[Mr. BMW]

I picked up a used Pathfinder, so I will not be driving my 330 this winter. Any tips on winter storage? I may get to use my neighbors garage but if not, I will be parking it in my driveway. I have a cover from my E36 Coupe but I don’t know if that will fit.
How often do I need to start it so the battery doesn’t go dead?

[Robbie!]

why bother with a winter beater ... wouldnt it be cheaper to just buy snow tires? its not a rare Ferrari? its a BMW

[ScheerSpeed]

might want to drain out the water (if you have water instead of antifreeze in the intercooler) i live in miami, so i drive the same car all year round, but you might want to also start it once every week or two, let it warm up for about 10 min. your other car cove will not fit.

[Jaws]

Originally Posted by ScheerSpeed

might want to drain out the water (if you have water instead of antifreeze in the intercooler) i live in miami, so i drive the same car all year round, but you might want to also start it once every week or two, let it warm up for about 10 min. your other car cove will not fit.

Wow!! Your car has an intercooler. That's one special 330.

As a side note, change the oil before you put it away, full tank of gas with a bottle of gas stabilizer, and a trickle charger for the battery. There's really no need to start it periodically. If it was me, I would drive it all winter. Your car is just sitting there and depreciating.

[cto]

If you decide not to start it up during the winter, then un-plug your battery will be a good idea.

[ska///235i]

leaving a car idle for a long period of time is not good for the electronics/engine...esply if you dont have a garage

[Viral]

you're storing your 330???????????

[krafty04]

Okay, something I can help with (finally)

Buddy, you got two choices with storing a car for the winter.

1. Store it. Prep it and don't touch it until spring thaw. No cheating either.

2. Start it and drive it every 2 weeks long enough to get all fluids up to operating temps which will take care of the battery also. Starting your car and letting it idle will not necessarily damage components, but will not help them. Seals will be affected mostly. Transmission fluid does not circulate unless the car is being shifted. Coolant does not circulate until operating temp and the thermostat opens.

I do not believe in option 2. It actually creates more problems than it solves. I lived in N.D. for 11 years and owned several vintage/collector cars. Our winter was 6 months minimum and our car club stored over 150 cars. None of us ever had a problem parking the car for 6 months in temps up to -45 ambient then putting the battery back in, firing it up, and driving it. There are several key things you need to do to prep the car and Jaws is pretty close. Cost is minimal. Plus, you really need to find indoor storage. Marina's are great places to recommend indoor storage warehouses, also fairgrounds usually rent spaces in their monsterous buildings. Be careful of covers that don't fit right, they will rub the paint even with a slight breeze.

If your serious, PM me your email address and I'll send you a checklist.

[Mr. Smith]

i would drive it around in the snow, do some donuts, you know, whatever floats your boat

[BKsBimmer]

Why not just drive the 330 on clear days and drive the Pathfinder on snow days????

[Majikthese42]

Originally Posted by BKsBimmer

Why not just drive the 330 on clear days and drive the Pathfinder on snow days????

I also thought that was the general idea, driving 50MPH down I90 peppered by the rock salt spreader in a snowstorm is one thing, a sunny 50 degree day in January is another.

http://www.caranddriver.com/features...r-beaters.html

[Hammerfang]

Originally Posted by BKsBimmer

Why not just drive the 330 on clear days and drive the Pathfinder on snow days????

That sounds like a winner to me

[Mr. BMW]

Originally Posted by BKsBimmer

Why not just drive the 330 on clear days and drive the Pathfinder on snow days????

That's probably what I will do. I just don't want to get it dirty and then have to wash it in 30 degree weather.

[DFW_M]

Get over it, it is just a German Dodge...
I don't even want to know what would you do if you had a Porsche or...

[e92328i998]

fuel stabilizer

[Josh49]

Hey, have you tried researching storage facilities for the winter? I couldn't imagine it would be that much? But then again it is Boston, who knows..

Also, I might just disconnect the battery for the winter. No point at all in keeping any of the electronics half awake. Try to jack it up also so you don't get flat spots on the tires, or maybe fill up the tires more if you can't.

Fill tank with gas and put in fuel stabilizer as someone mentioned.

[Mr. BMW]

Originally Posted by Josh49

Hey, have you tried researching storage facilities for the winter? I couldn't imagine it would be that much? But then again it is Boston, who knows..

Also, I might just disconnect the battery for the winter. No point at all in keeping any of the electronics half awake. Try to jack it up also so you don't get flat spots on the tires, or maybe fill up the tires more if you can't.

Fill tank with gas and put in fuel stabilizer as someone mentioned.

I have ckecked out a couple of the self storage places but it's several hundred dollars a month.

You have an extra parking spot in your garage, right?

[epiphone3]

Originally Posted by krafty04

Okay, something I can help with (finally)

Buddy, you got two choices with storing a car for the winter.

1. Store it. Prep it and don't touch it until spring thaw. No cheating either.

2. Start it and drive it every 2 weeks long enough to get all fluids up to operating temps which will take care of the battery also. Starting your car and letting it idle will not necessarily damage components, but will not help them. Seals will be affected mostly. Transmission fluid does not circulate unless the car is being shifted. Coolant does not circulate until operating temp and the thermostat opens.

I do not believe in option 2. It actually creates more problems than it solves. I lived in N.D. for 11 years and owned several vintage/collector cars. Our winter was 6 months minimum and our car club stored over 150 cars. None of us ever had a problem parking the car for 6 months in temps up to -45 ambient then putting the battery back in, firing it up, and driving it. There are several key things you need to do to prep the car and Jaws is pretty close. Cost is minimal. Plus, you really need to find indoor storage. Marina's are great places to recommend indoor storage warehouses, also fairgrounds usually rent spaces in their monsterous buildings. Be careful of covers that don't fit right, they will rub the paint even with a slight breeze.

If your serious, PM me your email address and I'll send you a checklist.

It is actually a bad idea to start the car periodically. They way to wear a car engine the most is to start it and turn it off often.... you will be leaving the car at a standstill for an extended period so every time you start it, you will be putting additional wear on the engine everytime you start it and you won't be gaining anything from starting the car. Synthetic oil bonds pretty well to engine parts so I doubt you would get a corrosion problem.

Seriously, I store my sport bike for about one to two months every year.

1. The best thing to do is to get a trickle charger, hook it up to your battery. Leave the car plugged in and it will actually keep you battery very strong during the storage time. THIS TAKES CARE OF THE BATTERY.

2. Fill the fuel tank up all the way and put in a fuel stabilizer as well. Before storing the car, run it for like 10-15 minutes (might as well drive it for this) to get the fuel stabilizer through the full fuel system. THIS TAKES CARE OF THE FUEL SYSTEM.

3. If the engine oil in the car is more than a couple thousand kilometers old, I would do an oil change or drain the oil and replace with new. Synthetics typically have anti-acid additives, but this will ensure that you aren't storing your engine with a bunch of moisture and potentially acid. THIS TAKES CARE OF THE ENGINE.

4. Make sure you have correct anti-freeze in the coolant system. You don't want only water as you may get a freezing problem.

5. Make sure you have some sort of paint protection in place.

6. DO NOT START THE CAR PERIODICALLY... this accomplishes no positives and wears your engine more.

[Josh49]

Originally Posted by Mr. BMW

I have ckecked out a couple of the self storage places but it's several hundred dollars a month. You have an extra parking spot in your garage, right?

Nope.. And if I did I'm sure I would find another toy to put there..

Man, is that expensive. In college between junior and senior year I rented a storage space instead of hauling everything back and forth. It was $40 a month. Your car would fit in there too, it was huge. Can't believe it's that expensive here..

[carjon]

Still find it amusing that someone would put a car like this away for the winter. My 330xi is my winter car. 80% of my miles will come between December and April.

[Josh49]

Originally Posted by carjon

Still find it amusing that someone would put a car like this away for the winter. My 330xi is my winter car. 80% of my miles will come between December and April.

What's your summer car??

(I'm excited to hear!!)

[Jaws]

Originally Posted by Mr. BMW

That's probably what I will do. I just don't want to get it dirty and then have to wash it in 30 degree weather.

What's wrong with washing it in cold weather? I get my cars washed when it's -20C. There are no issues with doing this.