So how long do you have to not be using a car like my S60 2.5T to require special procedures be taken to storage?

I'll be away for about three weeks, and I doubt that's long enough, but it could be a lot longer later in the year.

What's considered "long enough" and what are some good storage practices?

 

I'm sure there are others on the forum with more experience storing cars long term... but two things I know you should do. Store the car on blocks to get the load off the tires. Use a battery tender to maintain the charge in your battery. I think you should also change the oil, fill up the gas tank, and add a stabilizer to the gas.

 

I would say anything above 6 weeks would have me considering it.

 

Some points. First, get a "floating charge" battery tender. So you don't cook the battery. I've used, believe it or not, one from Harley Davidson (I think its really a Battery Tender brand relabeled) on my wife's summer convertible toy which is put away each year from November until April without ever having a problem. Keeps the battery fully charged. Second, don't lock the car if you can avoid it. You don't want to set the alarm which uses current. Third, when you follow Penguins's advice and pour some Stabil into the tank, pour it into a non-full tank so it mixes well when you fill the tank; and make sure you run the engine long enough to smell it (its distinctive) in the exhaust so you know its also in the fuel injectors and rails and fuel line, not just in the tank. You'll know it when you smell it.

I guess there's a fourth suggestion. Highest octane, non-alcohol gas. Octane decays over time. So start high as possible. I do that each year with (nonturbo) Chrysler Sebring which is an '00 and I've never had a fuel problem so far. You don't ever want to have to drain a full gas tank.

Blocks not needed for shorter term storage if you fill the tires to max psi per labels on the side. Just remember to set pressure before driving and expect a few miles of bumpbumpbump as the flat spots return to normal; and don't freak out -- they'll all be in identical spots so the bumpy is a little startling at first.

And a fifth suggestion which probably isn't as important to you. I buy two Starbrite brand dehumidifier packages (some dessicant inside a cardboard container less than the size of a cigarette package) one of which I hang from the steering wheel and the other I hang inside the trunk. Never had a musty smell or mildew problem even though its a cloth top convertible which sits in an unheated garage in Northern Michigan all winter. A Volvo sedan seals much better than a Chrysler convertible. I do use a custom fit car cover, however. Depending on storage site, some compulsives also put stainless steel or like kind of pot scrubbing device into exhaust outlet to prevent rodents from making a home in there. I suppose you could also do the same with the air intake if you were concerned.

The owner's manual in wife's V70 contains storage instructions and as I recall, 30 days is the time frame that Volvo uses for implementing long term storage precautions.

Finally, if you're storing in a garage, back the car in just in case the above don't prevent a spring "failure to start". Lots easier to work on, and even easier to tow (God forbid!).

And, of course, wash the car and dry it before storing. You don't want crud sitting on your paint! Good luck.