What should be done when putting your M3 up for winter. Is it nessacary to block the car??

Curious in how others store their car? Please let me know how you store yours:az:

Anyone putting their car up????:help

Fill the gas tank and change the oil....if your leaving it outside put it up on blocks...if garaged ...dont block it , give it a good was and wax..cover her.....u may also want to invest in a battery cinditioner so that the battery doesent die..or you can disconnect it....

gas is filled, oil is changed. Am i going to get flat spots on my tires in 4 months. I wanted to just leave the car and dont worry about it till spring

Is it needed to move the car and start once in a while. Just wondering cause i thought it was bad to just let it idle.

start it atleast once a week for 10 min. you should be fine.

Yeah, I wouldn't leave the car sitting until spring... I'd go and move it around a bit at least once a week.

If you leave it without turning it on... all the oil drains out of the engine and you'll have to re-prime the engine without the fuel pump engaged to help re-oil the engine before starting.

As for the tires... I think if you add some extra air pressure, it'll help solve the problem... but that being said, I've never let my car sit more than 3-4 days at a time... let alone 3-4 months.

kevler,

That is why im wondering if i should jack it and remove the wheels for the winter since im probally not going to drive it till late may:(

but it will be very clean when i take it out:D

I store my M roadster for the winter every year. I wait until I get a nice day and then I just drive it around to keep everything going. We usually get a nice day once every two weeks or so.

If you are going to park it, get some STA-BIL gas treatment to keep your gas from spoiling.

Here is some info I got from Tirerack about tires and flatspotting...

Minimizing Flatspotting

While there is no way to completely avoid tire flatspotting, knowing what to expect under different conditions will help minimize its inconvenience.

NOTE: It is important to check and reset tire inflation pressures to those recommended by the vehicle manufacturer on the vehicle placard or owners manual when taking a vehicle out of storage.

Tire flatspotting would be most noticeable when beginning to drive a vehicle that has been stored incorrectly (with the weight of the vehicle pressing down through the tires to the ground). When storing a vehicle for more than a few weeks, it is best to drive the vehicle until it is thoroughly warmed up and then immediately put it up on “blocks” after arriving at the storage location. Doing this takes the load off of the tires completely. Not doing this on a vehicle that will be parked for a few months runs the risk of permanently flatspotting the tires.


Tire flatspotting may also be noticed when beginning to drive a vehicle that has not been driven for a few days, or during the colder winter months after the vehicle has been parked overnight. However, these types of flatspots will usually disappear during the first few miles of driving.

Usually during the day, the warmer ambient temperatures and more frequent vehicle use will not allow noticeable flatspots to form. However, anytime a vehicle goes in for ride-related services (tire rotation, rebalancing, or to diagnose ride disturbances), the vehicle should be driven for 5 to 10 miles immediately before being raised in the shop to make certain that temporary flatspots are not preventing the source of the ride complaint from being isolated and corrected.

And finally, tire flatspotting will also be noticed at the beginning of each session when attending a driver’s school, track day or race. Whenever the car is returned to the paddock, the vehicle should immediately be lifted off of the ground to prevent flatspotting (this will also allow the car to feel more stable at the beginning of the next track session). This practice also allows debris to be cleaned off of the hot tires while they are inspected for any punctures and cuts. If you watch the professional race teams at an event, you’ll see that they always remove the race tires immediately after stopping in the pits at the end of a session (if they plan to continue using the tires).

Fill to a full tank of gas and add STABIL to it. You have to measure the amount to put in, but that is really easy. I put in about 7-8 ounces. Pump the tires up to 45 psi and disconnect the battery. Leave the parking brake down so it doesn't stick after a long period of time and keep it in neutral. Put something near the wheels so the car doesn't roll away or something.

Eventually you will want to change the spark plugs and add oil to the pistons. Before driving the car again make sure the tire pressure is where it's supposed to be for normal driving conditions. Don't let the battery drain completely throughout the time period it has been disconnected. Before connecting it back on make sure it is fully charged. Cover the car with a car cover or something and you should be all set.

Originally posted by HyperHoHo


.... and add oil to the pistons.

you mean spraying/coating them with WD-40 or what?

I was told not to start the car if it will not reach the operating temp. I disconnected and removed my battery and am not going to start my car until spring.

Originally posted by Kevlar
Yeah, I wouldn't leave the car sitting until spring... I'd go and move it around a bit at least once a week.

If you leave it without turning it on... all the oil drains out of the engine and you'll have to re-prime the engine without the fuel pump engaged to help re-oil the engine before starting.

As for the tires... I think if you add some extra air pressure, it'll help solve the problem... but that being said, I've never let my car sit more than 3-4 days at a time... let alone 3-4 months.

Kevlar, Is the statement about turning the engine on specific to the E46 M3? I don't want to damage my M3 in any way and i planned on not starting it until spring as i was advised by other people to do. I have never heard of re-priming the engine and how do you do this? TIA

Originally posted by hsmith
I was told not to start the car if it will not reach the operating temp. I disconnected and removed my battery and am not going to start my car until spring.

Very true... you want to minimize that. If the car does not reach operating temperature, it will not be hot enough to boil off the moisture in the engine oil.

Originally posted by hsmith
Kevlar, Is the statement about turning the engine on specific to the E46 M3? I don't want to damage my M3 in any way and i planned on not starting it until spring as i was advised by other people to do. I have never heard of re-priming the engine and how do you do this? TIA

I would believe it is true of any engine... not just the E46 M3 engine.

if I fill the tires with more air this will prevent flat spots or will i still have to move the car around???? I might just go ahead and put it on blocks. What is the best place on the m3?

HyperHoHo

When spring comes i am going to have to add oil to the engine engine and change the plugs or i can just connnect the battery and drive?


Kevlar

Thanks for all the info. Must be nice living in florida not having to worry about this.






If there is anything else you think i should do let me know.


Please tell me how you put away your m3 there has to be others in the north country. :awink:

03m3on19s

You have to do all of those before you drive your car again. Make sure your battery is fully charged before connecting it back on though. If you have the tires up to 45 psi you don't need to move the car around. You don't want to turn the car on with the stabil in it.

Originally posted by Kevlar
Yeah, I wouldn't leave the car sitting until spring... I'd go and move it around a bit at least once a week.

If you leave it without turning it on... all the oil drains out of the engine and you'll have to re-prime the engine without the fuel pump engaged to help re-oil the engine before starting.

As for the tires... I think if you add some extra air pressure, it'll help solve the problem... but that being said, I've never let my car sit more than 3-4 days at a time... let alone 3-4 months.

Hey Kevlar,
How do you re-prime the engine without the fuel pump engaged to help re-oil the engine before starting? My M3 has already been stored for 2 months and will be stored for another 3 months. Should i do this in march when i take my car out for the first time?:dunno

Originally posted by HyperHoHo
You don't want to turn the car on with the stabil in it.

that doesn't make sense. can you explain that? maybe I'm not following what you mean.

http://www.goldeagle.com/sta-bil/faqs.htm

That site mentions nothing of removing stabil before restarting your car.

how the heck do you remove it (if you were supposed to)? Drain the gas tank?

You're just supposed to drive off and use the car normally. When adding stabil to the gas you're supposed to run the car till you can smell it. doing this makes sure that the chemical is in the system (tank, lines & injectors). make sure you have a full tank and the proper amount of stabil and you're good to go.

this is the same for your jetski, snow mobile, lawn mower, car, motorcycle etc.

MDriver, great link. :)

Yes. Just add STA-BIL® to the fuel according to the directions on the bottle. For best results, treat fresh fuel promptly when purchased. Pour STA-BIL into your gas can and agitate the fuel for a good mixture. Prior to storage, add STA-BIL to your equipment and run it for 5 minutes to treat the entire fuel system. Next season, the engine will start easily and run smoothly.

Let me help some of you out here.

Sta-Bil doesn't need to be removed. It is burned off just as gas would be and is 200% safe (yes, that safe). I plan to run my tank near empty in the spring just to get it out (I am not sure how it affects octane and dont want to be running on lower octane for a few tanks), but other than that you can drive on it all year if you wanted.

As far as tires, just over inflate them a bit. If any flat spotting occurs it should smooth out during the initial driving after storage.

Get a battery conditioner (I use Battery Tender) and remove the battery from the car and plug it into this.

Also, don't start the car and let it sit. If you aren't going to drive it for a bit and aren't going to get it upto full operating temperature (At least 30min of highway) then DONT START IT. Blow by leftovers/water will build up in the oil and cause more damage than you will good by running it for 5 minutes. If you are storing it for more than 6 months it is sometimes advised to remove the spark plugs and pour about a tablespoon or oil down the cylinder then turn the engine over a few times (remove fuel injection fuse). This will prevent rust on the cylinder walls.

Lastly, change the oil/filter before AND after storage (Gets acids, water, etc. out before storage, and the oil breaks down over time).

A cover is also advised, even inside (mine is in a 20' x 20' barn with concrete floor that is better than most peoples garages and is ALONE and untouched for 4 months and its still covered).

As always, disclaimers apply, YMMV.

EDIT: in fact its recommended you run the engine after adding stabil to get it into the lines so they dont gum up during storage.

Sorry guys, I meant to say don't turn on the car with stabil in it if you are not going to drive it, other than that, it's totally fine.

no biggie, you just confused the heck out me. :)

Just another data point or two for me. We've been storing car's for years and here's what we do.

Before winter

change oil (some do the filter too)
add stabil to gas and fill tank up
give it a good wash and wax
put car on jackstands and remove wheels
lightly coat rotors w/ wd-40 and add post it note to steering wheel to remind yourself to clean them
top oil cylinder (2 tablespoons or so of oil, some recommend ATF) then spin the engine over to distribute it
add battery tender (slow trickle charger) to battery or remove
then toss a cover over it and wait till Spring time

after winter

change oil and filter
clean rotors with brake cleaner
put wheels back on
go for a nice hard drive to get everything moving again

Wheres the best place to put the jack stands??? or is it better to use blocks??



I have a black car what should i use for wax????

Got the car almost put away Other than waxing it.

BLACK CARS :( are too hard to clean