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How do people store their cars in garages for long periods of time? Windows open, cracked or sealed etc? Tyres over pressured?
Any tips would be great
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My dad had his up on stands, wheels off and underneath, windows open an inch and covered in bed sheets, kept the dust off but still allowed air through, was like that for 3 years. Run up to temp once a week. Was a dry and well ventilated garage, I'd skip the sheets if you get any condensation build up in there otherwise the covers will hold the moisture
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Shut the door, forget about it, wonder why it's rotten by the next time you go and look at it!
Air movement is good, so windows open is a must. I wouldn't take the wheels off, but jacked up is a good idea, even if it's just a house brick shoved under the suspension so when the tyres go flat the cars whole weight isn't on them. Big thing for me is put it away dry. If it rains on the day you wanted to get it indoors, leave it and do it again the next day. I've seen rust bubbles on brake backing plates that were in the shape of the water droplets from putting a car away wet.
A battery smart charger is a worthwhile tool too.
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1968 Cal Look Beetle - 2007cc motor - 14.45@93mph in full street trim
1970-ish Karmann Beetle cabriolet - project soon to be re-started.
1986 Scirocco - big plans, one day!
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Wilk
Part of things
Posts: 528 
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Personally I'd stay well clear if smart chargers if using lead acid batteries
I've tried 2 dedicated good quality chargers and both boil off the acid over time, wrecking the batteries.
Found it better to remove battery and give it a boost charge every month or so. I've now had my last battery for 4 years and it's still going strong
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If it can be fixed with a hammer, then it must be an electrical fault
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I'm going to go against the grain on this and say keep the Windows closed
Now this is to do with the type of garage you have my garage can suffer from condensation (cold night sun hits it early and warms the air up inside much quicker than the colder objects inside ie the car)
so if you leave the Windows open the inside of the car gets damp and can suffer from mould and of course dust
For the same reason covering it with sheets etc is not good because they will hold moisture/dampness
I also don't jack it up because by taking the weight off the suspension your putting the suspension in a position it's not used to and as the bushes etc are normally tightened in its running/loaded hight there now going to be in a stressed position for a long period of time
You can get things to put under the tyres to prevent flat spots
But I've only ever had one car that suffered from flat spots and that's because the tyres were old and needed replacing anyway
Battery
Disconnect it and remove it
Batteries can suffer from condensation for the same reasons as above hot/cold so the outside of the battery can get wet and that water can then rot out the battery tray so best remove it
I also wouldn't recommend starting it up because just running it at idle won't burn off any condensation in the exhaust or oil/engine
If it has a metal fuel tank the best option is to fill it up before storage so it can't rust from the inside out add a little two stroke oil because that stops the fuel drying out and going flakey but this is based on how long your going to be storing it
This is all based on my experience
I have many cars and most of them don't get a lot of use
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1992 240 Volvo T8
1955 Cadillac
1994 BMW E34 M5 (now sold )
1999 BMW E36 sport touring x2
1967 Hillman imp Californian "rally spec"
1971 VW bay window (work in progress)
1999 Mazda 323F
1987 Jaguar XJ12
All current
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