What should you do to properly prepare your vehicle for car storage? It is a bit more complicated than just driving your car to an indoor auto storage facility and leaving it for months. There are steps you should take to make sure your vehicle survives the storage experience.
That’s correct, we said “survives,” so read this article and then call us at (817) 999-0980 if you have any other questions. We are Fort Worth Car Storage, and protecting your automobile is our business.
How to prepare for car storage.
Whether you need to arrange for car storage for one month, six months, or more, there are certain steps you should take to insure the safety of your vehicle, and those steps are:
- Find climate controlled car storage
- Fill up the gas tank
- Fill up the tires
- Change your oil before storing
- Cover your vehicle
- Make sure of insurance coverage.
Let’s take a closer look at each one of those steps.
Climate controlled car storage
You may not think you need to pay for climate control, but you would be wrong in thinking that. It is worth the extra cost, so plan on paying it. Climate control protects your vehicle against oxidation, and oxidation occurs in any situation where the climate could change drastically. Extreme heat and extreme cold can damage wood surfaces, leather surfaces, cloth surfaces, and electronic components. In other words, extreme changes in temperature can damage practically every aspect of your vehicle.
Fill up the gas tank!
A full gas tank will prevent moisture from forming in your gas tank, moisture which will affect your engine over time.
Fill up those tires!
Over time, temperature changes will either inflate or deflate your tires. Also, if tires sit in one position for too long, and they are underinflated, a flat spot will form on your tires, and that flat spot will cause an unsmooth ride in the future.
Change your oil!
Clean oil will prevent sludge from forming in your engine as the engine sits idle. Prevent this by changing the old oil out and replacing it with clean oil.
Cover your vehicle!
Even while in vehicle storage, it is possible for your car to be hit by flying debris, a kicked-up rock, etc., and by putting a cover over your car or truck, that future accident can be avoided.
Finally, check your insurance.
You never really know what your insurance company will cover, so ask them about car storage coverage, and while you are at it, check with the car storage facility about their liability insurance coverage.
Take those steps and then choose the auto storage facility which best matches your needs.
We are Fort Worth Car Storage, serving the Greater Fort Worth area. Contact us today! We are locally owned and operated by a car collector and enthusiast, so we know what it takes to keep a vehicle safe for months of storage. Give us a call and we will gladly talk to you about car storage. What good is our experience and knowledge if we can’t share it with others?