Perhaps you’ll be traveling around Europe for the next several months, leaving your beloved Volt here in the States. Or maybe you know you won’t be driving your Camaro Convertible through North Carolina’s winter months. If you’re going to store your Chevrolet for an extended amount of time, there are several precautions you should take before you tuck it away in your garage. Follow these simple steps to make sure your car doesn’t deteriorate while it’s stowed.
- It’s ideal to store your car indoors. A climate-controlled storage facility is best, followed by a typical garage setting. Keeping humidity at bay is the key to preserving your car, and in the South, that’s no easy task. Heating and air-conditioning systems help to drive humidity out of the storage space.
- Exercise your car every so often. To keep the engine running smoothly, take your car for a short spin around the city every few months to make sure it remains in tip-top shape.
- Store it clean. Before you store your car for an extended period, wash it and make sure the entire vehicle is completely dry to prevent mold or mildew buildup. Clean the interior to perfection as well; you don’t want to find a three-month-old french fry next time you want to drive your car.
- Fill up the tank. It’s best to store a car with a full tank of gas, which will remain fresh for about a year. You can couple it with a fuel stabilizer (brands include Sta-Bilor Pri-G) to prolong the life of the gasoline.
- An oil change is pertinent. Your car’s oil and filter should be changed shortly before storing. Also make sure that the vehicle has plenty of anti-freeze, power-steering fluid, transmission fluid, and brake fluid.
- Charge the battery. During times of extended storage, the battery can begin to deteriorate. To prevent this from happening, fully charge your battery before you store your automobile. This can be done with a battery charger or by driving for an extended period of time.
- Be mindful of your tires. Tires can be covered with plastic to avoid moisture damage. Furthermore, you may want to consider placing your car on blocks to prevent flat spotting.
- Change your insurance. If you will be storing your car for months, you could save money on your car insurance by reporting to the agency that the car is not in use.
These few steps will ensure that your Chevrolet comes out of storage looking as fantastic as the day you stowed it away. To make sure you’ve covered every base, it’s best to consult an experienced service technician. The service teams at Parks Chevrolet in Charlotte, Kernersville, and Huntersville are always ready to help prepare your car for days of dormancy.
Parks Automotive Group is a Chevrolet dealer selling new and used cars across North Carolina, including Charlotte, Huntersville, Kernersville, High Point, Greensboro, and Winston-Salem. 