IMHO, running the engine for a good 10/15 mins is fine.If the tyres harden and crack in this short amout of time i'd make the manufacturer eat them.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm not comin' to dinner at your place Chuchok. One vever knows what'll be on the menu

[Thetyim]

Up on blocks would be better but up to 6 months should be OK for the tyres but do keep them in the shade and obviosly pumped up.

[Harmonica]

IMHO, running the engine for a good 10/15 mins is fine.If the tyres harden and crack in this short amout of time i'd make the manufacturer eat them.

[davethailand]

Even better, disconnect the battery. If you cover it i can't see a problem with the tyres.

The best solution would be to give it to me while your gone and i'l take care of it for you.

[Harmonica]

Even better, disconnect the battery. If you cover it i can't see a problem with the tyres.

The best solution would be to give it to me while your gone and i'l take care of it for you.  

[Im Luvvinit]

lift the windscreen wipers away from the sceen an inch or so and put something between the arm and the screen to keep the wiper off the glass.

When you get back they will be usable as opposed to disentegrated.

disconnect the battery, place on blocks, if petrol vehicle remove spark plugs and spray wd40 or equivalent into each cylinder and replace spark plugs. leave for 6 months. OR have her indoors run it up to temperature once a week (better)

here's the part NOT no forget. dont use the handbrake if its a manual vehicle, this will become seized on over time.

Either put chocks under the wheels or leave in "park" if an auto.

Bon Voyage

[ajahnlau]

Been leaving vehicles for 6 mo. periods for a number of years. The vehicle gets started and air-con turned on about once a mo. I also have the vehicle moved about 2ft each time so the tires don't square. Come back and away you go.

[Gazza]

Disconnect battery. Starting it up every so often may not charge the battery unless you know the charging system and at what revs it charges the battery. Otherwise you may be taking out more power each time starting it up than what is put back in.

If it's a petrol engine, remove plugs and squirt in engine oil.

Change the oil if you haven't done so regularly. Old oil contains contaminents that can affect bearings.

Use a breathable cover so that trapped condensation can escape. Maybe giving it a few coats of wax might be an idea too.

[Thetyim]

Take the keys with you so that half the village doesn't use it

[taxexile]

3 months , not too much to worry about , but for 6 months someone should run the aircon for a few minutes each week , wipers up , move the car a few feet as suggested so as not to "flat "the tyres , handbrake off , and you should find some way of ventilating the interior so that the humidity can disperse and you dont come back to a green interior.

completely cover the car with a cotton sheet.

change the brake fluid when you return as brake fluid is hygroscopic and will absorb water. i think diesel fuel goes off if left too long ( sedimentation??? ), but i'm not 100% sure on that.

prepare yourself for a welcome back by millions of insects that will have made a home in your car.

but really , your best bet is to get someone to drive the thing for an hour a week.

cars deteriorate quickly if left unused.

[Harmonica]

Up on blocks would be better but up to 6 months should be OK for the tyres but do keep  them in the shade and  obviosly pumped up.

Up on blocks would dispense with the liability of the "flat-tyre" phenomenon -- but one would still need to have the engine brought upto temp.; wouldn't one?

Shade, no problem -- tyre pressure @ 30 for normal driving -- leave @ this or pump them up some more?

Thanks

[Harmonica]

lift the windscreen wipers away from the sceen an inch or so and put something between the arm and the screen to keep the wiper off the glass.

When you get back they will be usable as opposed to disentegrated.

disconnect the battery, place on blocks, if petrol vehicle remove spark plugs and spray wd40 or equivalent into each cylinder and replace spark plugs. leave for 6 months. OR have her indoors run it up to temperature once a week (better)

here's the part NOT no forget. dont use the handbrake if its a manual vehicle, this will become seized on over time.

Either put chocks under the wheels or leave in "park" if an auto.

Bon Voyage

Its a diesel (Toyota Vgo) automatic ..... windscreen wipers, OK, understood.

Indoors, run upto temp. once a week + chocks

Am I understanding this to mean that driving the truck a few Km. per week or month is NOT required?

Thanks

[Harmonica]

Been leaving vehicles for 6 mo. periods for a number of years. The vehicle gets started and air-con turned on about once a mo. I also have the vehicle moved about 2ft each time so the tires don't square. Come back and away you go.

Encouraging! Was any one of the vehicles a pickup truck? -- any relatively new vehicles left thusly?

Thanks

[Harmonica]

3 months , not too much to worry about , but for 6 months someone should run the aircon for a few minutes each week , wipers up , move the car a few feet as suggested so as not to "flat "the tyres , handbrake off , and you should find some way of ventilating the interior so that the humidity can disperse and you dont come back to a green interior.

completely cover the car with a cotton sheet.

change the brake fluid when you return as brake fluid is hygroscopic and will absorb water. i think diesel fuel goes off if left too long ( sedimentation??? ), but i'm not 100% sure on that.

prepare yourself for a welcome back by millions of insects that will have made a home in your car.

but really , your best bet is to get someone to drive the thing for an hour a week.

cars deteriorate quickly if left unused.

so if I leave it for, let's say 6 months, once every year and do this regularly for the next several years -- despite having someone start engine/aircon once weekly & move the car a few feet -- deterioration will have already set in during the FIRST 6 mos.? Is this pretty much what you are implying?

Clarification appreciated -- thanks.

[aletta]

I've always just taken the battery out and left the handbreak off and not had any probs.

[taxexile]

harmonica , go to the following website,

www.honestjohn.co.uk

from the menu on the left on the homepage go to

"the backroom" page

in the search box at the top of that page type "storing a car"

and you should get a dozen answers to questions relating to storing cars for months / years etc.

i have cut and pasted one reply below.

During the summer it will be better for the car to be driven a reasonable distance occasionally (do you know anyone with trade insurance and plates who could do this without the necessity of taxing and insuring the car?). During the winter it will probably be better to lay the car up. Briefly, prior to laying up, completely drain and thoroughly flush the cooling system using a product such as Holts \'Radflush\' Parts 1 and 2. Refill the cooling system with a pre-mixed MPG Trigard coolant such as Comma \'Coldstream\', which lasts four years rather than the two years of conventional MEG coolants and the year or less of Methanol coolants. Renew the engine oil and filter, grease the battery terminals with petroleum jelly, don\'t garage the car unless it is thoroughly dry (best to take it for a long run immediately prior to laying up to evaporate any condensation in the exhaust system), and don\'t blip the accelerator before switching off (this leaves unburned petrol in the exhaust system). A new product which helps prevent corrosion in cylinder barrels by absorbing condensation is Stortech \'Storage Plugs\', which replace the spark plugs (remember to number the leads when you remove them). These cost £16.95 for a set of four from Richbrook International on 0171 381 0777 - make sure the reach is right for a Saab 900 16v head. When you leave the car, disconnect both terminals of the battery. Store the car in a dry, well-aired garage, shed, barn or warehouse (the more air around the car the better). Consider investing in a dehumidifier or a \'Carcoon\' (tel. 0161 737 9630). Leave the windows slightly open. Cover the car with a cotton sheet. Pump the tyres about 5 psi over pressure and move the car backwards and forwards occasionally to prevent the tyres flat spotting. Give the battery a top-up charge once a month, press the clutch and brake pedals a few times every fortnight. There\'s not much you can do about the brake discs rusting except to store the car when dry in a dry place. Leave the handbrake off to prevent the cable stretching and the rear brakes seizing on. Don\'t leave the car with a lot of petrol in the tank as this will evaporate and degrade, and when you fill up to use the car again be sure to fill the tank with top quality petrol, such as Shell Super or Texaco CleanSystem 3 Super. Before re-starting, either fit an in-line fuel filter if the car does not have one or replace the fuel filter if the car does have one to be sure of picking up any debris or gums from the tank. When you want to re-start the car, either turn the engine over with a wrench or turn it over using the starter motor with the ignition disconnected to circulate some oil before starting it.

hope you find the info. you need.

its a uk website and some of the advice relates to the cold,miserable,damp,gloomy,depressing,wet,foggy,icy,lukewarm weather we get over there

any car will deteriorate if its not used for a while , you just have to set things up so that the deterioration is kept to a minimum.

your best bet is to get someone to run it round the block every week.

[Harmonica]

harmonica , go to the following website,

www.honestjohn.co.uk

from the menu on the left on the homepage go to

"the backroom" page

in the search box at the top of that page type "storing a car"

and you should get a dozen answers to questions relating to storing cars for months / years etc.

i have cut and pasted one reply below.

During the summer it will be better for the car to be driven a reasonable distance occasionally (do you know anyone with trade insurance and plates who could do this without the necessity of taxing and insuring the car?). During the winter it will probably be better to lay the car up. Briefly, prior to laying up, completely drain and thoroughly flush the cooling system using a product such as Holts \'Radflush\' Parts 1 and 2. Refill the cooling system with a pre-mixed MPG Trigard coolant such as Comma \'Coldstream\', which lasts four years rather than the two years of conventional MEG coolants and the year or less of Methanol coolants. Renew the engine oil and filter, grease the battery terminals with petroleum jelly, don\'t garage the car unless it is thoroughly dry (best to take it for a long run immediately prior to laying up to evaporate any condensation in the exhaust system), and don\'t blip the accelerator before switching off (this leaves unburned petrol in the exhaust system). A new product which helps prevent corrosion in cylinder barrels by absorbing condensation is Stortech \'Storage Plugs\', which replace the spark plugs (remember to number the leads when you remove them). These cost £16.95 for a set of four from Richbrook International on 0171 381 0777 - make sure the reach is right for a Saab 900 16v head. When you leave the car, disconnect both terminals of the battery. Store the car in a dry, well-aired garage, shed, barn or warehouse (the more air around the car the better). Consider investing in a dehumidifier or a \'Carcoon\' (tel. 0161 737 9630). Leave the windows slightly open. Cover the car with a cotton sheet. Pump the tyres about 5 psi over pressure and move the car backwards and forwards occasionally to prevent the tyres flat spotting. Give the battery a top-up charge once a month, press the clutch and brake pedals a few times every fortnight. There\'s not much you can do about the brake discs rusting except to store the car when dry in a dry place. Leave the handbrake off to prevent the cable stretching and the rear brakes seizing on. Don\'t leave the car with a lot of petrol in the tank as this will evaporate and degrade, and when you fill up to use the car again be sure to fill the tank with top quality petrol, such as Shell Super or Texaco CleanSystem 3 Super. Before re-starting, either fit an in-line fuel filter if the car does not have one or replace the fuel filter if the car does have one to be sure of picking up any debris or gums from the tank. When you want to re-start the car, either turn the engine over with a wrench or turn it over using the starter motor with the ignition disconnected to circulate some oil before starting it.

hope you find the info. you need.

its a uk website and some of the advice relates to the cold,miserable,damp,gloomy,depressing,wet,foggy,icy,lukewarm weather we get over there

any car will deteriorate if its not used for a while , you just have to set things up so that the deterioration is kept to a minimum.

your best bet is to get someone to run it round the block every week.

Yeah, that certainly helped -- the website has everything I need. Thanks!

Why the persistence on my part? In July-October last year, in So. California, had a Jeep Cherokee just basically blowup on me -- tyres cracked and crumbling; radiator belching lava etc. Had a bitching stereo in there -- all gone; just gave the car to the tow-truck fellow. All this after storing it for just 1 year under covered parking -- disconnected the battery and, of course, nobody drove it.

That car had taken me to many places -- in fact all the way thru' to Central America and back, including 12,000 miles in Mexico alone. It was well serviced and the oil was changed about every 6k miles.

[Gary A]

Other than lifting the wiper blades I would do nothing. It will be just fine. A friend of mine wrapped his car in plastic and when he came back the interior was destroyed by mildew. Have someone air it out once a month or so and don't worry about it. Have a nice trip.