A110 winter storage - tips?
Discussion
I'm planning to put my A110 in storage for the winter starting from October and I'm looking for tips on what should be done to ensure the car will start and run properly next spring.
The car will be put on a (half)warm garage for about 6 months so it will stay there quite long time. I have no experience on storing a car for such a long time so any tips would be welcome.
If I understand correctly some kind of a trickle charger for the battery could be a good idea? I think there is some discussion on trickle chargers buried somewhere on the huge A110 owners thread but that discussion is quite difficult to find. Do I understand correctly that CTEK MXS 5.0 might be a good trickle charge for A110?
The car will be put on a (half)warm garage for about 6 months so it will stay there quite long time. I have no experience on storing a car for such a long time so any tips would be welcome.
If I understand correctly some kind of a trickle charger for the battery could be a good idea? I think there is some discussion on trickle chargers buried somewhere on the huge A110 owners thread but that discussion is quite difficult to find. Do I understand correctly that CTEK MXS 5.0 might be a good trickle charge for A110?
Mine will probably be in (unheated) storage between November and February. As I have to have an alarm installed (in order to have insurance against theft), which will be done by my dealer, I decided to have a trickle charger installed at the same time. The dealer has specified it on their offer as 'Alpine battery lader', but I will let you know which brand and type they are using.
At €263.76 it does not come cheap, but knowing that I am not exactly an electrician, and assuming that this will not void the car's warranty, it is well worth the cost for me.
[EDIT] They specified part no. 6020080000 on the offer, which can easily be traced online (the other Dutch Alpine dealer sells it in their online parts shop): https://www.munsterhuis-auto-onderdelen.nl/product... In the end I believe that the price that my dealer offered me is not bad at all.
At €263.76 it does not come cheap, but knowing that I am not exactly an electrician, and assuming that this will not void the car's warranty, it is well worth the cost for me.
[EDIT] They specified part no. 6020080000 on the offer, which can easily be traced online (the other Dutch Alpine dealer sells it in their online parts shop): https://www.munsterhuis-auto-onderdelen.nl/product... In the end I believe that the price that my dealer offered me is not bad at all.
Edited by bram070 on Thursday 11th August 11:07
Portti said:
I'm planning to put my A110 in storage for the winter starting from October and I'm looking for tips on what should be done to ensure the car will start and run properly next spring.
The car will be put on a (half)warm garage for about 6 months so it will stay there quite long time. I have no experience on storing a car for such a long time so any tips would be welcome.
If I understand correctly some kind of a trickle charger for the battery could be a good idea? I think there is some discussion on trickle chargers buried somewhere on the huge A110 owners thread but that discussion is quite difficult to find. Do I understand correctly that CTEK MXS 5.0 might be a good trickle charge for A110?
You can leave the CTEK charger connected and it will automatically charge when the battery voltage drops, ideally tyres need jacking off the floor to avoid flat spots, set the auto handbrake to off and cover it with a good dust cover/cotton sheet.The car will be put on a (half)warm garage for about 6 months so it will stay there quite long time. I have no experience on storing a car for such a long time so any tips would be welcome.
If I understand correctly some kind of a trickle charger for the battery could be a good idea? I think there is some discussion on trickle chargers buried somewhere on the huge A110 owners thread but that discussion is quite difficult to find. Do I understand correctly that CTEK MXS 5.0 might be a good trickle charge for A110?
Portti said:
I'm planning to put my A110 in storage for the winter starting from October and I'm looking for tips on what should be done to ensure the car will start and run properly next spring.
The car will be put on a (half)warm garage for about 6 months so it will stay there quite long time. I have no experience on storing a car for such a long time so any tips would be welcome.
If I understand correctly some kind of a trickle charger for the battery could be a good idea? I think there is some discussion on trickle chargers buried somewhere on the huge A110 owners thread but that discussion is quite difficult to find. Do I understand correctly that CTEK MXS 5.0 might be a good trickle charge for A110?
Definitely put on trickle charger and yes, the CTEK MXS is recognised as being a good charger. Also over inflate your tyres to avoid flat spots or better still jack the car up and put on axle stands. The car will be put on a (half)warm garage for about 6 months so it will stay there quite long time. I have no experience on storing a car for such a long time so any tips would be welcome.
If I understand correctly some kind of a trickle charger for the battery could be a good idea? I think there is some discussion on trickle chargers buried somewhere on the huge A110 owners thread but that discussion is quite difficult to find. Do I understand correctly that CTEK MXS 5.0 might be a good trickle charge for A110?
Edited by essexstu on Saturday 13th August 13:41
Thanks for the replies everyone!
I think I'll order the CTEK MXS 5.0 charger. How tricky is it to install that on A110 since the battery is hidden somewhere in the front?
Jacking the tyres off the floor is probably not realistic option in my case but perhaps I'll just overinflate the tyres instead.
I think I'll order the CTEK MXS 5.0 charger. How tricky is it to install that on A110 since the battery is hidden somewhere in the front?
Jacking the tyres off the floor is probably not realistic option in my case but perhaps I'll just overinflate the tyres instead.
Portti said:
Thanks for the replies everyone!
I think I'll order the CTEK MXS 5.0 charger. How tricky is it to install that on A110 since the battery is hidden somewhere in the front?
Jacking the tyres off the floor is probably not realistic option in my case but perhaps I'll just overinflate the tyres instead.
I've a CTEK MSX 10, a gruntier version of the 5.0, which I swap between my Discovery and the A110. Accessing the battery under the front bonnet is easy as the cover panel just clips into place. I permanently attached a CTEK fly wire to the battery and have it hanging into the front boot space so all I have to do is open the bonnet and plug the connector from the charger into the lead. Both the Disco and A110 tend to sit idle for a period so its handy to just have a connector on each (Disco one connects through the trailer hitch socket so even easier). The CTEK just tops up and keeps the battery conditioned when charge. No issues in the time I've been doing it, over winter for more than a month at a time. I think I'll order the CTEK MXS 5.0 charger. How tricky is it to install that on A110 since the battery is hidden somewhere in the front?
Jacking the tyres off the floor is probably not realistic option in my case but perhaps I'll just overinflate the tyres instead.
No photos but it really is easy- the trim panel beneath the wipers just pulls out - the battery is accessible under there. The flying leads to the charger socket just attach to the +ve and -ve terminals of the battery and are led over the lip into the front boot. 5 minute job including cup of tea.
It’s trim panel 1 in this guide - you don’t need to do any more than move trim panel 1 to access the battery - ignore the rest as that is for removing the front boot tray
https://e-guide.alpinecars.com/eng/Alpine-A110/LEV...
https://e-guide.alpinecars.com/eng/Alpine-A110/LEV...
Edited by Miserablegit on Tuesday 16th August 08:02
Miserablegit said:
It’s trim panel 1 in this guide - you don’t need to do any more than move trim panel 1 to access the battery - ignore the rest as that is for removing the front boot tray
https://e-guide.alpinecars.com/eng/Alpine-A110/LEV...
Quite useful info, thanks. I have ordered the CTEK charger and should get that next week. I'll look into how to remove this panel once I have the charger.https://e-guide.alpinecars.com/eng/Alpine-A110/LEV...
MondeoMan1981 said:
Watch humidity levels and make sure the interior is spotless. Seen a few videos now of cars parked up for a few months and the owners opening them up to find mould growth....
Hopefully that will not be a problem in my case. The garage is heated and temperature in there should stay well above zero degrees Celcius. The humidity outside will be relatively high in October and November but from December to April air will mostly be quite dry...and cold. Temperatures might drop to minus 35C in the area where the car will be garaged.Hi Portti,
I had my charger installed yesterday, and looking back at the result I am sure that I could have easily done it myself. The plastic panel between the storage box and the windshield can be pulled loose (it just clicks on both sides, no screws, just be careful that the metal clams do not touch the paint when removing the panel), the battery is in the middle and its connectors are within reach.
Basically it is just a wire and a connector that you can place wherever you want. See pictures below.
Now, to borrow your topic, I also have a question related to winter storage preparation: does anyone know an easy way to get rid of all the junk piling up on the front radiator? I know that the storage box can be removed, but removing those screws is not something I want to do too often. I can imagine that there may be a better way. After only 3500 kms I have already collected quite a bit of trash that I do not want to cause rust by rotting away.
I had my charger installed yesterday, and looking back at the result I am sure that I could have easily done it myself. The plastic panel between the storage box and the windshield can be pulled loose (it just clicks on both sides, no screws, just be careful that the metal clams do not touch the paint when removing the panel), the battery is in the middle and its connectors are within reach.
Basically it is just a wire and a connector that you can place wherever you want. See pictures below.
Now, to borrow your topic, I also have a question related to winter storage preparation: does anyone know an easy way to get rid of all the junk piling up on the front radiator? I know that the storage box can be removed, but removing those screws is not something I want to do too often. I can imagine that there may be a better way. After only 3500 kms I have already collected quite a bit of trash that I do not want to cause rust by rotting away.
I have now received my Ctek charger and I just tested if I can install it and get it to charge.
I did manage to remove and reinstall the panel under which the battery is located. I put the clamps on the positive and negative terminals on the battery and the charger seemed to start charging.
So far so good. However here's the question. When putting the panel back on it seems like there is no space to route the charger cable/wire anywhere near where the battery is located. How have others routed the cable?
I was thinking that perhaps through the hole around the bonnet hinges next to the base of the windscreen. That way the cable could come out and routed outside of the car. Anybody else done that?
Note that I'm planning to install the charger only temporarily for winter storage and removing everything in spring.
Looking at bram070's pictures it seems like his is routed through the hole next to the base of the bonnet strut.
It seems like some kind of extension cable is needed anyway.
I did manage to remove and reinstall the panel under which the battery is located. I put the clamps on the positive and negative terminals on the battery and the charger seemed to start charging.
So far so good. However here's the question. When putting the panel back on it seems like there is no space to route the charger cable/wire anywhere near where the battery is located. How have others routed the cable?
I was thinking that perhaps through the hole around the bonnet hinges next to the base of the windscreen. That way the cable could come out and routed outside of the car. Anybody else done that?
Note that I'm planning to install the charger only temporarily for winter storage and removing everything in spring.
Looking at bram070's pictures it seems like his is routed through the hole next to the base of the bonnet strut.
It seems like some kind of extension cable is needed anyway.
I have a CTEK and bought myself an extension lead for it.
Mine is now fitted and appears under the washer bottle flap - (When not in use it sits in that space) - I then connect it to the charger that basically sits on one of the windscreen wipers.
Its there because I also have an anti cat cover (with duvet under it so he can't scratch it - little darling !)
Mine is now fitted and appears under the washer bottle flap - (When not in use it sits in that space) - I then connect it to the charger that basically sits on one of the windscreen wipers.
Its there because I also have an anti cat cover (with duvet under it so he can't scratch it - little darling !)
A110Dordogne said:
I have a CTEK and bought myself an extension lead for it.
Mine is now fitted and appears under the washer bottle flap - (When not in use it sits in that space) - I then connect it to the charger that basically sits on one of the windscreen wipers....
Routing the cable from the top of the washer bottle might be a good way to do it. It looks like it might be fairly easy to get the cable through there. Then running the cable so that it comes out from between the rear end of the bonnet and base of the windscreen. Mine is now fitted and appears under the washer bottle flap - (When not in use it sits in that space) - I then connect it to the charger that basically sits on one of the windscreen wipers....
I was also thinking that the charger could sit next to the windscreen wiper.
Thanks A110Dordogne!
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