hello all. so let's say you go away on business for one week...or two weeks and you have to leave your brand new 335i baby back in the garage or under the car cover.

are there any common practices that one should do for cars that will be sitting for extended periods? (NOTE: i'm aware one week/two week may not even considered extended periods, please comment) should one start the engine once a week and run it for a few minutes? or are there any tips or manufacturer recommended practices regarding this?

should one not leave a car sitting for extended periods till after the break-in period? or does that even matter?

thanks for the tips.

Don't worry about it. A few weeks/months will not make any difference.

should one start the engine once a week and run it for a few minutes? or are there any tips or manufacturer recommended practices regarding this?

should one not leave a car sitting for extended periods till after the break-in period? or does that even matter?

thanks for the tips.

Do NOT start the engine and run for a few mins like that. It does more harm than good.

The oil won't be warmmed up to full temp to burn off any condenstations and the circulation.
Doing so will put the oil in an mild acid state.

The best way to go about this is for a 6 months to year long storage or even longer is to start the engine and drive the car around until the engine gets to operating temp.


I had to store my '99 Z28 for a year because it was dropped from the family insurance due to tickets and the preimum cost.

The way I did it is put the car in the garage:
-Top off the gas tank (less room for moisture and condenstation to form), gas stablizer is optional (refer to the owners manual if it's recommended)
-Change the oil and filter. Put in fresh oil.
-Inflate the tires to the max pressure listed on the sidewall.
-Use a car cover
-Put rolled up old clean socks into the tailpipe (so mouses or animals won't try to live inside them)
-Leave doors adjar to minimize the perment impression in the weather seal (optional)

-Use a trickle charger if a outlet is avail.

If there's no outlet for the trickle charger...remove the battery and don't leave it on the concrete floor.
The concrete somehow screws up the internals of the battery (chemically) and it's best stored on a wood or metal shelf or a wood forklift pallet.

I found out about the above from a store which found out the hard way...

Hmm...I left my 528i sitting for two months without being driven and the battery was dead when I got back. Does the alarm run the battery down that much? No interior lights were left on or anything else that takes a significant amount of power...

I'm glad to see that car gone. It was trouble since the first day it arrived (quite literally).

Hmm...I left my 528i sitting for two months without being driven and the battery was dead when I got back. Does the alarm run the battery down that much? No interior lights were left on or anything else that takes a significant amount of power...

I'm glad to see that car gone. It was trouble since the first day it arrived (quite literally).

I just read a booklet that came with my owners manual 'Care for your BMW'
and it states that if the car will be stored for more than 4 weeks, it's recommended to disconnect or remove the battery as it will drain it down.