You worked hard for it. You dreamed of getting it for years. So, you need to take care of it.
I’m talking about your luxury dream car that you spend glorious summer days cruising down the highway in. The type of car that you dream of in your sleep, almost feeling the wind flowing through your hair during a scenic drive to nowhere in particular.
As tempting as it is to drive the car 12-months a year, the cold weather can be harsh on any car. That’s particularly the case with a luxury vehicle that wasn’t designed to be a daily drive. Those cars require a different kind of love compared to your ABBA (go from A to B then back from B to A) car.
They require a little love. And, during the harshest parts of our Canadian winters, they may require a little winter vacation from the roads.
If you do decide to store your car through the peak of winter, you should first take a few precautions to ensure you are doing so properly and avoid any potential damage.
Here are some steps to take before putting your car in storage for the winter:
You likely already keep your luxury car exceptionally clean, but you should double down on that before putting it into storage.
Give both the exterior and interior a deep clean, ideally by hand. You can either do that yourself or hire a local car cleaning service. This will make sure that you aren’t met with any surprises when you put the car back on the road come spring. The car will be sitting for months, if it’s not fully clean you can develop a pest issue or an unpleasant smell.
In your car’s case, that means a good cover. The purpose of a cover is two-fold: It keeps dust and debris from damaging the exterior, and it helps your car avoid unwanted attention from onlookers.
There is a large selection of vehicle covers available. Some are custom fitted, while others will fit any car. Regardless of what you use, make sure that it is appropriately secured. Otherwise, the cover could end up damaging the car.
For some, finding the right place for the car to be stored will be easy. You’ll just make room in your home’s garage. Others, however, will need to locate a facility that can be your car’s home for the winter.
Most major cities will have facilities that you can rent that will offer you 24/7 security and a climate-controlled environment to ensure that your car is going to have a smooth resting period.
What is a trip to the mechanic for a tune-up, but the equivalent of us going to the spa to recharge and unwind?
Invest in some preventative measures before driving the car to storage by having a full tune-up. That way you’ll know that all your car’s fluids (fuel, antifreeze, windshield washer fluid, and brake fluid) are all full, and your car is at peak performance when you’re ready to put it back on the road.
After the tune-up, take the car out for a final ride of the season, so the fluids can circulate. And, so you can spend a few last quality moments together, too!
Once you put the car in storage, make sure you don’t forget about it. You should go visit it every couple of weeks to make sure nothing is going wrong at the storage facility.
While there, you should also do some general maintenance.
You should check your tire pressure each visit. Over time, tires form flat spots as the rubber sits and is continually compressed. Putting a few extra pounds of pressure could help counter this.
You should also spend some time dusting the interior on each visit.
Finally, you should check your battery, especially if your storage isn’t climate-controlled.
By properly storing your car, you can ensure that when you drive it out in spring, it is ready for you to start to enjoy it again.
