Storing a 2008 for 6 months in garage over Canadian winter...what to do?

I have a 2008 Fit with about 12,000 km on it, and I am storing it in
my heated garage for 6 months over a cold, Canadian winter, I have
been reading some posts on this group about what to do when storing
Hondas, but would like some updated hints. Some have suggested
disconnecting the negative wire from the battery, taking the wheels
off, using a gas stabilizer, leaving the windows open, leaving them
closed, etc. I purchased an 'intelligent' battery charger which only
delivers a 2A charge to the battery if it needs it....should I use it
to keep the battery up instead of disconnecting it?

Any tips would be really appreciated because I'm not much of a
mechanic and I do love this car.

Arthur

 

Gas stabilizer is good, intelligent battery charger is good.

 

The trickle-charger is an excellent idea. That way you don't need to
disconnect the battery.

Adding Sta-Bil to the gas is an imperative these days, so you MUST use it.
And use it according to the label on the bottle. Do not add more than
specified because you think "more" must be "better".

Other things you need to do:
1) Change the engine oil.
2) Pump-up the tires to the maximum shown on the sidewall. This will
minimize flat-spotting.
3) Make sure the gas tank is completely full.
4) After changing the oil and adding Sta-Bil, take the car for a half-hour
drive, preferably with some highway involved. This gets the engine good and
hot, plus it helps distribute the Sta-Bil throughout the gas in the tank,
and helps make sure Sta-Bil ends up in the fuel lines and the injectors.
5) Park the car, shut it off for good, and do not drive it any more.

Given that you're working with a car this new, there should be no need to
raise the tires off the ground unless you've noticed a slow leak in any of
the tires. If you suspect the tires may go flat during your absence, place
jack stands under the control arms, NOT under the rocker panels or subframe
rails. You need the suspension to stay under normal compression while the
car is idle.

 

Many thanks for your excellent info.....much appreciated.

Arthur

 

I need to warn you against using a trickle charger over many months. Some of
these chargers are made very cheaply and do not know when the battery is
fully charged and then shut off. I know, I ruined a batter by leaving a 1
amp trickle charger on that battery for 6 months. Make sure that whatever
charger you use, that it automatically shuts off when the battery is
charged. Even one amp left on for 6 months will definitely ruin (overcharge)
a battery.

The charger might even be a 12 amp charger. That is what I keep my Ford
charged with over a 6 month winter here in the UP. If you go out to the
garage and look at it, the charger is almost always off. If you watch it
long enough you will see the meter spike upwards for a fraction of a second
and then back to zero charge. That is what it takes to keep a battery
charged without overcharging it.

There is a huge variation in quality and design of chargers. I bought what
was advertised as an automatic charger at Walmart. I hooked it up at home
and found that it would charge up the battery alright, but then it would
shut off and never offer a charge again. The power had to be cycled in order
to make it work again.

Michael

 

Hi,
I currently have a one car garage and am interested in converting to a
two car garage. I am wondering how much additional space I need for it.
I currently have 14 feet on my property line from where the garage ends,
is that enough to add the second spot? Thank you!

 

I doubt it. There are usually limits on how close to the property line
you can build. In my town for instance, it's 20 feet.

 

Yup.......that's what I got. It charges, and then shuts down, giving
me an 'error code'.

I called the manufacturer's customer service. The guy told me
batteries designed for Canada are 'different' and don't work with the
'intelligent' system in their chargers. It will charge and then shut
down and must be recycled periodically. Great...... : /

A

 

I have designed three houses (Virginia, Texas, and California) and the
last one, in California, included a third garage, for my third sons
car. The bottom line, for me, was that I needed a certified
California registered architect to submit the plans. Even though I
did the work. So that is what you may have to do. Get a local. And
the building department will want a plan and they will quickly tell
you if it does not comply with code.