Storing Vibe for 6 months - What to do?

[Jaycie685]

I will be going on a 6-month deployment (yeah... Navy ) beginning in January and should be back in July of nex year.How do I store my car? I live at an apartment complex and park alongside the road. We have a garage, but it belongs to my roommates since it is their apartment and we are renting one of the rooms. I am debating on whether to get a storage space while I'm gone so it will be protected against the elements.OR,Leave it by the road and have my roommates start it up once a week to keep the engine from dying out. BUT it would be exposed to the elements.I am stuck. Any suggestions?

[Rico Rose]

My daughter is in the Navy (stationed in SanDiego) When she went on a west-pac she lent her car to a "friend" who parked illegally. The car was towed and impounded she was left with a huge bill to pay. So don't lend it out!!!

[ColonelPanic]

Storage space, storage space, storage space! If you love your car, I would recommend it. Heck, I not-so-love mine, and I would still choose to lock it up, actually. Unless you really, really, really, trust the folks you will be leaving your car with... I would still be very, very careful. We wouldn't want to let your deployment turn into a case on People's Court once you get back! I would put it away safe and sound, away from the elements, somewhere where nobody has the keys... Just let it sit there, and chances are, it will run better after being locked up for months than it would if had it been sitting at home and the wrong person found the keys, took it out and totaled the sucker without your knowledge. It's not going to be a cheap option, but I think it would be the best option.

[northvibe]

I agree, store it. leaving it out it could get broken into, hit by another car and the elements.

[ToolGuy]

Keep it indoors if you can...This is what I do when I store my car.Full tank of fuelChange the oil and filterOver inflate you tire by at least 5 lbs.Stuff rags in your tail pipeRemove the battery and bring it in doors; using a trickle chargerI do not start my car all winter and if you do start it periodically like the other method of storing, you MUST let it reach max temperature and even let it run longer. If you do not, condensation will build up in your exhaust system and engine and sit there. In the engine (oil) it will look like a milky white substance, not good to keep it that way.A Corvette GM master Tech recommends not starting it like I do and so far I have had no issues, should not either. Come spring it fires just like I put it away the day before.

[ColonelPanic]

Good advice!

[vibe-04]

My two considerations have always been security and mositure. Dampness causes all sorts of corrosion problems. You might want to disable the car for security sake. As with an earlier post, pull the battery and store it off the ground and on a trickle charger.I hope you have a safe deployment.Cheers Andrew

[Jaycie685]

Thanks guys. I'll go with storing it. But because I don't have a garage for my car to go into, I'm going to have to get a storage unit. I currently have a 5x10 storage unit and I pay $76 a month for it. Would the Vibe fit in something that size or do I need to go larger? Also, what is a trickle charger?Thanks!

[ColonelPanic]

Quote »Also, what is a trickle charger?Basically, it is a type of battery carger that will help the battery maintain its charge. Over time, the battery will lose its charge, and by the time you get back, it will probably be dead. These things will, over time, keep a minute charge flowing into the battery when needed to keep it from going dead.This is different than a normal battery charger, which is capable of fully charging a dead battery in a short period of time. Those pump out a lot more current than one of these little trickle chargers would, and you wouldn't want to leave a normal battery charger hooked up for a long period of time... I don't know the specifics of how they work or what is the best to get, but in a nutshell, methinks that's the concept behind it.

[Kari]

I'd venture to say that you probably need to go larger...I haven't measured the car but it seems bigger than that. If it would fit in a 5x10, it would be extremely tight and you probably wouldn't be able to get out of the car once you got it in there.

[tnpartsguy]

Check with your storage lot too, some don't allow storage of vehicles due to fire regulations. (Something to do with 10+ gallons of gas)

[nortsr]

Some storage areas even have "climate cotrolled space" which is great as it keeps the "humidity and temperature" at a certain level. I know a lot of the "Classic" cars are stored or kept this way. I know, I know, the Vibe isn't a classic...but we do like to think of it that way. At least "CLASSY"!!!

[Jaycie685]

"If it would fit in a 5x10, it would be extremely tight and you probably wouldn't be able to get out of the car once you got it in there."This is where a moon/sunroof would come in handy! Too bad I don't have one. "Check with your storage lot too, some don't allow storage of vehicles due to fire regulations. (Something to do with 10+ gallons of gas)"While moving my stuff into storage, I noticed one of the larger storage spaces was open and had an antique car in it. I'm guessing automobiles are ok to store. "Some storage areas even have "climate cotrolled space" which is great as it keeps the "humidity and temperature" at a certain level." Yah my storage space is climate controlled which is nice!Thanks for all your input guys! It just means I'm going to have to shell out an extra $100 a month for 6 months to cover the cost of storing my car. On the plus side, I'll know my car is safe!

[vibe-04]

Maybe you can save some cash by asking your insurance company to put your policy on hold for six month. You might offset the storage cost Andrew

[zionzr2]

A tip for when you bring you vehicle out of storage and re-hook the battery. Once started let idle for 5-10 minutes for all the systems to reset properly

[ZubenElGenubi]

Quote, originally posted by vibe-04 »Maybe you can save some cash by asking your insurance company to put your policy on hold for six month. You might offset the storage cost That's a great idea; you definitely need to check on that. At the very least, they can reduce your coverage to a "recreational" level (as opposed to "daily - to/from work").Also, wouldn't a gasoline stabilizer be necessary for such a long storage time?I'd also recommend putting the car on blocks and to keep the tires off the ground.

[jake75]

There has got to be someplace cheaper, perhaps 100 miles inland from San Diego, to store that car for 6 months. Where did you buy it? Perhaps your dealer will give you a break since you are going on deployment. We've all got a soft spot in out hearts for the military today. In your climate perhaps even outside storage in a secure area would be o.k.

[BOZACK]

My brother was stationed in San Dog for many years. Never had a car until he went to Iceland. Then he bought it to drive home to NY. He kept it at my house and I drove it from time to time. He is now in Groton,CT.

[Jaycie685]

See, now I COULD leave my car with my family, but I'm afraid they're going to run up my mileage. It's already high for the year that it is! Right now it's at 32,500 something miles and it's a 2004 model. It would be nice if I could just take my car with me. Yeah! Tie it down on the flight deck. Hahah!I'm going to shop around for storage units within a 50 mile radius from where I live and hopefully *keeping fingers crossed!* I'll find one that won't clean out my bank account.