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I want to park my 3 for winter?
Hey there mazda forum world and moderators.Thanks for all you have done thus far to help me out.But alas,I ask for council yet again.
I own a 2007 2.3 Mazda hatchback.This is my first winter with the car.It is very cold here in indiana during the winters as much as it is dangerous.So i got this bright idea to buy a 2007 Jeep Cheroke for the winters, and to park my Mazda 3 for the winter.My Mazda would be parked underground in a 10 to 20 degree tempurature range for 3 months.I realize I am gonna need to start it every 3 days or so.But is there anything else i should do?I plan on changing the oil,transmission fluid,parking it and starting it up every 3 days.Is this okay and will it be better for my car?I am not sure if this is what i should do or not,so lemme know, or any advice would be very helpful. thankyou and till next time |
You're way overthinking this. If you're not going to use your Mazda3 as your wintertime daily driver (the Mazda3 is very good in the snow by the way), then simply take it out for a drive every week or two. There is no need to mess with extra oil and transmission fluid changes, just stick to your normal schedule.
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While I largely agree with shipo, there are a few things to consider: 1) It is never a bad idea to change oil before any long term storage. Through usage and the contaminants that get into it, engine oil develops acids which can do harm. Rust in cast iron blocks and corrosion in aluminum, and even more important is what acidy, stagnant oil can do to the soft metal of the engine bearings. Also condensation will creep into the engine block but can be burned off by getting the car up to full operating temps and a nice drive a few times a month. 2) When in storage batteries tend to get weak and the usual charging system cannot fully replace this power. Putting a smart charger on the battery, one that slowly and fully charges then monitors battery condition, is a good idea. 3) Tires will flat spot when allowed to sit for periods of time. In warmer months this usually only takes a few miles of moderate driving to get the round again. In colder weather, it takes much longer and because of this can cause tires to wear unevenly and even require re-balancing. Lifting the cars weight off the tires, such as supporting it on jack stands, can eliminate that. 4) Also be sure your anti-freeze is up to the task. While weak coolant can protect for short periods of time, it may not when the engine is subjected to extended periods of cold temperatures. 5) This is important: Fresh fuel!! Top off the tank with fresh fuel before storage... and use stabilizer. Keeping the tank full will help keep condensation in it to a minimum. Just some food for thought. |
What they said. If you're going to actually be driving every week (or every other week) then the fluids will be fine. I recommend against just turning it on and idling it though, and if that's all you have planned then I'd just say don't bother as extended idling can be worse for the car than just letting it sit.
For the battery either hook it up to a battery monitor/charger to keep it conditioned, or disconnect is while it's sitting. Back to the idling the alternator will not be able to charge up the battery at an idle. For the oil if you've changed it recently before the storage just leave it but for the reasons Richard noted above change it again when it comes out of storage. For the fuel again if you're driving it every week or two don't worry about it, but otherwise put stabilizer in it. +1 for the tires, if possible put it on stands if it's going to be parked for extended periods. |
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