Winter preparation

Hi All

This is my first year of ownership and my thoughts are turning towards the winter. The golf will soon be going in to hibernation and I wanted to know if there is anything I should do?

I am running down the fuel and don't  plan to leave much in the tank. I will have a can of fuel so I can start it up regularly and over the winter plan on servicing the car and changing the coolant.

Is there anything else I should be aware of? The golf will be garaged but this isn't heated and is not attached to the house so doesn't get any residual heat.

Thanks in advance

Wes


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STOP 🛑 right there.

If you run the tank down you risk two things.
A build up of condensation in the tank but more importantly the filler neck and rust will develop very quickly over winter.

If you somehow survive that then when you go to start it next spring (all excited) you'll suck up all the cräp at the bottom of the tank into whatever fuel system you have! 🤔

I strongly recommend that you fill the tank till you literally can't get anymore in it. Do it on the same day you put it into storage.

That way the above won't happen and the chances are the fuel is cheaper now then next year! 🤔 😉

By the way, never run your tank that low any time of the year for the same reasons.

I do this every winter here in Austria 🇦🇹 and it's a great feeling to drop the battery in after a long cold winter and it fires up first time every time.
Well that and I have a FULL tank.

Oh don't forget to do all the other jobs before you put it to bed 🛏 😉 👍🏼

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Completely agree with the above.

Additional things, handbrake off, use a chock.

If you want to leave the battery in and fortunate to have power in your garage, use the battery maintenance charger.

Oxford BATTERY CHARGERS AND ACCESSORIES

I have used one similar to the attached for the last two years, I always connect the car to it when it is parked in the garage.

Also some form of dehumidification, i.e. bags of desiccant or rechargeable desicant. Halfords supply them.

Hope this helps

Thanks guys. Hadn't thought about that, I was more concerned about the fuel going off. I will fill it up before putting away.

I have a battery charger to keep the battery topped up and will put in some dehumidifier items.

Wes


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Again Malcolm is on the money. 👍🏼

I would recommend draining the coolent although I believe it or not don't do it. I have a strong winter mix and after having sprayed WD40 over the entire engine and engine bay I cover it with a big beach towel. 😂
But I do drain the washer bottle.
I take my battery home and store it somewhere cool but not that cool.

Then I open the windows by and 1" to let it breathe and then put my thick and heavy 5 ply cover over it, the layer that is in contact this the car is so soft it feels like lambs wool.

That's about it, our winters as you can get extremely cold.
The brick garage I rent is over 200 years old and not nice but it works.



Now it's time to let the other members compete the list of things to do! ☺️👍🏼

Oh, boy….

I agree with fill the tank, I also recommend a fuel product called STABIL,  add to the fuel as you fill the tank prior to storage, and shake the car…..to mix. Adding a pint of Marvel Mystery Oil is good to use too, as it tends to keep lacquering of evaporating fuel to a minimum.
Run the engine till the fan kicks in then shut her down.

A 50/50 or 60/40 mix of a/f to the radiator as in 60af to 40 h2o is going to assist in keeping the system and your engine with less chance of seals going dry, (water pump) and rust sludge building up.

I add a pint of oil Stabilizer like LUCAS or STP to the oil  as it assist in protecting the bearings and things.

Getting the engine up to temp and letting it cool will stop the condensation of the oil by boiling out the stuff.

Over pressure your tires by  5-to-10 pounds, this reduces the chance that your tires can develop flat spots. So if you run 32lbs of pressure take them up to 37-40 psi.

It also doesn't hurt to use a Spritz or two of that Seal a Flat in your tires a week before storage, and run the car for about 20 miles so the sealer can sling around…..Helps keep the bead sealed, and lessens the chance of leaks to the tires.

Wash your tires and apply a sealer or conditioner to them on the outside as well, the inner part of the tire and the outer….

If you have it covered that is a plus, and opening the windows 1/4 inch between the left front and right rear will help to circulate air flow, you can use metal window screen material taped or if creative you can stuff it in the channels to keep the crawly things and rodents out.

You can take the battery out, and when storing it, I place it on a block of wood, to keep it out of direct contact with the ground… Mid way through the storage I check the specific gravity of  battery as if it is low then the acid/water mix can freeze and crack the battery case.
I also trickle charge the battery at mid storage point.

Verts breath, so rolling down the windows is a moot point, I usually have mine in a car port, no cover….
I do tho place some of those dehumidifier pots like (Damp-rid) on the rear floor boards, as well as a open box of baking soda to keep it from smelling lessen the humidity that can occur and the mildewy smell. one or two "Moth-Balls" in a  can lid also help to keep rodents, and crawly things at bay as well.

I clean the Vert tops, with a good cleaner, and apply on the vinyl a good coat of WD-40, if its wet more better.
On the Hartzz or Mohair, I use RAG-Top Cleaner and a good conditioner… prior to covering it up.

It doesn't hurt to fully wax the car prior, as dust is gritty, and I spray the interior with cleaner and a protectorant ( not armor-all )  this way if the car does mildew (I have had it happen) it usually stays on the surface, and a wipe with a mix of 1/4 cup bleach, to 1 gallon of water, and a 1 cup addition of your Protectorant (warm water works great) a sponge and ring it out, and wipe usually takes care of that for me.

When uncovering it, I usually will remove the spark plugs and SPRAY the cylinders with WD-40, So I don't have a DRY start. I drain the oil, and use new prior to starting…
do I need to, don't know but it is just a habbit, that I had with my rabbit.. (the poet in me.).

The more that you put into the car prior to storage, the less you have to do at the back end.

Oh, lastly….. Rat Traps.  Place a Few under the car as you might never know they are in your Garage, or Carport until they chew through your wires.
 ( I do 4 of each rat and mice) 

I had a RAT visit me last year, and he/she/they chewed my Spark wires on my wifes Van, and my Cabriolet….

A couple of good Rat and Mice Traps baited with Peanut Butter solved that issue…. But I did have to replace the HV leads.



I forgot, two of those foil Cookie Trays under the engine/tranny will keep your Golf/Rabbit/Vert from marking it's spot on the floor.


 

Thanks guys. A lot to think about and prepare.

I will give the car a good clean and wax. I will be starting it regularly and if it's nice and there is no salt on the roads I will take it for a quick spin now and again.

The battery will have a trickle charger attached to keep it topped up.

Rodents hopefully won't be an issue but doesn't hurt to make sure.

Most fluids will be changed over the winter so it's all ready for next year.

Thanks

Wes


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I can second the recommendation of Stabil as a fuel additive. Petrol, or even gas, goes off within a month and can cause problems. And so can leaving the tank empty, so for me it's a full tank and a dose of stabil.  It's my first lay up using it so I have no experience yet of how good it will be, and I'm not running a control experiment, but it seems like a smart move.- and Briano recommends it- has to be a good sign.