Hibernation

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CuppaTea

Member
 Gloucester
Site Supporter
Ahoy.

Any tips or tricks for winter storage? Sadly, the car will not be dry stored indoors. I have ordered a half cover for the roof, and plan to have it sit on the old wheels and tyres the car came with.

But what about the battery? And other shenanigans?

Cheers

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Cover is a good start for stopping water getting in if door seals aren't watertight, also helps with frost and ice, but on a nice warm day remove the cover to let the paint breathe and condensation evaporate.

Trickle charger is a must or maybe disconnect battery, and leave the handbrake off if you can if not then move the car around occasionally to stop it seizing on.

I also have a ultrasonic rodent deterrent near the car and when the weather is good take the car for a long drive unless you have sorned it that is.
 
A half cover is a great solution for occasional/short term use, but a full cover is much better for longer term storage. I can attest to the amount of water that comes through the car when it’s raining from when I did this:
95103fa8-0caa-4e6e-9378-df34e50d317c.jpeg

As mentioned above, disconnect battery (or attach trickle charger) and disapply handbrake. Some people suggest brimming the fuel tank to stop too much water condensation, but personally I don’t think this is an issue for the Z4.
 
Not a fan of full covers outside over the winter as can cause rub marks, scratches and most importantly paint blisters from sweating and condensation. Outside I would go with half cover at worst but that can still rub. Its a difficult one if no garage option.
 
Mine is stored indoors under a cover so different scenario than yours. As for the battery, previous years I took it out and charged it at home during the winter time. For this winter, I left the battery in and connected a ctek trickle charger to avoid the hassle of taking the battery home.
Other than that I checked the tyre pressure and filled the tank.
I leave it like that for 6 to 8 months during a year without any issues.
 
Personally I think all covers are a waste of time and money.

Mine was stored with an outdoor cover on it for 2-3 years between use by the previous owner. Inevitably, it was to keep it nice while being stored outside and I know he meticulously cleaned it before putting it on. But it caused a lot of damage to the paint it was almost hazy, took me a week and a 3 stage to get it place I was happy. Some of the scratches in the clear coat were too deep to get out and needed sanding but too far for me.

It seems obvious: buy a cover to protect it but unless its immaculately clean the buffeting of the wind will buffet the coverm, rub and push the road grime around on the paint and the cover acts like a huge towel, leaving swirls and sometimes worse damage. If you ever put it under when it isnt perfect those contaminants then embed themselves into the soft cover then scratch the car more. Even if you think the car is perfectly clean it isnt always, its amazing when you use clay and see the amount of stuff you cant see sitting on the surface.

Its a good idea to do a full decontamination if storing it long term is something you want to do. Inevitably, the wind will blow contaminants under the cover and cause damage anyway.

Depends how anal you are, but essentially they cause damage and cost a lot of money so why bother. The car is designed to be outside; I would leave it but check periodically. It's better than spending hundreds on covers that actually damage the car.

For me it only makes sense to cover the car indoors to stop dust etc if your storing long-term; the wind causes a lot of the damage.

The other thing to think about with a half cover is that if it rains heavily and the roof gets wet by water being blown under, it takes a lot longer to dry and saturated roofs arent great either. Unless you have water ingress issues the best thing to do is check the drains and do the usual maintenance to ensure the car doesn't leak.
 
tomscott said:
Unless you have water ingress issues
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I've had issues that are hopefully sorted. This is why I'm going for the half cover. Problem is compounded by an MOT type 1 manufacturer being about 150m from my home. The dust is quite a problem.
 
skullandbiscuits said:
Where did you get the half cover from?
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It came with (and was sold with) the car, or I may have purchased it off the forum, can’t remember. I think it was a ukcustomcovers one. It kept water from coming in the doors before I replaced the door membranes, which was the main thing. It was well made with magnetic fastenings. Some members have reported issues with magnetic fastenings rubbing the paint, but I never had a problem with only occasional use, even with a black car.
 
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