Wanted to get some thoughts on how to properly store my '06 IS350. I bought a new car (a '09 subaru impreza hatchback with low miles) because of a 2 month fiasco trying to get my Lexus not starting fixed. You can read an update of what happened here https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...iles-away.html if interested. The car works beautifully now.

I only have one garage, and with winters commonly having temps of -30 to -50 here in interior Alaska, I cannot justify keeping the Lexus in the garage, having to plug and unplug the Subaru outside every day, and well as starting it beforehand and getting into a cold car, etc.

My Lexus has a brand new battery (less than 10 miles on it). I cleared a place in the backyard to store it, I have a car cover on the way. Would you:
1.) Just store it with the battery on (1 year warranty plus prorated anyway)
2.) Unplug the negative terminal
3.) Take out the entire battery and place it in the garage
4.) Plug the car into an outlet outside (landlord might not like that since they are paying electric, plus extra work for me)

Note that I realistically won't be driving this car until late May or June.

Thanks guys!

 

Midnight bump (I bet everyone is sleeping)

 

at first i was like your location says HI, lol we dont get super cold winters but in initial post you say Alaska. gaaaah damn must be hella cold winters.
-30 to -50 for months on end....hmm thats rough.

is it parked on the street? or on the property, have/build a temp storage for car? might be too late for that though?

 

*Car cover
*DampRid tub in the cabin
*Leave battery in the car with a Battery Tender on it
*Block heater?

 

I would get one of those Tents that act as an outdoor garage.
Put the car in there on jack stands. You might want to support the rear independent suspension with something so it doesn't stretch. Like a small block of wood set up to take some of the sag out of it.
Leave a trickle charger on the battery and put some fuel stabilizer and cleaner in the tank.
At the same time I would offer to pay the land lord a few extra bucks for electricity and leave it plugged in.
Every week I would go out there and for 10 to 15 minutes run it.
Make sure to put it in drive and let the wheels spin a little and apply the brakes.

You should be good.

 

Wow, you guys wouldn't unplug negative terminal or take the battery out? That's what a few folks locally said to do.

The car would be outside sitting on some grass, with a car cover. Exposed to the frigid -40F elements :/ It's a warm 15 above and snowing at the moment though

Yea, the car is winterized and has a battery blanket as part of it (not a trickle charger). You would leave it plugged in for 4-5 months?? That seems excessive ..

 

Never heard of DampRid. Have to check that out, thanks.
It has a block/trans/oil pan/battery heater. I wanted to try to avoid having it plugged it, if possible. It would have to be plugged in for 4-5 months while is a bit crazy don't you think?
And its about 80-100 ft from the nearest plug probably.

 

Well yeah I would take out the battery and put it on a piece of wood in the garage if it were a snowmobile and would still leave it on a trickle charger the rest of the time.

But it's a car and having lived in the North East and storing my car every winter I would leave it on trickle charge (it only charges when the battery needs it otherwise it shuts itself off) and wouldn't even jack it up but go out there and start it every few days and if the roads were clean and dry, take it for a small spin down the road and back to exercise it. I did keep it in a shed and hence I recommended a temporary Tent like structure to keep the elements off of it. Leaving an engine with a block heater plugged in will not harm your vehicle. It will just keep it from freezing up. Allowing you to start it once in a while.

Not starting a car for 6 months or not using it at all introduces its own potential problems. Your vehicle will be sitting in the elements and the brakes could rust or seize, seals may dry out, oil will eventually leave the cylinder walls bare (hence people fog engines). Fuel gets old and varnishes. The worst thing you can do is not drive a car for an extended period of time.

There have been posts where people left their perfectly fine vehicles for a few months only to come back to problems (not battery related).

 

warm 15 degrees lol.

id say a tent may be better than a car cover not sure how a car cover would act at -30 to -50 degrees. would the car cover freeze to the car?
plus not sure how much small animals you have in your area, but wouldnt want them making a home in your engine while car isnt in use.
idk, the 'coldest' it gets here is high +50's. battery tender will help save the battery.