Long Term (<4 Years) Storage

[swathdiver]

Heading overseas for 4 years. What is the recommended way to store a vehicle like ours for that long?

Pit up on blocks, empty the tank, pickle the engine, pull the battery out, cover it or place it under cover, use dessicants or a dehumidifier if electric nearby, don't forget to power the bilge pumps...

 

[Cantrepeat]

if you really want to keep it and have no option other than long term storage I would do like Kaus said then be sure it has a full tank a new battery and make sure the onstar/wifi is paid up then make it a habit to autostart it (via the app) every 3 weeks for the 10 minute timer. After 4 years that would work out to 12 hours of run time probably almost exactly what you would get if you just idled a tank of fuel out. just a thought if it were me and had no other option.

I'm not sure on other vehicles, but on our 2019 Tahoe, you can only remote start it twice and then you have to start it in the vehicle.


Clean the vehicle inside and out to include the under carriage.

Put a good coat of wax on the vehicle.

Buy the best car cover you can afford.

Fill the gas tank completely full and add stabilizer. An empty or low gas tank will lead to internal rust as condensation and moisture builds within the tank. Also add fuel stabilizer or corrosion inhibitors and then drive the car around a bit in order to distribute the additive to engine parts.

Change the oil and filter. Old contaminated oil will cause pitting on bearings.

Flush and fill the radiator.

Check tire inflation.

Disconnect the battery - you're probably going to need to buy a new one regardless when you get back. If you storage lot has electrical hook ups and the battery you have is sealed then a high quality battery maintainer would be nice.

You can pull the spark plugs and spray in some fogging oil.

 

[calif phil]

Stuff some steel wool into the exhaust to keep critters from making a nest in there. I would add some kind of mice repellent around the exterior and maybe under the hood. They say dryer sheets work on the inside to keep mice out but I am not sure if that works. I also think, the sell it idea is good. Sell it, stick the cash in the mutual fund and buy a newer model when you return.

 

[wjburken]

Long term storage/preservation can be tough to do properly. I had to deal with this at a previous job where we sold things to the military. Unless there is a strong emotional attachment, I agree with those that recommend selling it and putting the money into an investment tool and get something when you return.

For fun, here is the government guideline for storage and preservation. Method 50 had me putting whole machines in a waterproof/vapor proof bag with a specified amount of desiccant so it could basically survive being dropped into the ocean.

https://www.dla.mil/portals/104/doc.../vs/packaging/lm_HandoutFY2014rev6_151007.pdf

 

[GTNator]

Heading overseas for 4 years. What is the recommended way to store a vehicle like ours for that long?

Thank you.

Why don’t you sell it and buy one back in 4 years?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Doubeleive]

I'm not sure on other vehicles, but on our 2019 Tahoe, you can only remote start it twice and then you have to start it in the vehicle.


Clean the vehicle inside and out to include the under carriage.

Put a good coat of wax on the vehicle.

Buy the best car cover you can afford.

Fill the gas tank completely full and add stabilizer. An empty or low gas tank will lead to internal rust as condensation and moisture builds within the tank. Also add fuel stabilizer or corrosion inhibitors and then drive the car around a bit in order to distribute the additive to engine parts.

Change the oil and filter. Old contaminated oil will cause pitting on bearings.

Flush and fill the radiator.

Check tire inflation.

Disconnect the battery - you're probably going to need to buy a new one regardless when you get back. If you storage lot has electrical hook ups and the battery you have is sealed then a high quality battery maintainer would be nice.

You can pull the spark plugs and spray in some fogging oil.

forgot about that, I have a aftermarket alarm with autostart I think it will run it more than twice haven't tried though

 

[magua]

Oil Change - mandatory

 

[tengelman]

Where do you go over seas?
Ever thought about taking your car with you?
And maybe sell it overseas?

I am german and it was hard to find my 2011 Yukon her in germany.
And the prices are much higher than in the US....

 

[Mr Sophistication]

Interesting. I just created this account and this was going to be my first question.

I'm only going away for three months though. I'm probably going to leave it outside.... Will look into climate controlled units but I'm not sure it's worth it for only three months.

Look forward to reading through all the comments.

 

[OR VietVet]

Interesting. I just created this account and this was going to be my first question.

I'm only going away for three months though. I'm probably going to leave it outside.... Will look into climate controlled units but I'm not sure it's worth it for only three months.

Look forward to reading through all the comments.

Like I said before. 3 months in a self storage unit will be ok as long as you unhook the battery at the negative side. You may still have to jump start when come back and depending on the battery age, it may need to be replaced. I would put some fuel stabilizer in the tank but the rest should be ok. If you leave it outside, that is a whole other story. You are going to have critters in there somewhere. Either way, I would put a desiccant kit in the cab. Dri-Z-Air is best, IMO. If you do put in a storage unit, back it in so have easy access to battery when come back. Plus, either way, set it on jack stands if can. Flat spots on tires suck the big one.