Winterising your Tuscan

[bryanlister]

With heavy rain, slippery leaf smothered roads and the inevitable appearance of the gritter trucks coming out of their hibernation, my thoughts are towards tucking up my Tuscan in the garage for a couple of months.

I have heard reports that lack of use of the engine and the AC can cause various seals to dry out which may in turn cause oil leaks and AC failure. Am I being a little paranoid about this - are the cars OK to leave for a couple of months or will it be a case of putting it away and all is well - until the moment I start using it again next year?

P.S. will be putting it on a charger to keep the battery tip-top.

[p7ulg]

No car is OK to leave a couple of month.Having had experience of laying cars up and using them I would definitely use the car as much as you can.Obviously when the weather is horrendous keep the car off the road but try to get it out a couple of times a week for a decent run. I think it is a myth that you are protecting the car by not using it.

[fish]

I winterise mine by daily driving. Never had a problem yet. Oh its my only car!

[donaldhunter]

I'm planning to winterise my Tuscan by running it daily, except when the weather is extremely bad. I'm not a believer in laying up vehicles, not matter how well it's prepared for lay up.

[beano1197]

p7ulg said: Obviously when the weather is horrendous keep the car off the road .....

I thought the idea, in snow and ice, was to keep it ON the road!!!!

[bryanlister]

I appreciate you chaps in wanting to keep your cars running over winter - but in my circumstances it really is impractical. I live in West Yorkshire up in the Pennines and if it is icy and snowy - I have a stuggle to get my every day company car home!! If the roads are passable, it is only because they have been heavily gritted. I used my Chimaera in November last year and the underside never dried out the whole time it was left in the garage - until January. Given the salt and damp - it would not be doing the car any good at all. So this year, the Tuscan will be snug under its cover until the sub zero temperatures abate. By the way, I am the only house around here that does not own a big 4X4 and I don't want to have to be towed out of the snow by one!!

[andyvdg]

I would try and run the car as much as possible. If you have to leave for more than a week or so, have you got a heated garage and a dehumidifier ? Someone's mentioned about how to keep the tyres round. Another thing is to change the fluids (brake / oil) as soon as you start running it again as they will have been contaminated with moisture.

Oh, and don't wash it just before laying it up - make sure it is bone dry.

[griff2be]

Another trick if the garage is unheated is to leave a couple of low wattage lightbulbs under the car, permanently on. Doesn't cost much and provides a slight bit of heat to keep things warm and dry.

Also ideal if your Tuscan is scared of being left alone in the dark....