Nobody likes to speed up the passing of each year, but the classic driving seasons of Spring, Summer and Autumn often feel like they fly by too quickly and before you know it, Winter is upon us.

The arrival of Winter tends to be the moment when many car enthusiasts feel it’s time to take their prized possession off the road. After all, who wants their car’s inner wings and sills filling up with compacted mud and leaves – nasty stuff that does a good job of holding in moisture all year round?

Rain present problems of its own, because even when a car isn’t being driven, water is finding its way deep into the structure of your car if it’s not under cover. And no matter what it is – a classic, modern-classic, new sports car or the latest supercar – water is only likely to bring about corrosion or ware and tear.

And then there’s the s-word: salt. We’re both fortunate and unfortunate in Britain that we don’t get a lot of snow, as this means drivers don’t have to invest in mandatory snow tyres and chains – but we do have to put up with the spreading of salt on our roads. And that really is the nasty stuff where cars are concerned.

For those reasons, taking a car off the road and putting it into storage is a popular approach.

But there’s a right way and a wrong way to go about it. Here the team at Racing Green Car Storage share their experience on the best way to prepare a car for storage.

8 steps to prepare a car for storage

1. Always use a dehumidified storage location: In addition to assessing any storage location for its security and privacy as well as general suitability, you should be certain that the climate is dehumidified. You’d expect us to say this, but keeping a collector car in an environment where the relative humidity is maintained at 55 per cent is vital to ensuring it remains protected against ageing while in storage. We wouldn’t store a car any other way.
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2. Clean the car: Thoroughly wash and dry the exterior of the car to remove any dirt, dust, or debris that could potentially cause damage or corrosion during storage. We always recommend rinsing with a pressure washer, as it’s the best way to remove stubborn deposits like tar, bird droppings, insect stains and sap.
   
   Make sure you use the pressure washer to clear out the wheelarches and the sills. Then pull on a rubber glove and use a hose and your fingers to get rid of any compacted mud that’s sat on the inner lip of the wings.
   
   Next, snow-foam the car and allow it to sink in to the stains and deposits for five minutes, before rinsing then washing with a good quality shampoo like Bilt-Hamber.
   
   Then comes the dry, which for an impressive finish is more important than it may seem. We recommend contactless drying with a BigBoi BlowR, and then use microfibre cloths for the final dry and finishing.
   
   Next, vacuum and wipe-clean the interior – using suitable cleaning products – to prevent the growth of mould or mildew. And get that glass looking crystal clear with a product like Bilt-Hamber Traceless.‍
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3. Change fluids: If a car is being laced in long-term storage for more than six months, and won’t be run up to temperature during that period, we would recommend changing the oil and oil filter in advance of placing the car in hibernation.
   
   During extended periods of inactivity, old engine oil – which has already deteriorated during use through contamination and oxidation – deteriorates further. Engine oil retains water and acids as by-products of combustion and that’s a problem during storage as it attacks the additives that are designed to prevent wear and tear. That may cause the inactive internal surfaces to corrode as their protective coating wears down.
   
   The brake fluid is next to be checked. Most car makers and fluid manufacturers suggest a change-over period of every two years, so if the brake fluid has been in the car for almost two years you could consider having it changed before leaving the car in storage.
   
   At the same time, when it comes to long-term storage, check the vehicle’s records for when the gearbox oil was last flushed and replaced, and see when the engine coolant needs to be replaced.  ‍
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4. Leave it with as little fuel as possible: Did you know even the best super unleaded fuel can go ‘off’ after about three months? While good quality, high-octane fuels like BP Ultimate and Shell V-Power contain certain anti-oxidants, metal deactivators and corrosion inhibitors to help protect your fuel tank and lines as well as the engine, they still degrade over time.
   
   The simplest way to prevent this affecting your car and its engine is to leave it as empty as possible before placing it in storage. Then, before the time comes to bring the car back out onto the road, use a jerrycan to add 20 litres of brand new fuel – before starting the engine.
   
   At Racing Green Car Storage, we recommend filling the tank with a synthetic fuel, such as Sustain or P1, as these don’t contain ethanol and remain stable in storage for around two years. They may be more expensive, but it is a small price to pay to protect your car’s health.‍
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5. Tyres: Inflate the tyres to the recommended high-load pressure to prevent flat spots from forming. Then roll the vehicle every month to help the tyres keep their shape. You can also consider investing in a set of tyre cushions, such as TyreDox. These are concave rubber tyre cushions that have built-in 'give' to enhance the tyre’s contact area, supporting each tyre's contour and maximising load distribution to prevent flat spotting.‍
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6. Battery: We recommend always using an intelligent battery charger. These monitor the condition of a car’s battery and have up to 7 stages of operation, using software to monitor a battery’s voltage decay, and then adjusting the charge rate to suit and maintain it perfectly. They can also perform a ‘reconditioning’ function. Racing Green Car Storage provides a smart battery charger for every vehicle placed in its care.‍
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7. Fit a tailor-made car cover: To protect the car from dust and other elements use a breathable car cover that is tailored to your vehicle’s size. Racing Green Car Storage provides a branded, super-soft-stretch indoor breathable cover for every car in its care, and it is sized specifically to each make and model.‍
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8. Check it regularly: In an ideal world, you’d check your car on a daily basis. Why? Because you need to be sure the smart battery charger is working correctly, or that no rodents have found their way into your garage and attacked your car’s wiring or pipework. But we appreciate that’s not practical, which is why we’re here to help. Other checks include taking the tyre-pressure every week and inspecting fluid levels remain unchanged. Each month, we recommend moving the vehicle to rotate the tyres, and if possible, performing a drive up to operating temperature – something Racing Green can manage on your behalf, as we are insured by Howden for road use of stored vehicles.

If you would like to know more about Racing Green’s services, or arrange for your car to be placed in our care, please speak with a member of the team, on 03330 909722, or email us at enquiries@racinggreencarstorage.co.uk