Hi guys,
Just wanted to gauge public opinion on which of these routes would be best.
The TF is now well and truly laid up for the winter, fully polished and under only the finest cotton bedsheets in a dry and secure garage. Would it be better for the engine if I just leave it unmoved as much as possible for the next 5 months (it might still need moving now and then to get at things in the garage) or should I be starting it every fortnight and letting it warm up etc?
To look after the battery I will be attaching an Optimate battery conditioner that has kept my dad's old VFR battery going for many years so not turning the car over won't result in a dead battery.
Blue
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Would benifit from running a dehumidiefier in the garage, I used to put mine on at night from 6-6. If you keep running it up you will create condensation etc & the oil will become more acidic. If the battery is trickled & the storage is very dry & warm you can't go wrong. Fired up once during store will help the belts from standing in one place for too long.
Doc
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Hi Chris, Why are you laying up your MG and what are you going to use for running around?
Incidentally, your e.mail addy no longer works. I sent you an e.mail earlier in the year - can't remember what about - and had it returned.
Robbie
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Personally, id have to say that you are crazy, no offense - these cars are notorious for becoming problematic through lack of/intermittant use and you are doing just that.
Ive seen blown engines on cars with less than 20k that are hardly used or summer cars despite being looked after.
The MGFs that were always trouble free were the daily drivers, not the so-called pampered garaged ones. These cars like regular use, from both an electrics point of view and mechanical.
All can say is I do hope you have better luck than the countless other people who have done this and then found they have a lemon in the garage.
Best of luck.
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Hi Robbie, yeah, for some reason Yahoo disabled my e-mail addy, I really should add a new one, but I can't remember if it reveals it to the public, and I'll be honest, I don't want my proper e-mail put on the web! I must set up a new one for use on here.
At the moment I'm using my Mondeo V6 for running about, it's a much more comfortable winter proposition than the TF, the heated leather really comes into it's own on a cold morning :-)
Stu, I've heard the tales of woe related to laying TFs up on the forum, however, when it's in use my car is generally heavily used as a daily motor and is certainly not a pampered weekend only driver. My thoughts are that if I leave it totally unmoved for a few months then surely it can't actually cause damage to occur provided the conditions are right? Especially given that when I wake it back up it really will be driven with a vengence :)
I've decided to keep the warranty that I bought from the AA going throughout the winter though in case I have any problems when I do come to wake her up (such as a blown head gasket), the problems that I know I will have are seized brakes etc. but fortunately they are already worn out and are going to be replaced as soon as spring comes.
Blue
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"I must set up a new one for use on here"
Blue,
Yes you must-read the T&C !
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I've never quite understood why so many people think that having a car standing in a garage should cause so many problems. Sure, things like brakes can corrode and sieze, but if the car is reasonably protected from the elements it will happily stand for months at a time with no damage to engine internals, electronics, steering etc etc. Keep the battery healthy with a trickle charger though!
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Have you done anything in regard to the tyres flat spotting whilst it is standing - such as raising the car off the floor or over pressurising the tyres? No one has mentioned that yet.
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The tyres will flat-spot after a month or two. But drive it 3-4 miles and it will be OK again.
Edited by Pugugly {P} on 21/10/2007 at 15:18
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We have some wonderfull cold but sunny days in winter, it seem such a shame to lay up a ragtop for 5 months when you could be out dressed approapriatelly with the top down and heater on full blast taking in the spectacular winter landscapes that this country has.
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I know that if I could afford to keep both cars on the road during the winter then I would, unfortunately at this stage I have to pick and choose, next year I'm hoping it will be a different story!
Thanks for all your replies guys, especially Aprilia, you've made me feel more comfortable! :-)
Blue
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>>The tyres will flat-spot after a month or two. But drive it 3-4 miles and it will be OK
>>again.
I always thought when once tyre had flat spotted it was very difficult to make then perfectly round once again?
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sq
Nah. The tyre will acquire a 'set' (flat spot) from standing but once its used a bit the heat, impacts and centrifugal force will get it back into shape. Cars stand for months at a time before being sold (new and used!). I have seen 'brand new' Mondeos that were made a year before they were sold. Jap cars take 8 weeks on the boat and then stand in a pound for weeks at a time.
Edited by Pugugly {P} on 21/10/2007 at 22:07
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>>Cars stand for months at a time before being sold (new and used!).
I never thought of that lol.
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dont leave openings for rodents to get in !!!!
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dont leave openings for rodents to get in !!!!
That's a good point. I hadn't used my Omega for a few days and mice had nested in the battery cover.
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nobody has mentioned corrosion of the headgasket during long lay up of motors
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nobody has mentioned corrosion of the headgasket during long lay up of motors
How does that work then?
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Nylon crossplies were prone to flat spots so that's where I think this piece of motoring lore has come from. I've had cars parked for months at a time and occasionally had a flat spot but, as stated above, this has gone after a few miles.
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>> nobody has mentioned corrosion of the headgasket during long lay up of motors
ive seen many a h/g with corrosion signs and always put this down to the car being stood,it could be ridiculars ridikulamas (it could be silly) of course but ive seen it and assumed--------??
?? some quoting snipped.
Edited by Pugugly {P} on 22/10/2007 at 10:59
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Personaly I would ensure it was rat, mouse and squirrel free... (Mice can chew wiring).
I have stored cars for a year with no problems..
Condensation can be a killer: watch out .
I ran my Elan summer months only, covered with a dust sheet in a draughty garage.. no problems at all...
madf
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I would be very concerned about the cambelt if the car were to be laid up as you describe. Belts will develop a "set" around the tightest wheel (either crankwheel or a tensioner) which is analagous to tyre flat spotting. A further problem is damage to the water pump seal if the graphite ring seizes to the metal thrust face - not unknown.
A belt with a set in it is a real candidate for premature failure - I've seen this several times on cars which have been laid up. If you must do this, bar the engine over a couple of turns each month (don't start it up). Prior to your re-commissioning, put 10cc of engine oil into each cylinder and then bar the engine over for several turns. Dead crank the engine until you have oil pressure. Only then replace the plugs and start the engine.
I'm not a fan of laying up engines.
659.
Edited by 659FBE on 22/10/2007 at 13:34
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659FBE
This is sound advice for a non catalyst car......
Prior to your re-commissioning put 10cc of engine oil into each cylinder and then bar the engine over for several turns. Dead crank the engine until you have oil pressure. Only then replace the plugs and start the engine.
Be warned, some of this added oil will find it's way to the catalytic converter and potentially coat the monolith leading to premature failure.
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The dead crank with the plugs out will forcibly blow excess oil out of the bores. Admittedly, there is a danger of catalytic converter degradation but this would be very much the lesser of two evils in this case - the alternative could be an irrepairable engine.
In practice, I have found that most catalytic elements will tolerate the odd dose of fuel or oil if it is burnt off promptly - most engines have a larger active area of catylist than they need if all else is working to specification.
659.
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Blue
When did it last have an oil change? Don't want to leave it for months with old oil potentially corroding away in there. Worth doing an oil change, then run it till it's hot to make sure there's no condensation in the bores and then lay it up.
My Minor spends the winter under a sheet in a dry garage, and seems to come to no harm, but it's lower tech than your car. Don't do anything special, other than the above. I always crank it to get up oil pressure before starting the engine after the lay-up. Never found flat spotting on tyres a problem. Battery sits on an Airflow conditioner, and this has worked for the last 6 or seven years.
JS
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Lidl sometimes do battery conditioners for around a tenner. Just the same as the Aflow ones but much cheaper.
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Lidl sometimes do battery conditioners for around a tenner.
The one I recently bought from there (a Tronic H-3056) cost me £4.99
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