Cars that Sit - How to Care for Them

From: Danny
Subject: "Stored" Autos

Bobby,

How do you care for an auto with less than 22K miles that sits most of the time? How do you time the oil changes, antifreeze flushes and the other things that are required?

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Hi Danny,

Ironically, I faced the identical challenge as you with my 2001 Viper (22,501 miles). This car sits in my home garage covered with a Kimberly-Clark car cover (Dustop) or inside our building adjacent to Car Clinic's studio almost 85% of the time. We used this car for every BG service - and also to test a few out-of-the-box procedures that we're experimenting with in-house.

I change oil & filter once a year - always flushing the crankcase using BG's 5 Micron filter machine and BG 109 cleaner. I can honestly state that its oil stays clearer, cleaner and uncontaminated throughout the entire year - unbelievable when compared to most engines. You may have to call several BG shops to locate one that has this machine, but it's worth the time, money and trouble for sure.

I change all fluids every 24 months: transmission, coolant, differential, brake system, power steering, clutch master & slave.

Although I only drove this car 1,900 miles last year, I performed all services as listed above. And since it was 6 years old, I also changed the serpentine belt, spark plugs (3rd set), re-oiled air filter (Green Filter) and changed coolant (which really looked just fine), but during service I learned that it was a bit more contaminated than I had previously thought.

I hope this helps. To view all the service as outlined above, visit 10 Most Wanted Car Killers.

Best,
Bobby Likis