Leaving My Car For 3 Months!

[Zaver]

Hey guyz, Im going back to my home country for holidays and will be leaving my Car back at Uni which has a gated car park, where no one can enter..

The thing i wanted to know is what will i have to do before leaving it there for 3 months without anyone even starting the car..

Security for the car isnt a problem because no one can enter that car park without a key.. So the only thing i could think of was

Car Cover for it... Please throw in your views of what else i have to do...

[Mayuri Krab]

Car cover & disconnect/remove the battery.

Also I read that any petrol left in the tank for extended periods of time, its RON # will go down?

So don't leave a full tank in there...

[mickey]

Or if you got a mate ask him to put a battery charger on it every couple of weeks to top it up.

Pain in the arse resetting all your audio and clock

[Hakosuka22]

I left mine for for 4 months and get back to it this weekend : ). All I did was run down as much fuel as possible and leave just a sniff in there to get to a servo, disconected the battery and manually locked all doors and boot and the steering columb. Car cover and was stored in garage. I hope I did everything right. Im a little bit worried about oil but its getting dropped almost immediatly. Only time will tell...

[TRB-001]

lol u dont need to worry about oil or fuel.... if you have OCD, then yeah run it low before u leave it the fill it up wen u get back.

just remove the fuses for the fuel pump and ignition (under dash, near drivers knee) and chuck a car cover on there.

just be aware u may need a jump start wen u get back to it depend on how good your battery is.

also dont leave stuff visible, and it put a steering wheel lock on there.... the type of security your describing is pretty poor in the eyes of a car thief

[Zaver]

Is it written there which fuse is for the fuel pump and ignition or is there a number on it??

[TRB-001]

not sure with your car, it may be in japanese.

if your not sure, another easy way is to disconnect the battery and put a padlock thru the terminal so knowone can put it back on

[Zaver]

Should i be inflating the tyres to like 45 psi or so , so it doesnt deflate too much by the time im back?

[mattie09]

hide the keys from your mates...hey man how secure is the uni parking? undercover? i would be watching out for things like hail falling tree branches. Crims arnt dumb if they see it left not moved for 3 months they will catch on n pros will pinch it quick smart. my miss's car was an 80's civic bomb and we left it out the front n it got pinchd 2weeks into the holidays. my mate pays something like $200 a month to store his shit at one of those rent a space places. Just some ideas.

[Zaver]

Well the compound parking is quite secure as it has huge fences all over .. and im taking my keys back with me.. A friend of mine is going to be here, but just cant trust anyone with the keys of my car... Its not covered.. its open from the top..

I went to autobarn the other day to buy a car cover and he told me not to put one, if i wouldnt be here for a long time as if it rains on the cover and i dont remove and put the cover back, the cover can remove some chemicals on the paint, So he gave me an idea to put a thick layer of wax and leave it there... Any suggestions?

[Zaver]

Im Confused

Should i put a car cover or not??

[gotRICE?]

I did it not long ago.

Just disconnect the battery, lock it up, put the car cover over it and walk away.

When you get back, connect it up, and crank it over. I had instant oil pressure, and the battery was sweet too. Some people get paranoid about the oil.

[indy64]

I get paranoid about the oil but I usually leave the car for a few months with 3g done on the oil so I just flush it before I drive it. And no, don't warm it up before you flush it, drain it cold and pour some fresh oil with the sump plug off. All the oil from the head would of drained down in the 3 months for sure Not sure what to do about the car cover in the sun and rain but if you get a $50+ cover like mine it's made with fabric on the inside so it won't stick to your paintwork. I leave mine garaged though. Just get a decent cover over $50 thats a waterproof fabric material and your paintwork will be fine. If you put wax on it for sure your paint work will be affected in the sun. Disconnect the battery, take it out and leave it somewhere warm and dry. Leave the car with as little fuel as possible and plug up the exhaust. Make sure the car's clean before you cover it.

[Tony de Wonderful]

I'm doing that same tonight. Have shoulder surgery tomorrow and probably won't be driving for 2 months or so.

I was gonna wash it first, then disconnect battery then car cover.

It's in a secure car park where I can see it everyday and it's just outside the window of my flat.

One thing is my car cover just stretches on apart from one tiny rope in the middle. I've got some straps of my own to put over it for secondary security. Wind could easily get under a cover that is just 'stretched on' and blow it off one end of the car.

[Zaver]

Well then im going to give it a nice wax.. As well as put a waterproof car cover for it...

Was just looking at some car covers and would anyone know what size would fit my r34... would a large that is 5m long fit?

[Tony de Wonderful]

Well then im going to give it a nice wax.. As well as put a waterproof car cover for it...

Was just looking at some car covers and would anyone know what size would fit my r34... would a large that is 5m long fit?

I use a medium one made by 'gear up' for my 33. It is good for up to 4.7 m.

It is ever so slightly small but the 'large' size is WAY to baggy.

You should be ok w/ the 34 then for medium.

[JiN_MaN]

If you have an alarm and your battery goes flat (or you disconnect it) the back up battery will fire up and your alarm will go off.

[tridentt150v]

I wouldn't bother washing or waxing it, car covers let fine dust and pollen through all the time. So you'd only have to wash and wax it when you get back as well. If you go with a car cover you'll need a waterproof one and they aren't always lined on the inside, so you may need to get a lined one and a waterproof one as well and double skin it. I'd also buy a bag of longer occy straps and use these to hold the car covers on because they never have enough tie down straps on them and will blow off.

Your tyres and such will be OK, might flatten a bit but will round out again in the first few miles, you'll notice a slight patter patter and shudder until they do. Battery, as everyone says, disconnect it. Steering lock, disconnect the fuel pump and probably remove a front wheel and take it away, that won't stop the expert but will slow everyone down to the point where they'll look for easier pickings.

If you can afford it, go to Vinnies [or Clark Rubber] and buy three foam matresses/foam sheeting and attach these to the car with some of those occy straps, instant hail protection for under $50 or so.

[rgr34]

i wreckon u should rent ur car out for the 3 months make some money haha jk honestly id just dc the battery and leave low fuel in it, mayb when u get back get a new jerry can of fuel put it in before u start it... also removing fuse for ignition or something mayb an option....car covers are ok if its out in the elements as long as its water proof...

Edited November 3, 2009 by rgr34