We have a 2010 Fit which will need to sit for about a month to a month and a half over the holidays. I'm planning on parking it in a secure area so the catalytic converter stands a chance of being on it when we get back, but is there anything else we should plan on doing? It'll be in the Kansas City area so it will probably be fairly cold during that time, but not terribly frigid. Thanks!

 

If there's power nearby, I would put a battery maintainer on the battery. Also, if over a month, I'd add 10 gallons worth of gas stabilzer before the last gas fill-up before storage. We store two Fits (an '09 and a '20) for about 2 months during the summer and I use the maintainer and stabilizer then.

 

I'm storing cars outdoor during the winter (3-5 months), and all I do is to charge the batteries before the winter, make sure the parking brakes are not engaged, and lift up the windshield wipers.

 

Lifting up the wipers for a long period is not recommended, even for a whole night. I would not do it as you bend the springs in the arms and in the long run, you will loose pressure on the windshield.

I'm storing an S2000 every winter and there are 2 things I do:
- Use a battery intelligent charger;
- Fill up the tank with good quality gas before storing it.

Never had a problem when I start it up in the spring.

 

If the wipers are on the windshield for longer period, they tend to collect leaves, needles, seeds and pollen, which together with freezing water and snow damages the wiper blades in long run. I have seen that in many cars stored outdoor for longer period. If I leave the wipers down in the autumn and let them be ther over the winter, it is almost sure that I need to buy new blades next spring. And for overnight it is recommended to lift up the wipers in freezing temperatures in order to avoid ripping the blades when they need to be lifted up for cleaning the windshield or beginning to use the the wipers.

If the car is stored in a place, where there are trees nearby, it would be good idea to cover the interior air intake cowl between the hood and windshield to prevent debris collecting there.

 

A month or two isn't too terribly long.... A full tank of gas and (maybe) a trickle charger should be all you need. I keep a couple cars stored for about three months typically and I usually hook up the charger at about the halfway point. They're in the garage though so that might make a difference - at least there's no leaves or snow!

This is the charger I use:

 

That's a nice charger, but just toavoid the OP being scared off by the cost, I use this one:


Wow, that's odd! the link I posted was for Amazon. It's $26 there, just enough for free shipping.

 

Twice I've left my car outside for a month in the winter (NYC area) when I was travelling and both times it started right up. I did a buy a jump-starter battery (it's around $50 and charges via usb) just in case. I've used it once on someone else's car with a completely dead battery and it started right up so I'm glad I own it. Much easier than dealing with the jumper cables that I've carried in my cars for decades. Now as I type this I realize it's a waste of space and I should take them out.

 

Your wiper springs do NOT lose pressure from being in the up position for any period of time. Whoever told you that is full of shit. lol

 

Read that in a AAA article!

 

You are quoting from one internet article based towards old timers. For sure not anything to worry about once or twice a year on snow days.

That is like saying your hood hinge springs go bad when the hood is sitting in the up position. Not true. So don't believe everything you read in life. smh

 

https://www.car1.ca/2016/12/08/keep-...-winter-storm/

"On the other hand, some may argue that keeping your wiper blades in an upright position may increase the wear and tear of your wiper arms by fatiguing the arm’s springs. Plus, some may think it looks downright silly to leave your wipers up, regardless of the weather.

The facts are clear. Leaving your wiper blades up will not cause damage to your wiper arms. Springs and the metal used for them are designed to handle the stress to being upright overnight. When upright, a spring will not reach its yield strength or dynamic range."

 

100% bullshit. Please try again.

 

Thanks for all the suggestions. Most likely the car will be in a storage lot behind a fence but probably won't have access to power, so I may not be able to do much about the battery. Would it be best to disconnect the battery? Or doesn't it really make a difference?

 

Since your absence is relatively short, I wouldn't bother disconnecting the battery.

 

Yes, even though I recommended a battery maintainer, that was primarily for extra insurance. Odds are the car will start just fine after a month and a half. Worst case, it might need a jump start.

 

I dont think it should make a difference (unless you have a draw on your system)

+1

I would try and fill the car up with ETHANOL FREE gas, if you cant find E-0 gas or arent going to have a chance to run out all the shitty Ethanol fuel first, I'd put some fuel stabilizer that is made for Ethanol fuel in the tank according to it's directions (I'm pretty sure our fuel tanks are about 10.5G) and top off the tank

it may be a good idea to invest into a jump start box
I have this one https://www.costco.com/type-s-8000ma...100813421.html
I think it's like $50 or so

another thing to consider is rodents,
newer cars use a SOY Based insulation on much of the wiring (mice/rats love soy)

https://www.hagerty.com/media/mainte...f-stored-cars/
make sure the car is cleaned out fairly well (especially for food and crumbs)
maybe throw some moth balls under it near the tires

 

Actually I don't think that's true anymore. Honda made the mistake of going to "environmentally friendly" insulation years ago but I believe they dropped it when all the rodent problems started, I don't believe the GK Fit has any. Anyways in my 2018 Fit I've had mice build nests in my engine air filter box, a large nest on top of the gas tank (tank had to be dropped) and elsewhere. They've chewed some hard plastics but I don't believe any actual wiring was ever touched. My neighbour on the other hand had an older Honda Accord and they did chew up a lot of wiring in the engine compartment because he had the soy based wiring. Admittedly I don't know what the insulation situation was with the older 2010 Fit.

 

they sure liked the wire insulation in my 2010 prius
and seem to be interested in my wifes 2011 Sienna

never had any signs in my 2005 motorhome (Ford E-450 chassis) and it's the one that sits the most