Is anyone else putting their car in storage?

[butterfingers2010]

I was wondering if anyone else has put their car in storage while in grad school and what kind of maintenence you had done on it while its in storage, if any. I'm moving to Chicago and am not bringing my car with me. It will be staying at my parents house, where it will be driven very occasionally, aside from being moved every few days (to avoid parking tickets on the street). I thought about selling it, but I'm only going to be in school for two years and I may need a car after I graduate, should I decide to move from Chicago. If I decide to stay in Chicago for work, I'll probably just sell it then.

I got the oil changed today (it was due for it and I will be driving the car another two months yet) at which time they reccomended a number of maintenence tasks that should be done. Nothing immediate, but something that should be looked into at the time of the next oil change. This included a tune-up, replacing the belt, and replacing the fuel filter. The brake fluid is also 'discolored." I'm assuming all of this would set me back at least a few hundred dollars, however I don't really want to fork more money over unless its abosutely necesssary. As I said, it won't be driven much at all and I may even end up selling it in the end. I do need it to at least be in good enough condition two years down the road that I could drive it regularily again, at which time I could get all the necessary work done. Money is kind of tight for me right now-I'm qutting my full-time job in two months, and moving is turning out to be more expensive than I originally thought. I need funds for moving as well as for living expenses for three weeks in Chicago until my student loans are disbursed. To top it off, I have to get some dental work done (another couple hundred dollars, at least) soon.

So with all that in consideration, do I pay to get this done now, or wait until its really necessary? (they assured me that it isn't right now and that my car will not break down anytime soon). Maybe I'm being a little overly anxious about this, but my car is my baby and up until now, has been quite spoiled. : )

[Eigen]

So depending on how infrequently it's going to be driven, it's a good idea to drain the gas tank.

Gas sitting for long periods builds up sediment, and also gives the small portion of water in the tank time to rust the interior.

Also, ask for a quote. None of the things you mention should be nearly as expensive as you seem to think- I'd put them at under a hundred bucks all told. That said, none of them are really necessary if you're not driving it much either.

Edited July 13, 2012 by Eigen

[TropicalCharlie]

First, it sounds like you are heading for a major tune up if they are recommending that you replace the belt, which I am assuming is the timing belt. Timing belt replacement costs anywhere from $500-700. Brake fluid flush shouldn't cost you too much or if you have a mechanically savvy friend, they may be able to do it for you. Is your mileage approaching 100k? Usually timing belts are replaced at this point. Dealerships are known to recommend replacement much earlier than this, but it is not necessary. Since you are not planning to use the car much during the next two years, these maintenance items can definitely be deferred.

Is there a reason why you are not taking your car to Chicago? I am not familiar with Chicago but have heard that parking can be an issue. It sounds like you are very attached to the car. Moving it around every few days will become a chore for your parents and get old real fast. If you sell it, you can put the money in a cd account or something similar. The money will sit there and make you a bit more while you are in school.

[Sigaba]

So depending on how infrequently it's going to be driven, it's a good idea to drain the gas tank.

Gas sitting for long periods builds up sediment, and also gives the small portion of water in the tank time to rust the interior.

Also, ask for a quote. None of the things you mention should be nearly as expensive as you seem to think- I'd put them at under a hundred bucks all told. That said, none of them are really necessary if you're not driving it much either.

To add on to Eigen's point, a car that is driven infrequently is going to have sediment issues as well. (i went through a stretch where I was driving fewer than 50 miles a week because I was living about two minutes from my job. My mechanic cued me in on the sedimentary issue and told me I need to stretch the car's legs regularly.)

[Bimmerman]

Car guy here. To directly answer your question, sorta-- the daily driver came with me carrying all my stuff while the racecar stayed back home in time out since I needed to rebuild the engine.

What I did to put it in storage:

1. first, tell your insurance company you want to "lay up" the car, not pull the insurance. You will pay a really low rate that still covers it for freak accidents like trees falling on it, people crashing into it, etc, but you cannot drive it on 'lay up.' The benefit to this, aside from being insured against damage, is that when you do start driving it again you and it still have an insurance history (i.e. lower rate)
   
2. don't drain the tank but instead use gas stabilizer. I used this and my car fired right up 6 months later without issue. You can get this at autozone/o'reilly/napa/etc parts store
   
3. you don't need to change the brake fluid despite its color IF it is just going to sit for years. The reason you change brake fluid is because moisture gets in there which flashes to gas when the fluid is heated, causing mushy pedal and/or severely lengthened braking distances. However, brake fluid attracts moisture just sitting, so if you are going to let the car sit there is no reason to change the fluid-- you'll need to do it again anyway once you start driving the car.
   
4. Changing the oil and filter are good ideas. Do both.
   
5. Changing fuel filter is not a bad idea, but I wouldn't bother until after you start driving the car again. My reasoning is this: if the tank does get nasty even with fuel stabilizer, the fuel filter will protect your engine. I would change this AFTER you have run through whatever is left in the tank once you start driving.
   
6. I would not bother changing the air filter. It will only get dirtier, so don't bother until you start driving again.
   
7. Timing belt-- this I would replace. Contrary to common thought, the mileage on the belt is less important than the age of the belt. I would replace it now and expect to replace it again after the two years, or wait until you start driving again to change it.
   
8. Cooling system hoses-- these tend to age out. If they are hardened or rough or have a broken up texture, replace them before use.
   
9. Coolant- change this too once you start driving again.
   

Hope that helps! The big thing is to use fuel stabilizer OR drain the tank. The other things are less important. All of these things are easy to do with a cheap set of sockets and wrenches, you don't need to pay a mechanic to do this sort of super basic stuff (timing belt excluded, that's a bit major).

[butterfingers2010]

Thanks everyone! I hope this advice is helpful for others who are also storing their cars or not driving it much. I can rest happy now knowing that my baby will be okay while I'm away at school : )

[rising_star]

In a lot of cars, it makes sense to replace the water pump at the same time as the timing belt...

FWIW, if I knew that I wouldn't need my car for two years, I would sell it. You'll get more money now than you will two years from now and have the added advantage of avoiding maintenance costs. I rarely drive my car but I still end up spending more than $500 a year on routine maintenance.

[butterfingers2010]

I'd love to sell my car, and even thought about it, but I decided I would rather keep my optios open for after graduation. I'm getting into some pretty big debt with grad school and I highly doubt I would be in the financial position to buy a new (or even nicer used) car after graduation. It's a great, reliable car that has not had any issues thus far (other than normal aging wear and tear and routine maintenence) and the mileage is not terribly high, either. When your finances are so limited you are always thinking two (or five!) steps ahead. My salary will double after grad school, but sadly much of that extra money will go toward student loans. : (