My Son parked his 99 Miatta in my garage when he went over seas for what he and I thought was a 2-3 month trip. It is now 2 years and although at first I would drive the car out of the garage and idle it in the driveway, it has now set idle for the last 6 months. Since the car is titled in his name, I can not get license plates or insurance. It does not appear he is returning any time soon, what can I do to best store the car?
Art
Change the oil to 5/30 Mobil 1 synthetic, with a new filter, and run it till it's hot. 20 minutes at 2K rpm will do it if you don't want to drive it. Flush the cooling system and then drain it. Drain the gas. Remove the battery. Store the car on jack stands or blocks in an unheated mouse-free garage. Deflate the tires. Seal the exhaust pipe and intake. Wax it lightly, but don't buff it. Use a car cover.
It will be as good as new when you return.
When you return, remove the cover, install the battery, fresh coolant, some gas, and remove the exhaust/intake seals. Inflate the tires. Pull the fuel injection relay and crank it over until there is oil pressure showing on the gauge. Put the relay back in and start it up. Wash it to remove any dust, and then buff the wax. Go for a drive.
Enjoy your travels, and ...
-- Best regards,
W.J. (Bill) Fischer Yellow
Actually, you can obtain your son's power of attorney to deal with the license and other issues. Meantime, It's really better to at least start the car, and move it around in the driveway. Since it has already sat for 6 months, I'd likely spray some penetrating oil into the intake before I got serious about starting it.
There are a lot of things to do if what you want is to have the car just set in the garage without periodic use. Another message in the chain outlines things quite well. I'd really recommend replacing the tires and all belts and hoses when the car is put back into service. The slave cylinder will likely need a rebuild or replacement, since moisture collects in it during storage. The same thing may be true of the wheel brake cylinders. When you run an engine for brief periods, acids and other byproducts tend to collect in the oil, so changing the oil periodically is preferred.
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