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2010 2011 BMW 5 Series Forum F10 BMW 5-Series (F10) Forums General 5-Series Sedan and Wagon (F10 / F11) Forum Winter storage "Tips"
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      11-16-2014, 12:31 PM   #1
valcor535
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Winter storage "Tips"

I will be putting my F10 in storage for the winter; any tips to best doing this? I have a BMW battery tender which I will hooked to the vehicle; any other tips?

Thanks
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      11-16-2014, 01:17 PM   #2
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If you can jack the car up to prevent bald spots on the tires. Another thing is to fill it up all the way and put in fuel saver. Having an empty or 1/2 tank causes moisture issues in the system.Lay a plastic sheet down underneath the car as well. Detail your car well prior to storage.
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      11-16-2014, 05:43 PM   #3
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Thank you TeutonicDan, I did detailed it today, fill it up last night and added stabilizer, i do not have jack stands , which is not a bad idea will try to get some... the plastic sheet under the car is that to prevent the cold radiation from the concrete floor?

Thanks for the excellent tips.
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      11-16-2014, 06:57 PM   #4
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I do winter store one of my cars every year and the best way to do this can be discussed to death.
ask 10 people and you will get 10 answers.

but.
-battey tender, or regular recharging.
-full tank of fuel
-dry and ventilated storage room

is a must.

Jack stands, well, as it will prevent flat spots on the tires, a jacked up car will put strain on the suspension bushings as the rubber is now in a loaded/twisted state.
I guess the best thing is to jack up the car, and put it on stands, then build up something under the tires to remove the strain on the suspension, but not so much that the tires take up all the weight.

Or just do as I do and put some more air into the tires, just inflate them to the maximum specified pressure on the sidewall, and return the pressure to normal after storage.

Some people insist on starting up the car every 2-3 weeks to circulate oil in the engine, I don't bother, I leave it for the whole winter.

a car cover would be a good idea if the storage area is used for something else, or as in my case, is the one half of my garage, but it's really not a must.

Now let's see how many disagree with me
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      11-16-2014, 08:03 PM   #5
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I think the tips here are sufficient.

1. Hook up a battery trickle charger.

2. Make sure car is clean (and optionally covered depending upon location).

3. Keep it in a dry (or humidity controlled) location with well circulated air.

4. Fill the tank. I think stabilizer is even optional here.

In most situations, I'd say that's all you need. Flat spots? I wouldn't worry too much about it. I certainly wouldn't jack up the car for it.

I also would NOT start the car unless you intend to drive it. It won't easily get to temperature without driving, and you shouldn't let it simply idle for long periods of time. So, just leave it alone.

That said, I suspect you can do absolutely NONE of the above, as well - just park it, and start it up come the spring. These things are pretty robust, and I'm fairly confident it would fire right up.

Out of curiosity, though - why are you parking it for the winter? Looks like you have an xDrive, which would be great in the winter snow - hell, I drove RWD BMWs in the snow for many years without issue, too.
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      11-16-2014, 09:34 PM   #6
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Thank you Noggie for the tips...

ezmaass, I did drive it for the past 3 winters, it did great in the Michigan winter , but now I have an SUV which I will prefer to drive and take the salty roads than the BMW.

Thanks all for the grat tips.
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      11-17-2014, 07:28 AM   #7
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I used to keep my M3 off the road in the winter, but I never actually considered it "in storage". I kept the gas tank full, and it was fully detailed all the time, but I would pick my days when there wasn't ice and snow on the ground (and everything was dry and sunny) to take the car out for a spin. I would get it fully warmed up and then return home to tuck it back into the heated garage. I also have a hot/cold water hose in the garage which is a MUST if you live in a cold weather climate and like to keep your cars nice. On the odd day it's above freezing, you can give it a quick wash (keep the car running with the heat on) and then back into the garage for dry and detail.

The hot water hose is also a must for rinsing all the salt and frozen ice off the vehicles you DO drive in the winter months. in about 3 minutes you can get a car relatively clean before pulling into the garage and having all that slop melting all over the garage floor.

Any plumber can run a hot/cold water line to your garage for a couple hundred bucks. once you have it, you will wonder how you ever lived without it.
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      11-17-2014, 09:02 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NewM3driver View Post
I used to keep my M3 off the road in the winter, but I never actually considered it "in storage". I kept the gas tank full, and it was fully detailed all the time, but I would pick my days when there wasn't ice and snow on the ground (and everything was dry and sunny) to take the car out for a spin. I would get it fully warmed up and then return home to tuck it back into the heated garage. I also have a hot/cold water hose in the garage which is a MUST if you live in a cold weather climate and like to keep your cars nice. On the odd day it's above freezing, you can give it a quick wash (keep the car running with the heat on) and then back into the garage for dry and detail.

The hot water hose is also a must for rinsing all the salt and frozen ice off the vehicles you DO drive in the winter months. in about 3 minutes you can get a car relatively clean before pulling into the garage and having all that slop melting all over the garage floor.

Any plumber can run a hot/cold water line to your garage for a couple hundred bucks. once you have it, you will wonder how you ever lived without it.
Taking it for an occasional spin, in the OP's case, may be a good idea as long as the roads are largely free of salt. This would really avoid most of everything else mentioned above. As I said, I'd BET you can even park it there without much prep and be perfectly fine come spring. This isn't a 20 year old car we're talking about - battery should be in good shape along with all other mechanicals, so my money would be on it starting right up.

Only issue with sports cars, though, is if they're running on summer tires. Even without snow/ice on the road, it can be incredibly dangerous since the tires will have little grip near and below freezing temps.
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      11-17-2014, 07:45 PM   #9
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The more I think about it, there are so many things that could potentially happen while jacking up the car and placing it on jack stands that could become catastrophic, isn't it easier to simply move the car around a bit several times throughout the winter.

Don't over think things. You are not trying to store a vintage icon indefinitely. You are simply not driving your daily driver daily while there is snow on the ground.

Trust me, on that cold but sunny Sunday in February...take it to the bakery in the morning and get the kids some treats. I guarantee you take the long way home.

Last edited by NewM3driver; 11-17-2014 at 11:19 PM..
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      11-17-2014, 10:37 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NewM3driver View Post
The more I think about it, there are so many things that could potentially happen while jacking up the car and placing it on jack stands that could become catastrophic, isn't it easier to simply more the car around a bit several times throughout the winter.

Don't over think things. You are not trying to store a vintage icon indefinitely. You are simply not driving your daily driver daily while there is snow on the ground.

Trust me, on that cold but sunny Sunday in February...take it to the bakery in the morning and get the kids some treats. I guarantee you take the long way home.
Had a Homer Simpson moment here when the most I got out of this post was... "Mmmm... bakery." Agreed, though, on your sentiments... the 5 will do fine, I think, with little prep, and taking it out here and there on a day with relatively clean roads will do the trick.
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      11-17-2014, 11:16 PM   #11
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Send her down to S FL. We'll take good care of her...😉
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      11-19-2014, 01:33 PM   #12
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Some input from the "other" side :-)
http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...raged-car-care
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      11-26-2014, 10:27 AM   #13
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Is that stabilizer needed for diesel for storage? thanks
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