{"id":2460,"date":"2013-06-15T11:22:51","date_gmt":"2013-06-15T16:22:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/3.146.49.248\/?p=2460"},"modified":"2025-08-29T11:53:04","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T16:53:04","slug":"how-to-store-a-car-long-term","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thelockup.com\/blog\/how-to-store-a-car-long-term\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Store a Car Long Term"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><span data-sheets-root=\"1\">Simple Steps for Storing Your Car Long Term at The Lock Up<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Sometimes we find ourselves in the position of needing long term car storage. Maybe you\u2019re parents of a recent grad who\u2019s leaving the nest and leaving their car with you until they decide if they need it in the big city. Or perhaps your own parents are declining fast and no longer need their car but you\u2019re simply too overwhelmed to deal with selling it. Either way, there\u2019s an easy solution for <a href=\"http:\/\/3.146.49.248\/lock-up-your-wheels-for-winter\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">vehicle storage<\/a>. Store the car in a drive in Lock Up <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thelockup.com\/storage-services\/secure-self-storage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Self Storage<\/a> unit and rest assured that it\u2019s safe and sound until you need it. Here are a few tips on\u00a0how to store a car long term.\u00a0. They\u2019re easy steps and will make a world of difference in the life of the car.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Wash it. This may seem like a pointless endeavor, but there is a point to it. Leaving water spots, dirt or bird droppings on a paint job can damage it over time. If a quick rinse is all you can manage, it\u2019s worth doing. And if you\u2019re feeling particularly pro-active, a wax coat is even better.<\/li>\n<li>Clean the interior. Throw any garbage away (particularly important if this was your teen\u2019s car!).\u00a0 When you\u2019re at the gas station, use the heavy duty vacuum there to clean the floor mats and seats.<\/li>\n<li>Change the oil. This is particularly important if the car will be in storage for a long time. Sediment inside the oil will eventually damage the engine. It\u2019s best to have a fresh oil change so there\u2019s no risk of this happening.<\/li>\n<li>Fill the gas tank. A full gas tank will prevent moisture from building up and condensing in the tank. You\u2019ll appreciate that when you go to start the car for the first time after a few weeks. Adding a fuel stabilizer is helpful too. Doing these things will keep moisture out and keep seals lubricated.<\/li>\n<li>Fill the tires with air. If storing less than six months, make sure the tires are filled to the proper psi. This will keep flat spots from forming on the tires. If you\u2019ll be storing for longer than six months, it\u2019s best to lower the tire pressure about 10psi lower than the recommended pressure and place your car on jack stands to keep the tires off the floor.<\/li>\n<li>Make sure your battery is charged. Electronics in cars can slowly drain the battery. Consider hooking up a trickle charger during the storage period. If it will be longer than 6 months, it might be prudent to disconnect the battery altogether. Or, be sure to get into your storage unit every 2 weeks or so to start the car.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These are simple and easy steps that you can take to make sure that the vehicle you store in your Lock Up Self Storage drive in unit will be in great condition when you finally decide to drive it out of there.<\/p>\n<p>Have some suggestions on what to do when storing your car? Share them with us here!<\/p>\n<p><i>Visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thelockup.com\">www.thelockup.com<\/a> to find the Lock Up Self Storage facility nearest you.We offer a wide variety of storage for all your needs, including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thelockup.com\/storage-services\/climate-controlled-storage-units\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">climate controlled self storage<\/a> \u00a0units. In addition, all of our facilities feature <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thelockup.com\/storage-services\/secure-self-storage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">secure self storage <\/a>units.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Having to store a car long term takes a little preparation. Here are some tips on how to do it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,5,10,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2460","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-how-to","category-news","category-storage-by-item","category-storage-tips"],"aioseo_notices":[],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelockup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2460","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelockup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelockup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelockup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelockup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2460"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelockup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2460\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9551,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelockup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2460\/revisions\/9551"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelockup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2460"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelockup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2460"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelockup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2460"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}