Winter storage

[Scarcey]

Hi All

Decided to store over winter my two weekend cars; one of which is my Z4m. This’ll be the first time I’ve ever done this and I’m looking for some guidance. Can anyone point me in the direction of:

-decent trickle charger: if people can also advise on how to hook it up to the M that’s great. I’m sure I read somewhere not to hook it straight to the battery; I might be imagining this though.

Wheel chocks: not sure if I’ve got the name of these correct but the little ‘seats’ that wheels can sit on. Probably will purchase a set of these for each car.

- a good indoor cover for the M: is it worth covering the car? Part of me wonders if I’ll do more harm than good to the paintwork. Car is kept in my garage which has a little heating to it by fact the boiler is in there.

- a good outdoor cover: this’ll be for the other car, my z3. Pains me to have to store it on the drive and the wife won’t let me put up a machine mart-esque temporary tent to store it in. I don’t want to get something that will bugger the paint but watching it get rained on is making me cringe.

- AOB: I’ll take any other sound advice on board. I appreciate some will say drive it but that’s not happening. The car is in at mr Vanos early next year for rod bearings so won’t be changing the oil either.

Many thanks in advance.

 

[pvr]

-Trickle charger connect to the points under the bonnet.
- Full tank of e0 (or max e5) to minimise water separation
- No cover (I like looking at the car and the dust is minimal)
- never bothered with wheel blocks, just push the car a bit forward and backwards at times when I remember

 

[Ewazix]

Ctek battery maintainers are ideal as the mid/upper range models actually condition the battery to restore capacity. They run a max of 5 amps so are perfectly safe to attach directly to the battery on e85/86, CTEK made the BMW branded battery tenders in the e85/6 era (not sure if they still do) and the BMW units came with comfort connectors for easy direct-to-battery installation.

Other chargers or an average boost/jump starter will push over 400 amps which would risk electronic components if attached directly to battery so this definitely requires big fat leads and the surge protection provided by the under-bonnet post.

 

[DMike]

CTEK made the BMW branded battery tenders in the e85/6 era (not sure if they still do) and the BMW units came with comfort connectors for easy direct-to-battery installation.

Some CTEK kits too have the eyelet accessory to connect directly to the battery terminals, a.k.a. Comfort Connect kit. Five to six euros when bought separately.

 

[Ewazix]

CTEK made the BMW branded battery tenders in the e85/6 era (not sure if they still do) and the BMW units came with comfort connectors for easy direct-to-battery installation.

Some CTEK kits too have the eyelet accessory to connect directly to the battery terminals, a.k.a. Comfort Connect kit. Five to six euros when bought separately.
EE72C5B8-8B43-435C-874E-DCF7B98B9421.jpeg
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Yes I've had my ctek connected like this for the last decade with no problems

 

[RedUn]

CTEK made the BMW branded battery tenders in the e85/6 era (not sure if they still do) and the BMW units came with comfort connectors for easy direct-to-battery installation.

Some CTEK kits too have the eyelet accessory to connect directly to the battery terminals, a.k.a. Comfort Connect kit. Five to six euros when bought separately.
EE72C5B8-8B43-435C-874E-DCF7B98B9421.jpeg
F07320C8-2C56-4C15-98C0-140BCCDE12EE.jpeg
DEF6A001-4E51-4942-A28A-B7B8409927B1.jpeg

Yep! Way forward

 

[RedUn]

OP only other thing is to run it every now and then and let it get upto temp.

I always store with bugger all fuel, fill up with fresh once back on the road, don't know which method is correct between that and pvr's but it's always worked for me?

 

[pvr]

OP only other thing is to run it every now and then and let it get upto temp.

I always store with bugger all fuel, fill up with fresh once back on the road, don't know which method is correct between that and pvr's but it's always worked for me?

Neither do I, but at least I have fuel at that stage in case there is some panic buying and the tank is a lot cheaper :lol:

I had been reading the impact of E10 a while back (I know that is not for the M), and the water forming was something that I didn’t like, and the theory was that the fuller the tank was, the less water was generated. True or not, no idea, but it sounded reasonable.

 

[RedUn]

OP only other thing is to run it every now and then and let it get upto temp.

I always store with bugger all fuel, fill up with fresh once back on the road, don't know which method is correct between that and pvr's but it's always worked for me?

Neither do I, but at least I have fuel at that stage in case there is some panic buying and the tank is a lot cheaper :lol:

I had been reading the impact of E10 a while back (I know that is not for the M), and the water forming was something that I didn’t like, and the theory was that the fuller the tank was, the less water was generated. True or not, no idea, but it sounded reasonable.

:rofl: good point!

I always thought it was condensation inside the metal tanks that was the issue hence filling it up but I've genuinely never researched it!

No doubt some Internet guru will be along shortly to explain why we're both wrong :lol:

 

[Ewazix]

I always thought it was condensation inside the metal tanks that was the issue hence filling it up but I've genuinely never researched it!

No doubt some Internet guru will be along shortly to explain why we're both wrong :lol:

Old skool steel tanks without proper vent sealing were best left full to prevent rust from water condensation on the cold inner surface. Our cars have atmospherically sealed plastic tanks so it's less of an issue. However modern fuels can attack the fuel pump in the tank when laid-up leading to noises or a stuck pump. I put in a bottle of Wynns Formula Gold petrol additive and give it a run before putting mine away for the salt gritting season....... whenever that finally arrives :|

 

[srhutch]

OP only other thing is to run it every now and then and let it get upto temp.

My understanding is not to do this, just leave it alone until you take out of hibernation.

 

[Zedebee]

Best take it out for a blast whenever there’s a nice sunny day. 8)

 

[Mr Tidy]

Interesting post as I might SORN mine for a few months if/when my garage (with a house thrown in) purchase finally happens!

Best take it out for a blast whenever there’s a nice sunny day.

The problem with that is if it is off the road I don't want to be paying £600 a year road tax when I might not use it.

I've seen over-inflating the tyres suggested to prevent flat spots, but don't know how effective that is.

 

[RedUn]

OP only other thing is to run it every now and then and let it get upto temp.

My understanding is not to do this, just leave it alone until you take out of hibernation.

Out of interest why not? Makes sense in my head? Keep everything lubricated and spinning over?

 

[Zedebee]

The problem with that is if it is off the road I don't want to be paying £600 a year road tax when I might not use it.

Good point, but as a humble non-M owner I would rather not have the hassle of SORNing a car over winter just to save a hundred quid. There’s as many good days over the winter when you can drive it, as there are bad days in the summer when you can’t.

 

[Pondrew]

Everybody has their own ideas of how to best 'store' a car over Winter, as has been demonstrated above. I think these ideas are borne out of 'experience' and 'hearsay' (I did this and it was fine type of idea).
I would say the most important things are battery and tyres. I only put my car on a trickle charger once a fortnight until it's fully charged, otherwise it's a waste of electricity as the charger will keep 'topping it up'. I leave my cars unlocked as alarms drain batteries and with the handbrake off. Tyres can perish if left for months with all the weight of a car in one spot. I sit mine on old bits of carpet to insulate a small amount from the cold concrete and rotate the wheels every few weeks. This has worked for me but doesn't mean it's the best way.

Oh and a couple of baited mousetraps in the garage. Those little buggers can cause carnage in the engine bay and cabin.

 

[grannyknot]

This is my outdoor cover while she is sheltered over winter, boat wrap. Drive on to the sheet, throw it over the top, tape it and heat.

 

[Pondrew]

This is my outdoor cover while she is sheltered over winter, boat wrap. Drive on to the sheet, throw it over the top, tape it and heat.

That's a polytunnel! I grow tomatoes in them oke:

 

[Ewazix]

....... I only put my car on a trickle charger once a fortnight until it's fully charged, otherwise it's a waste of electricity as the charger will keep 'topping it up'. .........

True for a standard trickle charger but smart chargers like Ctek are best left on as they actively cycle charge and extend battery life, the original 2003 BMW battery in my Z4 lasted an amazing 15 years! Always left on the ctek when parked for longer than a couple of weeks.
https://www.ctek.com/uk/education/battery-charging

 

[Scarcey]

Thanks for the replies everyone. It’s good to see so many differing opinions and to know that what I was considering doing is a mixture of approaches that you’ve all suggested.

Looks like I’ll grab a ctek charger. I’m with Mr Tidy regarding the tax. It’d end up being the most expensive winter blast to re-tax just for a day.

I’d always thought that letting an engine idle up to temp on a driveway was going to do more harm than good as it’s not getting the cooling it would whilst moving; horses for courses and each to their own I guess.

It’s going to be a long wait until the spring...