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Laying up your car

What to do before leaving a car unused for a long time

The preparation required before you put a car into storage depends to some exent on how long the vehicle will be left. Below are our recommendations for storing a car for one month, from one to three months, and for more than three months.

Read the general advice, and then see the specific items corresponding to the period for which you will be leaving your car.

General advice

  1. Check the code of any coded radio before removing a battery lead. You must also find out if any on-board computer will be affected by having the battery disconnected for a long period of time. Refer to the vehicle owner's handbook or contact the manufacturer.
  2. If you're covering the vehicle, don't allow plastic or any other moisture/condensation-inducing material to rest on the paintwork. If outside, be careful to avoid paint damage due to flapping covers.
  3. Note exactly what you've done to the vehicle and put it in the car – perhaps tied to the steering wheel – so that when the car comes out of storage, everything can be returned to how it should be, either by you or anybody else.
  4. There are commercial companies who will undertake storage and looking after your vehicle. This may be an option, though it might prove expensive.
  5. If covering the recommended points below is impractical, you could arrange for someone to use the vehicle once or twice a month in dry weather, providing insurance, tax and MoT, etc, are current. This will help keep the engine and other systems functional.
  6. Take care when restarting after a long period. The battery must be fully charged and all the fluid levels checked. Try the brakes, and check that the handbrake and clutch are free. It may be best to arrange a full service of the car, including changing the brake fluid.

One month

If you're storing your car for up to one month, we recommend the following:

  1. Make sure the cooling system contains a good quality, glycol based anti-freeze at a concentration of 30% to 50%.
  2. Renew the anti-freeze if it's over one year old. (This doesn't apply if the engine contains one of the modern long-life antifreeze solutions – OAT coolant.)
  3. Leave the handbrake in the off position, making sure the vehicle wheels are securely chocked.
  4. If the vehicle is in a secure garage, leave the windows partly lowered.
  5. Ensure the drain holes in the doors, sills and bulkhead/heater are not blocked.
  6. Unpainted metal parts (not rubber or trim etc) can be sprayed with a water dispersant such as WD40 to reduce corrosion.

Up to three months

If storing a car for up to three months we recommend the following in addition to the one month items above.

  1. Hose under the wheel arches to remove accumulated mud. Wash the vehicle then polish, apply a chrome protective polish where appropriate. Let the car dry thoroughly before putting it away.
  2. Remove the battery. Be sure to check the code of any coded radio before removing a battery lead, and find out if any on-board computer will be affected by having the battery disconnected for a long period of time. Refer to the vehicle owner's handbook.
  3. Clean the battery terminals, top up if required (if it's not a sealed-for-life battery) and arrange for it to be slow/trickle-charged about every four to six weeks. Don't leave it where it may freeze. Some special chargers can be left on all the time.
  4. Raise or remove the carpets if you suspect dampness, and dry thoroughly.
  5. Make sure the wiper blades are not in contact with the front or rear screens.
  6. Empty the windscreen washer bottle.
  7. If the vehicle is not to be parked on the public highway you should consider getting a refund on your road tax by declaring Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN) on the refund application form. You can read more details on the DVLA website.You may also be able to reduce your insurance cover to fire and theft only.
  8. If the car is in a garage, make sure that there's plenty of ventilation – gaps under the doors and a high-level air vent – to promote circulation.
  9. An alternative is to use a dehumidifier, in which case the garage should be sealed as far as possible. Dehumidifying is cheaper and probably better than heating a garage, though a dehumidifier will need a low-temperature shut-off thermostat as it can't work below about 4C. Corrosion is not a problem in very cold weather, provided the car is dry and free from road salt.

More than three months

If storing a car for more than three months we recommend the following, as well as all of the above 'one' and 'three' month items.

  1. Carry out a complete lubrication service, including oil filter.
  2. Slacken the auxiliary drive belts, ie alternator, power steering, air conditioning, etc. Note: don't slacken the camshaft drive belt.
  3. Lubricate locks with a suitable lock oil. Spray under the bonnet, around the battery box, under the wings and the metal in the boot area with a water dispersant.
  4. Place the vehicle on blocks or stands (to raise the wheels clear of the ground and unstress the tyres). If you can, remove the wheels and store them flat in a cool dark place. Don't leave a vehicle resting on a hydraulic jack, as it will slowly creep down.

Starting a car left unused for a long time

The work required to start a car that's not been used for a long time will depend to some extent on how well the car was prepared before being put into 'storage'.

  • Check tyre pressures
  • Check that nothing's nesting under the bonnet or has chewed through the pipes/hoses
  • If any auxiliary drive belts were loosened when the car was put into storage then these must of course be re-tightened before the car is run
  • Check all fluid levels before starting – oil should be changed once the car's running
  • Stale fuel could be a problem – hopefully there's not too much in the tank so that fresh fuel can be added and can get through to the engine
  • Taking the plugs out first and turning the engine over is a good idea as this will reduce the load on the engine whilst the oil is redistributed

It's also important to check brake operation including the handbrake – if the car's been left with the handbrake applied then there's every chance that the brakes will have seized on. It may be possible to free them by engaging a gear and driving gently otherwise dismantling may be necessary.

It's good practice to arrange a full service once the car is running again.

Regarding the mot – the only circumstance in which a car may be driven on the highway without an mot is if it is being driven by prior arrangement to a garage for an mot to be conducted.

If you require a garage to undertake any work prior to arranging the mot then the car should be moved only by truck or trailer.

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10 July 2008