Winter storage :o(
- Thread starter TitanTim
- Start date
Its not the cold or slippery stuff that bothers me, its the layer of salt on and under the car in all those nooks and crannies.
A good wash before putting it away leaves a potential ice rink on the drive!
I will have to take mine out next (2013) Nov/Dec tho, as the first mot is due. Or is that time for a new one?
A good wash before putting it away leaves a potential ice rink on the drive!
I will have to take mine out next (2013) Nov/Dec tho, as the first mot is due. Or is that time for a new one?
Reevsie said:
Lidl often have battery chargers in and at £15 they are good value. Trickle charge over the winter using the under bonnet pins.
I bought a maintenance charger a few years ago (Makro) which charges and partially discharges the battery - It must have worked ok as I sold my E85 to a friend and he has the same battery. Its now eight years old.
I had a look at those Lidl items but I don't think they shut off when battery full and it looked as if the battery had to be disconnected to charge. The instructions were very vague. Cracking value though if it did the job.
Wife bought me a Ctek 10. It will run electrics with no battery installed and has a recon function. Managed to recover the garden tractors battery with it that wouldn't charge normally.
Was great just firing the car up first time after a 5 month sleep.
Wife bought me a Ctek 10. It will run electrics with no battery installed and has a recon function. Managed to recover the garden tractors battery with it that wouldn't charge normally.
Was great just firing the car up first time after a 5 month sleep.
TitanTim said:
I tried the solar-powered charger this morning. Both lighter socket and under-armrest socket are only live after the start/stop button is pressed (not engine running). So I don't know how BMW battery conditioner works as it also uses ligher plug.
I can't park my car in my garage so I have to take my car to work twice a month (160 miles round trip on motorway to charge the battery).
Z4andy said:
Just had a look at my el Cheapo Lidl charger instructions.
It suggests removing -ve terminal, I dont think this is necessary and it goes on to say that once the battery is fully charged that the unit automatically switches to a maintenance state!
The unit has the TUV mark as well so it should be ok!
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Anonymous
Guest
Only 800 miles since April Tim........my duff car had nearly 3k on it, and my replacement now just over 500 in less than a month.
Peeps - Tim has put his car away as he is uber careful with it. Notice it is still cleaner than when it left factory!
I did the winter wheels last year as well....for 2 1'ers and no snow! This year traded one in for the Z4 so got a set to sell (shameless plug!!!). Want some for the Z4, but as you say, at £1500 isn, not gonna happen! Need my car all year as I use it for work also, but already told my boss I wont be driving it in the snow.
Winter tyres outperform summer tyres when the temp drops below 7 degrees cos the rubber stays supple, whereas normal tyres get hard. Also, when snowy, tread pattern is better on winters. I would feel safer if I could afford them this year. However, one problem with them is that it gives you confidence to drive in those conditions...and you might be ok...but you cant stop someone else sliding into you!
Peeps - Tim has put his car away as he is uber careful with it. Notice it is still cleaner than when it left factory!
I did the winter wheels last year as well....for 2 1'ers and no snow! This year traded one in for the Z4 so got a set to sell (shameless plug!!!). Want some for the Z4, but as you say, at £1500 isn, not gonna happen! Need my car all year as I use it for work also, but already told my boss I wont be driving it in the snow.
Winter tyres outperform summer tyres when the temp drops below 7 degrees cos the rubber stays supple, whereas normal tyres get hard. Also, when snowy, tread pattern is better on winters. I would feel safer if I could afford them this year. However, one problem with them is that it gives you confidence to drive in those conditions...and you might be ok...but you cant stop someone else sliding into you!
kevinmarkwhite said:
To keep your costs down, have you considered part worn tyres?
I wouldnt fancy them for a fast summer trip in the zed either but for a few gentle, less slippy winter days when generally going slower then why not?
If I didnt have my Disco (with snow tyres on all year round), I would be thinking along those lines. I did this very thing for my daughter three years ago working on the principal that part worns were safer than standard rubber in the winter
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Anonymous
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Part worn winter tyres?
kevinmarkwhite said:
Haha thanks Kevin,
Yes I think sometimes too careful, still to get my first stone chip 
To be honest I use the Zed for work but as its local only a few miles I hardly rack the mileage up and still been using the Z3 a fair bit probably more than the Z4. I'm still mulling over selling the Z3 by the end of the year to get something a tad more practical, just received the Suzuki Swift Sport brochure so may go take a test drive. One of the reasons I didn't get any winter wheels for the Z4 apart from purchase cost was the faff of swapping them and wasn't going to ask the dealer this time as felt I was done up like a kipper on the 1 series last winter i.e. £90 to store and swap the wheels over
Your right in that no amount of being careful will stop someone going into you
Tim.
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Anonymous
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Our house is in a cull de sac, at the bottom of a hill. when it snows, after a day or so the main roads at the top are fine...but you cant get out of our house cos its not gritted.
Funny you mention that Tim about dealer storage....last year, with the two 1'ers I changed them over myself, but it took ages and I'm lazy, so this year was thinking of getting them to do Deb's car. Although I could just take them to a tyre fitter etc. Or DIY again....one car not so bad.
Funny you mention that Tim about dealer storage....last year, with the two 1'ers I changed them over myself, but it took ages and I'm lazy, so this year was thinking of getting them to do Deb's car. Although I could just take them to a tyre fitter etc. Or DIY again....one car not so bad.