Winter maintenance

[MCBladeRun]

Hi guys

Thought I'd pose a question to you all:

What maintenance do you carry out annually whilst your car is garaged?

I was thinking about building a good habit myself to check various things. I'd probably just follow the Haynes manual -

But I'd bet there's one or two things you check that's not in the Haynes manual?

Or possibly do more frequently than the manual suggests?

 

[Huw]

I tend to lay the car up than do maintenance Martin. For me this consists of these main things:

Over inflating the tyres (as I can’t remove the wheels)
A couple of coats of polish
Touch up the wax under coat
Grease up all the ball joints and other moving parts underneath ( handbrake mechanism etc) as per the service manual
Change the oil and filter
Add fuel preservative
Remove the windscreen washer fluid
Remove the wipers
Stick it in the air chamber
Replace the plugs with dehumidifying ones (Frost used to sell them)
Remove the battery and stick it on a battery maintainer thing.
Shut the door and look forward to warmer days

This works for me as my garage can get rather damp over winter. But I’m sure others have their own preferred regime

 

[Rob Gaskin]

Why not consider regular maintenance and using it on sunny salt-free days? I always have done.

After all you don't need to SORN it.

It seems a shame to lock it away for months.

If you do lock it away are you going to leave it alone i.e. not start the engine or use the clutch and brakes?
There are conflicting opinions about this.

Battery?

The one problem I've had when owning two S30s at the same time was storing a car under covers outside? I was for ever taking the covers (3) off and discovering the car was damp. Then I had to dry the car and covers - not a good way to look after a decent car.

 

[Farmer42]

I tend to lay the car up than do maintenance Martin. For me this consists of these main things:

Over inflating the tyres (as I can’t remove the wheels)
A couple of coats of polish
Touch up the wax under coat
Grease up all the ball joints and other moving parts underneath ( handbrake mechanism etc) as per the service manual
Change the oil and filter
Add fuel preservative
Remove the windscreen washer fluid
Remove the wipers
Stick it in the air chamber
Replace the plugs with dehumidifying ones (Frost used to sell them)
Remove the battery and stick it on a battery maintainer thing.
Shut the door and look forward to warmer days

This works for me as my garage can get rather damp over winter. But I’m sure others have their own preferred regime

You forgot the hot water bottle, electric blanket and teddy bear Huw!!

 

[Kieronpollock]

I just warm mine up every 3 weeks or so (min 20 minutes) and take it out on as many lovely dry salt free days that I can… sometimes the best days to enjoy a classic car.

 

[Huw]

If you do lock it away are you going to leave it alone i.e. not start the engine or use the clutch and brakes?
There are conflicting opinions about this.

Oh let’s not go down that particular rabbit hole Rob. Everyone has a different winter regime, that’s what makes owning a classic so much fun.

You forgot the hot water bottle, electric blanket and teddy bear Huw!!

You know it Paul! I’m proud to have the most pampered ZX in the South West

 

[Rob Gaskin]

Hey Huw, I'm back in London again this weekend to see the London to Brighton Run. Those cars are 120 years old and still used 'rain or shine'.

My old car glad it's not in a warm dry garage.

 

[Alphabettispaghetti]

Over winter I tend to leave mine stripped to a shell, on a lift. the air circulation really helps.

 

[MCBladeRun]

Hey Huw, I'm back in London again this weekend to see the London to Brighton Run. Those cars are 120 years old and still used 'rain or shine'.

My old car glad it's not in a warm dry garage.

There's a part of me that would absolutely love to be able to take the Datsun out in all weathers without a care.

Would it be fair to say that you would need to be doing more checks on the underside plus cleaning?

 

[AliK]

There's a part of me that would absolutely love to be able to take the Datsun out in all weathers without a care.

Would it be fair to say that you would need to be doing more checks on the underside plus cleaning?

I have a different view:

After a weekend of driving around in p-ing wet weather at Silverstone a few years back, I was shocked to see where the water / dirt had gotten into and new surface rust that appeared under the car. Let's not even think about where you can't see / get to and how long the water sat in those areas.

If parts were easily available and maintenance as cheap as a decade or two ago, then absolutely, I'd love to drive my Z in all weathers. But I'm just not wealthy / brave enough to do that these days!

 

[Geoff-R]

I'm of the opinion that car covers do more damage than good as they trap moisture in close contact with the bodywork often causing damage to the paint or encouraging rust. If inside, fine leave uncovered, if you must put it outside then I would consider putting it in either a bubble/tent or under cover outside. If that's not possible then rent a garage. I'd do everything Huw has suggested but to be fair I'd want to be able to take the car out or at the very least be able to start it and run up to temp if not taking it out.

 

[Rob Gaskin]

So should you start a car 'laid up' for a while or leave it?

I have always started my cars about every 4-6 weeks. Get the exhaust warm, open heater valve, make sure thermostat has opened and rad warm etc. However some people say leave it, don't cause unnecessary wear and condensation inside the engine and exhaust.

 

[Healey 12]

Hi guys

Thought I'd pose a question to you all:

What maintenance do you carry out annually whilst your car is garaged?

I was thinking about building a good habit myself to check various things. I'd probably just follow the Haynes manual -

But I'd bet there's one or two things you check that's not in the Haynes manual?

Or possibly do more frequently than the manual suggests?

Hi , all
I have just taken my car of the road to sort the gearbox and rear clunk issue out . Could someone please share the routine maintenance document that either Datsun or Haynes recommend please.
Thanks
David

 

[AliK]

So should you start a car 'laid up' for a while or leave it?

I have always started my cars about every 4-6 weeks. Get the exhaust warm, open heater valve, make sure thermostat has opened and rad warm etc. However some people say leave it, don't cause unnecessary wear and condensation inside the engine and exhaust.

I do the same Rob, but my father in law berates me for doing the warm up thing and tells me I'm making it rain inside the combustion chambers and the exhaust. I don't really buy that though. I feel if the car is properly warmed up, the engine itself isn't going to be damp inside and the stainless exhaust can take a bit of damp. Besides, I prefer having oil circulating over seals etc regularly.

 

[Alphabettispaghetti]

I do warm the working toy car up, every 6 weeks or so, let it get really hot though. thats the only thing as Mr K says, you need to get the oil warm.

 

[toopy]

If you buy a decent breathable cover then moisture/condensation is far less of an issue, because it can get out pretty quickly, but yes a garage would always be preferable. The fully waterproof covers are great short term, but long term winter storage outside, I'd stick with water repellent/resistant but breathable.
One thing i did notice last week when the car was being loaded onto the trailer off to Fourways, some water ran out of the chassis rails! It was perfectly clear thankfully, but shows you how condensation can be an issue in box sections when cars are just standing.

 

[Rob Gaskin]

I have had 3 of the expensive breathable covers and I'm sure they let water through. Secondly long-term the outer layer crumbles off because it's affected by the sun. I got one replaced under warranty.

They are ok as a temporary cover but not a long-term storage solution.

 

[toopy]

Also, once the cars laid up for the winter, i don't touch it. The battery is isolated/disconnected and has always started the car six months or so later with no charging/trickle thingy needed. I leave the car in gear and make sure the handbrake is off, when it was garaged i also used to leave the windows open a cm or so, but since it's been on the drive under cover i don't.

 

[toopy]

I have had 3 of the expensive breathable covers and I'm sure they let water through. Secondly long-term the outer layer crumbles off because it's affected by the sun. I got one replaced under warranty.

They are ok as a temporary cover but not a long-term storage solution.

Some moisture does get through in heavy rain, frost/melting snow etc, but it also disappears/drys quickly as well, the car is never soaking but rather damp, as in the cover is visibly sticking to the body sometimes. They are, or at least the one i use is UV stabilised, but i would replace it every couple of years as a matter of course if it's been in use 24/7.

 

[Geoff-R]

I would suggest connecting a battery maintenance charger on the battery as battery cells degrade reducing the capacity of the battery over time if the state of charge is too low.