Zed Winter mothballing.

[acer54]

I have mothballed my Zed during the Winter months since I had it imported from Japan in 2017, I have a Ctek trickle charger connected which looks after the battery, I also have been starting it and running it once every two weeks till it's up to temperature.
How do you other Zedder's who store their cars over the Winter do it, is it necessary to start it every two weeks or is it best left alone and only started in the Spring when it comes out of hibernation?

 

[mr wilks]

Leave the trickle charger on & forget about it till spring , there is no need to start the car at all during its hibernation , in fact more likely to create problems doing so

 

[kis]

Been covered many times, try here and searching if you need more. Generally just leave alone, few months won't do any harm. Fluids topped up or within tolerances, battery should be charged and tyres should be rotated to avoid flat spots.

 

[MKZ4000]

Likewise I put the charger on . Don’t bother starting it unless taking it out. Fill the petrol tank up. Over inflate the tyres to avoid flat spots. Put steel wool in exhaust to stop rodents . Leave windows down slightly

 

[buzyg]

Keep it taxed and on those rare perfect clear winters days. Disconnect the charger. Start the engine and take it for a run out. I would suggest any thing less than 40 miles is a waste of a good Zed, as mine is barley warm in less than 10, that time of year. Then drive it like you stole it and tuck it up until the next time.

 

[acer54]

So basically flat spots on the tyres are the biggest problem it would seem, I will probably start it and move the car around so when it's back in the garage the tyres will be in a different position so to speak.

 

[acer54]

Keep it taxed and on those rare perfect clear winters days. Disconnect the charger. Start the engine and take it for a run out. I would suggest any thing less than 40 miles is a waste of a good Zed, as mine is barley warm in less than 10, that time of year. Then drive it like you stole it and tuck it up until the next time.

I will keep it taxed this year (previous years it was sorned) but don't want to drive it on salt treated roads to keep it corrosion free.
Fingers crossed we have a mild Winter and very little snow and ice and I can take it for a run.

 

[Jembo]

Likewise I put the charger on . Don’t bother starting it unless taking it out. Fill the petrol tank up. Over inflate the tyres to avoid flat spots. Put steel wool in exhaust to stop rodents . Leave windows down slightly

This is a good list as is most of what I do above, I’d just add.

- Wash n clean well before hibernation, so as not to put away damp
- XCP rust inhibitor spray any exposed metal, inc underside
- assuming garaged, cover at least with a sheet, if not a car cover to avoid spider poo
- You can also either totally disconnect the battery, remembering to flick the boot latch to stop it lock-in.... or alternatively put on a solar charger. Last winter mine ended up being SORN’d for 6 months, one start in the middle for a move but otherwise solar charger was more than sufficient.

 

[buzyg]

Keep it taxed and on those rare perfect clear winters days. Disconnect the charger. Start the engine and take it for a run out. I would suggest any thing less than 40 miles is a waste of a good Zed, as mine is barley warm in less than 10, that time of year. Then drive it like you stole it and tuck it up until the next time.

I will keep it taxed this year (previous years it was sorned) but don't want to drive it on salt treated roads to keep it corrosion free.
Fingers crossed we have a mild Winter and very little snow and ice and I can take it for a run.

Yes, salt will wreck your car. Fortunately down here in Cornwall we get very little snow and ice, due to our freind the gulf stream flowing up both coast lines. That same friend means we also get more rain than most other places through the winter months, which happily cleans the roads.

On those very rare occasions that I have to go anywhere near a salted road in the Zed I have two policies.

First I always hose down the underneath of the car with fresh water. I do this when I wash it anyway.

Secondly I wait a few days until the salt has been washed off the main roads, then take it out in the pissing down rain and drive a few miles, not even far enough to warm it through properly, but enough to wash any cr&p of the underneath, before popping it back in the garrage. Not scientific but I am happy to report my Zed has very little rust underneath it after 72000 miles.

 

[BeeEmm]

Fill the petrol tank up.

Not a good idea to do this as petrol goes 'off'. I never SORN my cars as I personally believe that to drive them at least once a month is part of the maintainence. I do 'lay up' my lawnmowers during the winter though and make sure that I drain all fuel from the tanks so that fresh fuel is added in the Spring.

 

[Ewazix]

Fill the petrol tank up.

Not a good idea to do this as petrol goes 'off'. I never SORN my cars as I personally believe that to drive them at least once a month is part of the maintainence. I do 'lay up' my lawnmowers during the winter though and make sure that I drain all fuel from the tanks so that fresh fuel is added in the Spring.

The old thought was that condensation from an empty tank rusted steel tanks, so filling up was advised when storing. I think the e85/6 has a plastic tank so shouldn't be necessary.

 

[earthdweller]

Leave the trickle charger on & forget about it till spring , there is no need to start the car at all during its hibernation , in fact more likely to create problems doing so

Pretty much what I do

Mine is covered and occasionally I will take the cover off and ventilate it

But other than that it sits there sleeping soundly