Prepare your car for car storage? What does that mean? What steps need to be taken and is the car owner capable of taking those steps? We will answer all of those questions in this article. We are Mouser Self Storage, serving South Fort Worth/Johnson County from our Alvarado location. Call us at 682-800-3949 for information about self storage prices and availability.
Now, let’s talk about car storage and preparation for vehicle storage.
Short term car storage vs long term car storage.
Before we go too far down this vehicle storage rabbit hole, we need to distinguish between short-term storage and long-term self storage. There is no specific time range in determining short-term vs long-term; it is more a matter of common sense.
Most car owners would feel comfortable in parking their car or truck for a week without taking any precautionary action. But would you feel comfortable doing so for two weeks? Three weeks? A month or more?
If you are only parking your car or truck for a week, common sense would dictate no steps are really necessary. However, once we start talking about weeks of storage, or months of storage, it is advisable that certain steps be taken to ensure that your vehicle will be fine when you need it again.
What steps to take for long term vehicle storage.
We recommend these steps be taken before long-term car storage:
- Clean the car thoroughly
- Cover the vehicle
- Top off the gas tank
- Keep the battery charged
- Do not set the parking brake
- Inflate the tires to recommended air pressure
- Maintain insurance
Cleaning the car will make sure there is no dirt or debris which may harm the paint or cause rust spots. Covering the vehicle will protect it from the day-to-day activities at the car storage facility. Topping off the gas tank prevents moisture from forming in the tank. Keeping the battery charged will prevent you from finding a dead battery when it is time to drive your car. Setting the battery brake runs the risk of the brake and brake pads fusing over a lengthy time of non-use. Inflating tires prevents flat tires upon your return, and maintaining insurance, although an added cost, will simply give you peace of mind while you are away.
When in doubt, play it safe.
Your vehicle is a major investment and as such should be treated like a major investment. The steps mentioned above will take no more than an hour to perform, and that hour will save you countless hours of inconvenience and, quite possible, thousands of dollars in repair bills. Isn’t a one-hour investment in time a small price to pay for that peace of mind? Of course it is!
Which leaves us, again, with the question what is long-term storage? AAA recommends the steps mentioned above be performed if you are storing your car for thirty days or longer. If you truly want to play it safe, perform them if you are storing your car for longer than two weeks.
A final word about Mouser Self Storage.
Mouser Self Storage has it all for your storage needs, from car storage to RV self storage to hobby shop storage to boat storage units.
Call us today and ask us about current prices and availability, and for North Fort Worth, ask about our sister company, Blue Mound 287 Self Storage.