Vehicle: 2017 Civic 43,000 miles and 2015 Mazda 3 84,000 miles, both are manual transmissions
We will be gone for 2-3 months and will not be using our cars. Cars will be stored in locked garage. Is there anything we should do to avoid problems driving our cars when we return? We live in Hawaii. Thank you
3 months is nothing they'll be fine.
If you absolutely have to do something, then unhook the batteries. Or put a trickle charger on them.
Put more air in the tires so you don't have flat spots when you get back in.
Thank you - I will do what you advised.
You might want to fill up with fresh gas, adding a stabilizer like STA-BIL. Without a stabilizer additive modern gas starts deteriorating within a few months.
The gas deteriorating - I never knew that. We also have a 1997 Mazda B2300 that we hardly ever use; I think the gas in there is over a year old! Yikes....
It varies how long you can get away with it due to environmental conditions and other factors. Also an older car will be less sensitive than newer ones. Look up the shelf life of gasoline with ethanol. (I use Sta-Bil additive in my vehicles that see little use, as well as cans of gas used for lawn and garden equipment.)
well the question is do you want a full tank of degraded gas, or do you fill up when you get back so it's fresh. I'd love to see testing done on that.
Good point. (Also depends on how good a job the stabilizer does. Maybe a good Project Farm test?) For winter storage you want a full tank to prevent condensation. In Hawaii that's obviously not a consideration.
The air in Hawaii is fairly humid. It just takes a little overnight chill for the dew to drop.
With long term storage, the things you need to think about are the following:
- Fluids: Oil/Brake Fluid/Power Steering/Transmission Fluid
- Gas
- Electrical (Battery)
- Environment --> Affecting Storage
The old adage of changing oil at 6 months and ATF at 50,000 miles still rings true.
Gas can go bad, 2-3 month's isn't terrible. Gas CAN go bad in that time but it's very rare. You usually want a full tank of gas before going into storage to preserve the octane/potency/concentration of the gas. Less gas = holds concentration less = higher probability of going bad.
- As others have stated, you can/could have put a fuel stabiliser, but this should have been before going into storage. Not sure if after storage is still good.
Personal Experience:
Our family has a PT Crusier that's been in storage for about 10 years. All the fluid needs to be replaced. Batteries dead as, tires are flat too.
We'd need to tow the car to a mechanic, change all the fluids, drain + remove the gas, then check all the parts to if any seals have dried out.
I would drain the gas as low as you can, then put ethanol free in it if you can, and run it for a bit to get all the ethanol out of it.
As was mentioned, sta bil is a good idea, but if you can get ethanol free gas in it, 3 months is not that bad. Better safe than sorry though.
I'm very grateful for all of your expert advice and for this car forum. Its been very helpful to me.
Mahalo!
I'm very grateful for all of your expert advice and for this car forum. Its been very helpful to me.
Mahalo!