To winter or not to winter?

Post by **kcodyjr** » 18 Sep 2016, 23:03

The 7th circle of Hell is not hot, it is cold; it is snowy, and salty, and filled with idiots who somehow forget how to drive between April and December.

It it is centered on eastern Massachusetts. You'll find the gates of Hell at the state line. It's a blue sign saying "Bienvenue."

I recently bought a 2012 C70 T5 with only 30K on it. I paid CarMax an extra $1100 to ship it in from LA. It's never seen winter.

It seems like a good idea to keep it that way. My general intention is to park it for the winter, and drive my 97 850 for the snowy months.

The question is, is parking it outside good enough? Is Volvo's $500 cover worth the investment?

There's some yuppie storage facility a half hour away, for $225/month they'll park it in a warehouse; but they need the keys so they can shuffle them around, and I don't like it. It would be a bit more money for an unheated self-store enclosure of sufficient size, but no electricity for a battery maintainer. I don't even know where to look to find an indoor heated facility with a power outlet that wouldn't want the keys.

I've read I should give it a fresh oil change, and fuel stabilizer, and pump the tires up to the max PSI on the sidewalls before letting it sit, and then another oil change right away in the spring. Lacking outside power, should I remove the battery and bring it indoors for the winter? Are the electronics going to be pissed off in the spring?

Any other ideas? TIA.

Post by **850 LPT** » 20 Sep 2016, 11:15

Can you put up a shelter or carport near your house? That would keep the elements and the idiots at bay, and you may be able to hook up a battery maintainer.
I'm no expert, but my gut tells me that taking the battery out for that long may not be a good idea.

Post by **kcodyjr** » 20 Sep 2016, 21:37

Not really an option. The only kind that would work is the heavy duty dome ones - a Massachusetts snowstorm can get pretty fierce. The mobile home park would consider that a 2nd shed. The carport I have now, just a canvas canopy over the driveway, will have to come down before the first windy storm hits.

I could replace my shed with a sturdy carport, but it's at the back of the lot, and then I have to wait for the ground to harden in the spring before driving it out.

I've got two choices of overflow parking lots if I want to cover it and just let it sit, or I'll have to lease a space somewhere.

Post by **kcodyjr** » 20 Sep 2016, 21:38

Oh, you're in CT, so you mostly know what I'm talking about with the snow. I believe the kind of sturdy carport it would take costs $1200 or more.

Post by **850 LPT** » 21 Sep 2016, 05:54

I bought a Shelterlogic carport already years ago and it does ok in the winter. I do have to knock the snow off when it gets too heavy though. And 2 years ago I built some reinforcements between the tubes for better load distribution. It's the regular shaped one and I wish I had bought a dome shaped one because this would not be an issue.

If you consider the cost of the your indoor parking options, the carport is rather cheap

Good luck figuring this out.

Post by **abscate** » 16 Mar 2018, 05:00

Yikes. $225 is twice my entire running monthly service budget for running 5 cars and 7 drivers

Just wax it, cover it with a $40 target car cover to keep salt off it and it will last

These cars don't rust. The steel, paint, and undercoating is why all Swedes go to heaven.

Post by **Rattnalle** » 16 Mar 2018, 05:20

A cover that moves with the wind will rub against the paint though so it's not always an improvement depending on conditions.

But I agree rust won't be much of an issue. Especially if you don't drive it on salted roads. Though the older P2s were actually more rust proof than the ones since as far as I know.

If it's really cold the car should keep well. If it's like here on the coast mostly damp all the time a parked car can develop a certain aroma inside after a while..

As for taking the battery out the car doesn't know if its been out ten minutes or four months so go ahead.

Post by **mrbrian200** » 21 Apr 2018, 13:25

If renting space indoors somewhere isn't really an option--

Simply pulling if off the street/in a driveway somewhere -anywhere- accomplishes a lot in northern salt areas. Getting it a few inches up helps too. Such as placing patio pavers positioned under each wheel/driving up onto them so that the underbody can breath better and not trap/condense moisture. Ideally you'd want it parked on asphalt or a sealed surface where water drains well/doesn't puddle and isn't porous (preferably not bare concrete or gravel/earth).