[wwiiavfan]

Originally Posted by Mark0Maro

That’s right. Thanks.

So, it’s not uncommon for a lot of you guys to let your car sit for 5 months or longer during the winter? Without starting

Not only common, but good practice to leave it alone until spring. Starting and running it for even 15-20 minutes won’t get everything up to temp enough to drive out moisture. Especially when it’s whatever below zero outside.
Same reason short city trips reduce the longevity of your car.
Although, on our cars that have a myriad of coolers on them, including for the rear diff, I suppose the problem is mitigated somewhat.

[jamala00]

Originally Posted by JSH

It's a real shame that you garage it. I drive mine anytime it's above 45F and the roads have some heat.

Salt and Salt Brine in this area destroy vehicles fast. Once winter hits here days above 45 degrees are non existent anyway. Even if we got a random 45 degree day, the roads are painted white from salt and salt brine.

[GXP08jrf]

Jump it, charge it or replace the battery, change the oil, inspect for mice then just drive it.

My 4th gen sat in cold storage for nearly 6 years in the midwest if not longer. I'd drive it until warm once or twice each summer, the last couple of years it had extended crank during starting and mis-fire codes and was sluggish on acceleration. Once I got it registered and road worthy last year, those issues went away after a tank or two with fresh gas. I have the battery on a trickle charger, but I don't use fuel stabilizer and our blends are typically 15% Ethanol. Tank was less than 1/2 full, and I may have splashed a gallon in here or there, but the bulk of the gas was probably 4 years old on average.

My experience based on this is the gas will burn after extended storage in a closed system. It just won't burn great.

5 months in storage is pretty minor in comparison.

[Mark0Maro]

I did put a battery charger on it for 4 hours. It kept saying it’s a 4 volt lol. Not a 12 volt. So forget it. The battery is dead.
And I already bought a new battery.

Just waiting for the weather to get a little better. I have a small 2 car garage. And there’s literally less than 2 feet behind the car to the closed garage door.
If the battery was under the hood I would’ve changed it by now.

[JSH]

Mine went dead last week after sitting for a few weeks. Put it on trickle for 20 hrs but it was still dead. Put it on 10 amp for 2 hours and .... vroom

[cthulhucaller]

Originally Posted by Mark0Maro

I did put a battery charger on it for 4 hours. It kept saying it’s a 4 volt lol. Not a 12 volt. So forget it. The battery is dead.
And I already bought a new battery.

Just waiting for the weather to get a little better. I have a small 2 car garage. And there’s literally less than 2 feet behind the car to the closed garage door.
If the battery was under the hood I would’ve changed it by now.

Open the garage door, throw a jump box on it if needed, run the car up to temp, and see if it's charging?

Like others mentioned, check for critter activity first.

[cdrptrks]

Originally Posted by Mark0Maro

Yea, I used to put stabil in the gas but it caused the car to run like shit. So I stopped using it.

I don't think Sta-Bil was causing the issue. I put the recommend amount in my Camaro immediately after a fresh tank of 93 octane (E10 blend) and stored it for about 2 months. Then I did a track day using that tank of gas for the first 2 sessions and the car ran fine with similar lap times and top speeds compared to what it did at the same track before storage using 93 octane gas without any fuel stabilizer. The stabilizer did make the exhaust smell different.

For the future, look up how to activate transport mode when storing the car for extended periods of time without a trickle charger. My original battery was at 12.24V after about 2 months of storage in transport mode last year (about 50% state of charge) and started up just fine. For comparison, after the car sat in my garage for close to a month without being driven (not in transport mode), it was down to 12.11V (about 30% state of charge). For reference, it is at 12.66V (100% state of charge) immediately after coming off of the trickle charger.

You can also disconnect the battery terminals but then you lose the alarm system and need to leave the rear seats folded down so you can crawl back to pull the emergency trunk release lever to open the trunk from the inside when you are done storing the car because the trunk pop buttons are electronically operated. And you would have to use the physical key blade to manually unlock the car in that case.

[ember1205]

Originally Posted by Mark0Maro

I did put a battery charger on it for 4 hours. It kept saying it’s a 4 volt lol. Not a 12 volt. So forget it. The battery is dead.
And I already bought a new battery.

Just waiting for the weather to get a little better. I have a small 2 car garage. And there’s literally less than 2 feet behind the car to the closed garage door.
If the battery was under the hood I would’ve changed it by now.

If the car is locked, you'll need to pull the keyfob apart to get the key piece out, remove the plastic cap on the driver's door handle, and open the door that way.

Once you're able to get -into- the car, pop the hood and jump it. At least that way, you can move the car to get to the trunk.

Trickle chargers / maintainers work on batteries that have a reasonable level of charge. Once they drop down like yours, you need a stronger charger to give it an initial 'kick' before a trickle charger will work correctly. Your battery might be toast, it might not. Given the cost of the correct battery for these cars, I will be doing whatever I can to NOT replace the battery until it's actually reached end of life.

[digitalfutur]

Originally Posted by JSH

It's a real shame that you garage it. I drive mine anytime it's above 45F and the roads have some heat.

I agree. Sports cars are meant to be driven, not sit parked for weeks on end. It's like putting a clear plastic cover on a Recaro seat so it won't wear. You can do it, but it completely negates the purpose.

It's easy, with a bit of planning, to drive in winter only when the roads are dry, assuming you have a daily driver, which anyone who owns a sports car should.

[MR's 2SS]

We drive ours until the roads get salt. I have winter tires and wheels too. This year the cover went on in late December. Its a vert as well and doesnt fit in the garage.
Im waiting for one more good rain before taking her out due to a recent salt event or we'd be driving it already.
As stated above... fill the fuel tank. Start putting fresh fuel in as soon as you can make room. It will be fine.
I clean and use Maguire's waterless wash and wax before putting the cover on to ensure nothings there to scratch the paint under the cover.
I also change the oil BEFORE parking for winter. Ive always done that with my bikes.
There are harsh chemicals broken down into the oil from combustion that you dont want sitting there for months. Plus if there are solids in suspension in the oil you would also not want that sitting for months and separating back out of the oil and getting stuck in tight little places.
I also like to pull the cover of maybe in February if theres a nice day. I warm it up fully... Change rpm and keep it mostly over 1,000 rpm.
If your going to do that you need to run it at least 20 minutes or youl do more harm than good to your battery.

[arpad_m]

Originally Posted by digitalfutur

I agree. Sports cars are meant to be driven, not sit parked for weeks on end. It's like putting a clear plastic cover on a Recaro seat so it won't wear. You can do it, but it completely negates the purpose.

It's easy, with a bit of planning, to drive in winter only when the roads are dry, assuming you have a daily driver, which anyone who owns a sports car should.

The answer to the why is right here:

Originally Posted by jamala00

Salt and Salt Brine in this area destroy vehicles fast. Once winter hits here days above 45 degrees are non existent anyway. Even if we got a random 45 degree day, the roads are painted white from salt and salt brine.

Up north the amount of road salt and brine is insane from December to March-April, I understand you are willing to put up with that, but one may legit want to keep their Camaro rust-free or low rust much longer by not driving it on white roads...

[MR's 2SS]

Hey Arpad! yea... and the last 2 years they have been going crazy with the salt in Jersey....They have put it down when there was zero good reason. Put it down one last time after everythng was gone and temps were rising... Put it down due to the threat of ice that never materialized. Put down so much salt there is a cloud of salt dust in the air...
And I completely understand the realities because thats my job. I only use enough to maintain the safety of the public. I focus on dangerous areas. And use as little as possible.
The State wastes millions of dollars on OT and salt every year. Resulting in rusted out bodies and destroyed catch basins... potholes and increased road repair costs.
Mostly because pinheads and insurance dweebs are managing things I guess.
Hows Tenn after a year?

[2SS Capt]

Originally Posted by Mark0Maro

My 18 2SS Camaro with only 6k miles has been sitting for 5 months without even starting. Forgot to put a trickle charger on it. I bought a new battery. I’m gonna change it ASAP. Is there anything else I need to do before I start it? And it’s garage kept.

Ok, I don't feel so bad, my 2020 2SS (delivered Jan 17, 2020) only has 5,900 miles on it and I thought about selling it because I "never drive it" (but I LOVE the car), but if your 2018 has the same mileage, I'm doing just fine...

Definitely change the oil and get a fresh tank of gas in there, go drive it and get everything up to temp for at least 30-45 minutes and burn off any moisture in the fluids...

[arpad_m]

Originally Posted by MR's 2SS

Hey Arpad! yea... and the last 2 years they have been going crazy with the salt in Jersey....They have put it down when there was zero good reason. Put it down one last time after everythng was gone and temps were rising... Put it down due to the threat of ice that never materialized. Put down so much salt there is a cloud of salt dust in the air...
And I completely understand the realities because thats my job. I only use enough to maintain the safety of the public. I focus on dangerous areas. And use as little as possible.
The State wastes millions of dollars on OT and salt every year. Resulting in rusted out bodies and destroyed catch basins... potholes and increased road repair costs.
Mostly because pinheads and insurance dweebs are managing things I guess.
Hows Tenn after a year?

Loving it, brother. Still a free state , and to stay on topic, the weather is much more forgiving all things considered. Nothing is perfect, of course, but still zero regrets overall.

Let's switch to DM if you want to keep shooting the shit some more. August is inching ever closer