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The mkiv Supra Owners Club

letting a supe stand for a while..


jaw
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Well I hate to do it, but I need to sort out my old car! It needs an mot, tax, and general fixing up, as it's just sitting there rotting! so I'll have to insure it to cart it here and there for a month, as well as test drives!

 

I cant afford to insure it AND the supe at the same time, so my question is, how long can the supra stand for? I'd have it in the garage generally - any advice on how to store it for a while? (for however long it takes to fix up and sell the coop) could potentially be a month or two.. I'd disconnect the battery etc but what would need draining? does it need to be jacked or on some axle stands? It'd get started up but not really a good drive etc

 

or is this a bad idea? not selling it for the sake of potentially two months max!

 

any info much appreciated as always!! :D

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General advice

 

Check the code of any coded radio before removing a battery lead. You must also find out if any on-board computer will be affected by having the battery disconnected for a long period of time. Refer to the vehicle owner's handbook or contact the manufacturer.

If you're covering the vehicle, don't allow plastic or any other moisture/condensation-inducing material to rest on the paintwork. If outside, be careful to avoid paint damage due to flapping covers.

Note exactly what you've done to the vehicle and put it in the car – perhaps tied to the steering wheel – so that when the car comes out of storage, everything can be returned to how it should be, either by you or anybody else.

There are commercial companies who will undertake storage and looking after your vehicle. This may be an option, though it might prove expensive.

If covering the recommended points below is impractical, you could arrange for someone to use the vehicle once or twice a month in dry weather, providing insurance, tax and MoT, etc, are current. This will help keep the engine and other systems functional.

Take care when restarting after a long period. The battery must be fully charged and all the fluid levels checked. Try the brakes, and check that the handbrake and clutch are free. It may be best to arrange a full service of the car, including changing the brake fluid.

 

One month

If you're storing your car for up to one month, we recommend the following:

 

Make sure the cooling system contains a good quality, glycol based anti-freeze at a concentration of 30° to 50°.

Renew the anti-freeze if it's over one year old. (This doesn't apply if the engine contains one of the modern long-life antifreeze solutions – OAT coolant.)

Leave the handbrake in the off position, making sure the vehicle wheels are securely chocked.

If the vehicle is in a secure garage, leave the windows partly lowered.

Ensure the drain holes in the doors, sills and bulkhead/heater are not blocked.

Unpainted metal parts (not rubber or trim etc) can be sprayed with a water dispersant such as WD40 to reduce corrosion.

 

Up to three months

If storing a car for up to three months we recommend the following in addition to the one month items above.

 

Hose under the wheel arches to remove accumulated mud. Wash the vehicle then polish, apply a chrome protective polish where appropriate. Let the car dry thoroughly before putting it away.

Remove the battery. Be sure to check the code of any coded radio before removing a battery lead, and find out if any on-board computer will be affected by having the battery disconnected for a long period of time. Refer to the vehicle owner's handbook.

Clean the battery terminals, top up if required (if it's not a sealed-for-life battery) and arrange for it to be slow/trickle-charged about every four to six weeks. Don't leave it where it may freeze. Some special chargers can be left on all the time.

Raise or remove the carpets if you suspect dampness, and dry thoroughly.

Make sure the wiper blades are not in contact with the front or rear screens.

Empty the windscreen washer bottle.

If the vehicle is not to be parked on the public highway you should consider getting a refund on your road tax by declaring Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN) on the refund application form. You can read more details on the DVLA website.You may also be able to reduce your insurance cover to fire and theft only.

If the car is in a garage, make sure that there's plenty of ventilation – gaps under the doors and a high-level air vent – to promote circulation.

An alternative is to use a dehumidifier, in which case the garage should be sealed as far as possible. Dehumidifying is cheaper and probably better than heating a garage, though a dehumidifier will need a low-temperature shut-off thermostat as it can't work below about 4C. Corrosion is not a problem in very cold weather, provided the car is dry and free from road salt.

 

More than three months

If storing a car for more than three months we recommend the following, as well as all of the above 'one' and 'three' month items.

 

Carry out a complete lubrication service, including oil filter.

Slacken the auxiliary drive belts, ie alternator, power steering, air conditioning, etc. Note: don't slacken the camshaft drive belt.

Lubricate locks with a suitable lock oil. Spray under the bonnet, around the battery box, under the wings and the metal in the boot area with a water dispersant.

Place the vehicle on blocks or stands (to raise the wheels clear of the ground and unstress the tyres). If you can, remove the wheels and store them flat in a cool dark place. Don't leave a vehicle resting on a hydraulic jack, as it will slowly creep down.

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  • 2 years later...

Keep starting it up every 2-3 days, ive had my project for about 3 years and ive been doing it 2-3 days a week, was respraying her recently, and was parked up for about 1 month straight, needed to move her out the tent on a cold morning, hooked the battery up and she fired on the 1st click.

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I'm currently doing this for a while, till I get another job.

 

Sornicated. Insurance is due for renewel, cost is about the same as last year. Common sense would dictate not insuring it at all until I am able to put it back on the road. Local car crime is not too bad, there have been 2 car thefts in the last 15 years.

 

Will I have trouble getting re-insured on the same terms for a modified import for business use? At present all mods are declared and covered, but my insurance bods couldn't confirm over the 'phone whether I would get the exact same deal in 6 months time. The best they could do was to say it was possible if the import spec matched the UK spec.

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Putting the supra off road at this time of the year is a good thing to, rwd, bad driving conditions, people get more angry = more road rage/crashes, i plan on insuring the supra monthly, when the bad weather kicks in ill insure on another car, i want a toyota levin as a daily, cheap 1.6, lovely looking car, the rear lights resemble the supras

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Putting the supra off road at this time of the year is a good thing to, rwd, bad driving conditions, people get more angry = more road rage/crashes, i plan on insuring the supra monthly, when the bad weather kicks in ill insure on another car, i want a toyota levin as a daily, cheap 1.6, lovely looking car, the rear lights resemble the supras

 

Levin will still be useless in the winter being rwd. Remember that one we met by the bus station in my old car. Lol

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Levin will still be useless in the winter being rwd. Remember that one we met by the bus station in my old car. Lol

 

Yep that was a great time, 'TOYOTA!!!, TOYOTA SUPRA!!!' then guigsy floored it :rlol: still want a levin, around £1.5k and im sure itll be easier to handle than a 3ltr supra dude:D

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