 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Welcome to the Aston Workshop news section. This section will update regularly, enabling you to keep up to date of changes and new information relating to the Aston Workshop and the Aston Martin Marque.
|
|
|
| <<Back to the news index. |
|
|
Q: What do you recommend I do to store my car over the winter months?
A: The most important aspect of laying any car up for the winter is find a storage place that is secure, dry and well ventilated. This is the most important thing you should do. After that is to ensure that the car is thoroughly cleaned, inside, outside and particularly underneath. Any lingering mud deposits will harbour damp and this leads to corrosion. Areas for particular concern are around the wheel arches, but also look around jacking points, suspension mountings and behind the rear wheel arch under the boot floor. If funds permit, the use of a bubble is a very good idea and if your storage site has a tendency to encourage damp, then a bubble becomes essential to preserving the condition of your car”. [link to carcoons on parts.com]
It is good practice to ensure everything is well lubricated before the car is laid up. Don’t forget handbrake linkages, throttle linkages, door latches and hinges etc.
If you intend to store your car for over 4 months, an oil and filter change would also be recommender. If you do not intend to use your car for 6 months or longer, then inhibiting the engine is a sound proposition. This involves the use of special inhibiting oil. Sparking plugs are removed and a cylinder lubricant is then inserted into each cylinder and the engine is cranked over to ensure the cylinder bores are well protected. Inhibiting oil can also be used in the gearbox and rear axle, but as a general rule, these are really not essential. You should then fully drain the coolant. Leave a tag prominently displayed to remind you in the spring that there is no coolant in the engine and that coolant must be replenished before attempting to start the engine.
As a matter of course, unless the lay up is to be brief, remove the battery from the car and store it in a clean dry place, having made sure that it is well charged. “Smart” battery chargers are commonly available which enable you to keep the battery fully charged indefinitely by leaving the charger permanently connected. Do NOT try this with a normal battery charger, trickle or otherwise as you will create an explosion hazard and the battery will be destroyed. Make sure that you connect them correctly before switching them on.
Preserving paint and chrome is about keeping the surfaces above all clean and dry. Polishing both with a good quality non-abrasive polish is recommended. Give the leather a good feed. This will ensure it does not dry out, protects it from the effects of any damp and keeps it supple. Use of a dust cover is not recommended unless the storage place is dry at all times and there is absolutely no chance of any condensation.
Much is said about the importance of jacking the car so that its wheels can be removed for storage. This may have been good practice in the thirties and forties, but modern radial tyres are not so susceptible to the effects of flatting and it is therefore of questionable value. It is a good idea however to cover them up, thereby helping to delay the natural ageing of the rubber. What is also a good idea is to ensure they are clean and that they have a preservative applied either polish or preserving oil such as WD40, this being particularly helpful with ensuring chrome wire wheels remain in pristine condition.
Finally, if the car is to be laid up for an extended period, I would recommend draining the fuel tank. Alternatively treat the fuel with an inhibiting fluid to help prevent it “going off” and causing waxy deposits to build as evaporation occurs.
Finally come the spring we will discuss what to do to recommission your car for the spring, summer and autumn after its lay-up.
|
|
|
|
