News > 'Featured' > How To: Store a Car for the Winter How To: Store a Car for the Winter December 6, 2011 at 1:27 pm by Tony Quiroga For most of us, the snowy arrival of  winter marks an end to fun-car season. Storing your vehicle the right way will ensure that it wakes up in the spring no worse for wear. Herewith, nine steps to effective automotive hibernation. Step One: Drive the car and bring all fluids up to temperature to burn off any water condensation from the engine and gearbox. Also, this is an ideal time to change the engine’s oil and filter. Step Two: Fuel conditioners such as Sta-Bil and Pri-G keep gasoline fresh longer. These products probably aren’t critical for three- or four-month storage periods, but it doesn’t hurt Step Three: Stop at a gas station and fill the fuel tank. Any empty space in the tank contains air, which contains water vapor, which will condense to liquid. Over time, the water can contaminate the gasoline and corrode the fuel system.

Step Four: If the car is carbureted, run the engine until the gas in the carb is consumed (usually accomplished by disconnecting the fuel line or the power to the fuel pump). A dry carburetor will prevent fuel deposits from gumming up or clogging it. Step Five: Spray a light mist of  WD-40, or other penetrating oil, into the intake while cranking the engine. Doing so gives the cylinders and intake valves some corrosion protection. Step Six: If your garage isn’t heated, remove the car’s battery and keep it in a warm, dry place. Use a trickle charger to keep it topped off, as a discharged battery  will be destroyed by exposure to freezing temperatures. One popular myth holds that a battery left on a concrete floor will discharge. Step Seven: Flush the coolant. Old coolant can corrode your engine, cooling system, and heater core. Step Eight: Toss a few mothballs inside the car and tape closed the exhaust pipe to discourage rodents from nesting. Step Nine: Jack up the car and support it with jack stands to avoid flat-spotting the tires (some people increase their car’s tire pressures in lieu of this step).

Top it all off with a good car cover. It’ll keep your ride clean and ready  for the rites of spring. Illustration by Pete SucheskiHow To Care for Your Convertible Top Convertible top care made easy! A good convertible top cleaner and protectant will prolong the beauty and function of your convertible top. Whether it�s a fabric convertible top or vinyl top, it will benefit from regular maintenance. You�ll find that having a convertible is just as carefree and fun � even more so � when you have a clean, well-protected top. You can achieve proper top care in just a few easy steps. Regular cleaning of your vinyl top is as easy as washing your car. Use a gentle car shampoo, like Pinnacle Bodywork Shampoo, and we recommend the Green Long-Handle Tire & Wheel Brush with its feathered bristles to free the dirt from the textured vinyl of your convertible top. Wash the top just as you would the rest of the vehicle. Avoid shampoos that improve gloss. They are good for the paint, but unnecessary for the top.

If your vinyl top is particularly dirty, you can use a cleaner to break up the grease and films that can plague your vinyl top. 303 Convertible Top Cleaner can be used on both vinyl and fabric, and it contains no soaps or detergents. RaggTopp makes an equally effective convertible top cleaner that not only cleans; it also inhibits the growth of mildew. Spray the top with water and then spray with a cleaner. Use a brush to gently scrub the vinyl. Gm Tbi Air Cleaner After you�ve cleaned the vinyl, use a vinyl protectant to preserve the color and texture of your convertible top. Puppies For Sale On OkinawaSkipping this step leads to the faded, cracked tops you see on the road from time to time. Holden Captiva 7 Car Seat CoversRaggTopp Vinyl Protectant comes highly recommended from the top manufacturers of vinyl products, like Haartz and Colgan Custom Bras.

It has the best UV protection of any product on the market, and it repels dirt, grease, and oil. It doesn�t make your vinyl top glossy or greasy-looking. It will have the natural matte sheen of new vinyl. Regular cleaning of your vinyl top is as easy as washing your car. Your vinyl top will last longer if you protect it from the start. There�s not much you can do to reverse damage once it�s already been done. Proper vinyl care is as simple as weekly washes with a gentle shampoo, monthly cleanings with a vinyl top cleaner and monthly application of a vinyl top protectant. Fabric top maintenance is essentially the same as vinyl top maintenance, except you want to select products formulated for fabric. Convertible top cleaners are usually suitable for either vinyl or fabric. Use a moderately stiff brush, like our Green Long-Handle Tire & Wheel Brush to loosen dirt from the fibers. It�s a marvel of modern science that fabric tops repel water as well as they do, but all good things must come to an end.

Fabric tops are chemically treated during manufacturing to repel water and contamination, but these chemicals diminish as time passes. Exactly how long the factory repellant will last is dependent on usage and the environment, so it�s best to keep an eye on your top. Your regular washings should reveal a gradual reduction of water repellence. You�ll want to watch carefully for signs of water puddles or wet spots where water has clearly penetrated the fabric. If you see these signs, it's time to treat your top. We have found in our testing RaggTopp is one of the top products on the market. 303 High Tech Fabric Guard is also a quality product. Either will restore the repellence to factory specifications and keep your fabric top looking good. Be sure to apply protectant to a clean, dry top. light, even coats are always best. Reapply monthly to maintain an optimum level of water repellency. We have found in our testing is one of the top products on the market. The windows on convertible tops often age faster than the rest of the top.