My top tips for keeping any car in top condition during a period of storage.

After many years keeping my own fleet of classic and moderns in ready-to go-condition, here are my top tips for successful car storage. Be that over the winter months, or during this current lockdown period.
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[jeffreynunya]

Me: Owns a 2014 Mazda 6 that sits outside all the time
Also Me: Watches a 20 minute video on how to store all your classic cars

[bennylloyd-willner]

Tyrrell's Classic Workshop and Harry's Garage. I can be quarantined forever❤️

[JayFreezy]

This video just shows that YouTube car content isn't reliant at all on having cars moving, running, revving or speeding. It's down to the person in the video to engage with the viewer and keep them interested and to share their knowledge. Harry is brilliant at this, this video was 20 mins of walking around stationary cars but it was full of interesting facts and information. Content is only as good as the person delivering it. Bravo Harry another great video. Such a reliable source of good YouTube content.

[OddBike]

Another point regarding occasional run up - make certain it gets FULLY warmed. Coolant up to full temp, oil up to temp. If you start for a few minutes then shut off, condensation forms in the crankcase. The heat of run up normally evaporates it, but short on-off cycles don't. I've seen honest-to-god milkshakes in the oil from people doing this. They'd have been better off not touching it at all.

[paulotex]

1. Building: isolation, humidity, temperature 1:00
2. Battery: 6:06
3. Petrol: 10:40
4.Anti-freeze: 11:15
5. Tyres: 11:35
6. Convertible top: 12:12
7. Windows: 12:38
8. Hand brake: 12:55
9. Washing and covers: 13:12
10. Regular drive or start or spin it: 14:03
11. More covers: 15:23
12. Fuss over cars: 16:15
13. History file: 17:08

[restlessjack]

Brilliant tips for storaging a car...I would add: cleaning and vacuuming the interior and removing the rubber floor mats. Cleaning/changing the interior air filter. Putting a moisture absorber inside the car. Putting a silicone spray on rubber seals, bushings and rubber boots. Check and treat the corrosion spots with oil spray product or even wd40.

[paulhiggins]

Harry is just the loveliest chap on the planet. Feels like a brilliant pal I have never met.
Thank you so much for the output...

[robc]

my mrs is furious, I’ve spent the day washing my Skoda and reversed it into the living room. Well I said Harry says it needs to be warm and dry 🤣

[d-d-i]

My father has museum registered Opel Rekord 2.0S from '80, driven approx 100k miles. Top notch condition. Unfortunately he doesn't have garage to keep it safe during winter (he would want to), but luckily we live in nordic country where winter temps go below freezing point. What he has done is to keep the car on clean tiled surface, made from concrete ground tiles, so that the ground is as dry as possible. Years ago he also did full rust proof coating to the bottom, wheel arches and even used long hose to spray the wax protection inside the skirts. He puts big felt bag of silicate grain into the interior to keep it dry from moist/humidity. Then he covers the whole car with very thin felt blanket and puts tarp cover for weather proofness, but those do not touch the ground to keep the bottom of the car ventilated. The car has been kept outside storing for past 10 years, and it hadn't rusted at all, not even in any hidden places. He even goes to drive with it on -10 C temps, to keep everything lubricated and to ''ventilate'' it a bit.

So if you don't have garage, this is propably the best way to preserve classic/old car, but it requires to have cold climate, not gonna work on UK or similar climate places, where the temps and humidity might be too high.

[robertrico]

Harry, you are my favorite, please don’t stop. I don’t care if you make videos about how you organize your screwdrivers.

[Grpinto]

you can't imagine how good it’s to watch your videos at this stage, it keeps our soul of classic car lovers alive. Waiting for better days to enjoy them. Greetings from Oporto / Portugal

[whitefields]

The biggest difference I saw recently was to fit a Hormann 4 panel insulated garage door. You drive the car in at night and the garage is still warm the next morning. Make sure garage ceiling is fireproof plasterboard. Disconnect and electic door openers (mine opened in a fire and let draught in and wrote the car off because the windows were open! Smoke and Fire alarm. Have a fire extinguisher handy. Pump the tyres up extra hard to prevent flat spots. Ventilation is more important than heat. Let the whole system breathe. See the latest RICS consultation on buildings. Corrosion of discs under disc brake pads? Put in some plywood dummy pads soaked in oil to protect the discs. Unload suspension a little. roll car around to different position. Press brake pedal to crack piston seals. Run engine but long enough to get tailpipe really hot to get condensation out of exhaust pipe. When hot take oil filler cap off to let water vapour out of engine. Don’t plug the exhaust pipe. Car covers make cars sweat and restrict ventilation. Keep out of direct sunlight. Brake fluid is hygroscopic, put small sachet of dessicant under the lid. Be careful of over-clever battery chargers, lots of snake oil being sold. Increase concentration of corrosion inhibitor or use waterless coolant. Clamp on some sacrificial anodes to limit corrosion

[markfrance]

You are such a down to earth chap Harry. The type of bloke a guy could sit down and have a pint with at the drop of a hat !

[harrykeane]

7 months on second lockdown, but this time people are keen to carry on as normal.
I salute them.

[adamwort]

Mk2 3.8 jag, mk1 transit, cortina p100 in my workshop 35miles away, silver shadow LWB & series 2 land rover outside without covers, i did give the rolls a spring clean today

[malcolmhollingdrake]

In the old days a through draught of air was the way to prevent condensation. Barns were always full of holes; houses had cavity walls. That, in my opinion, is the way to keep cars free from wet air – hence barn find! Great posts, Harry.

[timphotoec]

Just bought a Ctek charger because of this vid. I have always known about them but this pushed me to buy one with a few extra plugs for cars and a bike. So there you go, your sponsor should be happy.

[sanmarino_cs]

All the other you tubers making videos about lockdown and panicking about content.

Harry’s garage, come into my garage, here’s how to look after your car properly 👌👌👌

[dazuk]

A lot of people watching this won't have a multi car garage..but Harry obviously knows that. Even if you only have a one car garage with one car you want to look after...the same principles described here apply just as much...just on a smaller scale. Great advice on the whole....peace.

[timogaleon]

Just a thought about storage in the current lockdown. Most (all?) UK marinas are now shut, so it’s not possible to go and visit the boat to check the temperature and humidity is OK (Meaco DD8L recommended, btw), so I’m very glad I installed an Envirotxt device. I just send it a text and it replies in a few seconds to tell me that the mains power is still connected and also the temperature. Currently 16C, at 10 pm.... If mains power is lost, it also sends me an alert so I can get the marina staff to investigate. Very useful device that could also be used for a remote garage, provided it has mains power.