Classic Cars aren’t a fan of the cold winter months, with many being taken off the road and put in the garage, and we think their owners are quite happy with that too. We understand that for motor enthusiasts and classic car collectors looking after your pride and joy is a must, so we have put together our top 10 tips for looking after your motor in the winter.
Dampness causes rust, deteriorates electrics and often causes more troubles than you would like. Ensure your storage area is waterproof and that air can circulate; try to leave a window open to allow air to circulate through the car. If you are planning on putting a cover on your car, make sure it’s breathable so the moisture in the air doesn’t get stuck between the cover and the car, this would cause you all sort of problems when you come to take your car out after winter.
Due to lack of use throughout the winter month’s batteries tend to suffer, and there are two ways to tackle this. One is to disconnect the battery from the car. Alternatively, you can use a trickle charger; this will keep the battery topped-up.
It’s a good idea to make sure you exercise the car. We don’t mean just start the engine and leave it running; wait for a nice dry day and give your car a 15-20 minute run. Without regular exercise seals can dry out, parts can seize up and tyres can flat-spot.
Protect those hard to reach places to make sure your car doesn’t have any rust that you can’t see. It may cost a few pounds, but it will certainly be worth it.
Dust is a killer for beautiful paintwork. Overtime, dust can cause discolouration and scratches, you don’t want that for your pride and joy do you? We recommend Ultimate Finish. It’s the easiest way to clean, polish and protect your car without using any water.
Make sure your antifreeze is the correct mixture to ensure that the engine doesn’t freeze over the cold winter months.
As well as taking your car out for a spin, it is a good idea to pump up your tyres beyond the normal recommended level to avoid spotting. We do suggest you monitor the level throughout the winter season to ensure that when you’re ready to take your car out of storage your tyres are road legal.
Leaving the handbrake on for a long period of time can result in seized brakes. Therefore we recommend putting manual cars in to gear and automatics in neutral and use chocks, this will make sure your motor doesn’t move while it’s in storage.
We know it can be very tempting to store your car with minimal fuel, however and empty fuel tank could eventually lead to rust. No one wants that, so fill up your tank before you put it away.
Apply a thin layer of Vaseline or grease to any chrome your car has to prevent pitting.
If you have any tips that we haven’t covered, please share them with us in the comments below. The lovely Stan will be back with more fabulous shows for car enthusiasts on Saturday 26th and 27th December on Freesat 817, Sky 663, Freeview 39 or online at www.hochanda.com
Tune in to Hochanda every day 24/7 for lots of fun and crafty demonstrations! Watch our programmes live > Hochanda.com
You can also tune into Hochanda on Freeview channel 39, Sky channel 663 or Freesat 817.