Hi all! I'm a first-time Volvo owner (actually, it's my first car ever). I bought a 2014 S60 T5 a few months ago. I rotate between living in North Carolina and northern Canada, 4 months in either place. My Volvo will be staying in NC (I don't want to expose it to all the salt and snow in Canada), and as such I will need to store it. I have two questions:

1 - How long before I leave should I change the oil and filter? I was going to wait until the day before so that it's as clean as possible, but I have no idea at what point it matters or doesn't.
2 - Can you identify anything I'm missing in terms of prepping it for storage outdoors? (list of what I've done is below)

What I've got so far:
* level parking spot in gated facility
* fitted, water-repellent cover
* have detailed the vehicle inside and out
* treated the leather and all plastics/rubber
* checked tire pressure (my tires give a max of 50psi but my vehicle lists 36/38, so I went by the vehicle, this is correct right?)
* Checked with my insurance provider
* I know not to engage the park brake
* I will plug exhaust and air intake with cloth before I put the cover on
* Desiccant and scent-free moth *****
* I will be unplugging the negative terminal of the battery to prevent parasitic drain from the security system (since it's in such a secure location)
* Will be filling the tank with ethanol-free gas and adding fuel stabilizer (or can I do regular gas and just add the fuel stabilizer?)

No one will be driving it until I return in the spring. I am close to the SC border so the weather is pretty mild.

Thanks in advance for your help! I want to make sure I don't miss anything and damage my vehicle.

 

Oh, and if it matters the vehicle has 71K miles on it.

 

I have a 2000 Miata that goes into storage every winter (7 months of the year!) so have a little experience here.

A few things:

1. I wouldn't cover it if it's being stored outside. The cover will move with the wind, regardless of how fitted it is, and you run the risk of abrading the paint.
2. Inflate the tyres to the maximum pressure indicated on the sidewall. This will help minimize flat-spots. The vehicle pressure recommendation is for when it's being driven, not stored.
3. Crumpled foil will be a much better plug for the exhaust and intake (wouldn't recommend cloth since that would be a good nesting material).
4. Change the oil as close to storage time as is reasonable - a few days of use afterwards isn't going to hurt anything.
5. I've never bothered with ethanol-free fuel but I do add stabilizer, and I've never had any start-up issues.

Other than that, your list looks pretty good to me.

Hope this is helpful -

Steve.

 

Thanks, Steve! That's very helpful. I'm quite nervous about leaving my vehicle for such a long time, but I think everything will be ok.

 

All of the above but I would not simply disconnect the battery and leave it in the vehicle. Doing so will ensure a completely discharged battery when you return after 4 months. A completely discharged battery shortens it's overall life, even after recharging. Remember, it can get pretty darn cold on NC too. If at all possible I would simply connect a battery tender that can be had for about $30 and leave that plugged in. Otherwise I would pull the battery out and store the battery somewhere where it can also be connected and plugged into a trickle battery tender for the duration.

 

A few things:

1. I wouldn't cover it if it's being stored outside. The cover will move with the wind, regardless of how fitted it is, and you run the risk of abrading the paint.
2. Inflate the tyres to the maximum pressure indicated on the sidewall. This will help minimize flat-spots. The vehicle pressure recommendation is for when it's being driven, not stored.
3. Crumpled foil will be a much better plug for the exhaust and intake (wouldn't recommend cloth since that would be a good nesting material).
4. Change the oil as close to storage time as is reasonable - a few days of use afterwards isn't going to hurt anything.
5. I've never bothered with ethanol-free fuel but I do add stabilizer, and I've never had any start-up issues.

Other than that, your list looks pretty good to me.

Hope this is helpful -

Steve.[/QUOTE]

I agree all of these suggestions, especially the removing of battery and storing in a place where it is room temp on a battery minder also no cover outside maybe instead a thick layer of a good wax. The only thing that I would add is to put a few drops of " Marvel Mystery Oil " in each cylinders through the spark plug holes and reinstall the plugs. this will keep the "Rings" freed up, it might smoke for the first few minutes when you run it when you come back and start it up for the first time, don't Freak !!

HTH, Rick

 

Definitely a good call by the guys above to use a battery maintainer if at all possible (I hook my battery to a Battery Tender over the winter).