How long is the typical winter storage? I've lived in Florida my whole life so winter storage of a Loved vehicle is new to me.
Is it recommended to go into the garage and start that puppy up every now and then or just leave it sitting untouched because cold idling and fuel dilution would be doing more damage then good?
If I was to store a valuable vehicle (not your average daily beater you're trying to keep snow off of) for say 3-4 months, I don't see what the big deal is to dump $30-$100 worth of synthetic oil into Autozone's recycling jug.
To me it's: $100 oil < $5,000+ engine.
And if we're talking exotics then the replacement engine cost is $25,000+ without labor.
Now I'm not saying the engine will go bad and need replacement if you don't change the oil before and after storage, I'm just saying that if Im storing a beloved and cherished prized vehicle which I spend 40 hours polishing and detailing and wash weekly, polish exhaust tips, rub wax on by hand, and try to not even drive it in the rain, what's a $50 oil change in the grand scheme of things??? Lol.
I agree that the oil is still perfectly fine after sitting still for 3 months but why not couple a quick seasonal flush with bringing the car outta storage as a good thing???
I recently did a 50,000 mile anniversary oil change on my average daily driven Mazda 3. I dumped the 4K old oil, poured in new synthetic, took the car for a 20 min joy ride, came back and changed the oil again. The 20 min old oil came out dark (not that oil color means much) after mixing with leftovers and flushing out the engine real quick. Whats the big deal? I only see benefits to the engine here.
Btw, I recycled the "old" 20 min oil into my RX-8 but had I trashed it, I couldn't care less about the $2 per quart synthetic oil I got from AAP clearance. It technically not being trashed anyway but recycled so the only waste in this situation is my $10.
Is it recommended to go into the garage and start that puppy up every now and then or just leave it sitting untouched because cold idling and fuel dilution would be doing more damage then good?
If I was to store a valuable vehicle (not your average daily beater you're trying to keep snow off of) for say 3-4 months, I don't see what the big deal is to dump $30-$100 worth of synthetic oil into Autozone's recycling jug.
To me it's: $100 oil < $5,000+ engine.
And if we're talking exotics then the replacement engine cost is $25,000+ without labor.
Now I'm not saying the engine will go bad and need replacement if you don't change the oil before and after storage, I'm just saying that if Im storing a beloved and cherished prized vehicle which I spend 40 hours polishing and detailing and wash weekly, polish exhaust tips, rub wax on by hand, and try to not even drive it in the rain, what's a $50 oil change in the grand scheme of things??? Lol.
I agree that the oil is still perfectly fine after sitting still for 3 months but why not couple a quick seasonal flush with bringing the car outta storage as a good thing???
I recently did a 50,000 mile anniversary oil change on my average daily driven Mazda 3. I dumped the 4K old oil, poured in new synthetic, took the car for a 20 min joy ride, came back and changed the oil again. The 20 min old oil came out dark (not that oil color means much) after mixing with leftovers and flushing out the engine real quick. Whats the big deal? I only see benefits to the engine here.
Btw, I recycled the "old" 20 min oil into my RX-8 but had I trashed it, I couldn't care less about the $2 per quart synthetic oil I got from AAP clearance. It technically not being trashed anyway but recycled so the only waste in this situation is my $10.
