Neglecting my poor Solara :(

[ericatdallas]

In a couple months i'm going to be driving to Montgomery, Alabama which is about a 650 mile drive. After that, I'm going to be leaving it on the parking lot for 2-4 months without driving.

What's the best way to make sure it's in good condition when I get back to it I've been told that you shouldn't leave a car without driving for more than a week at a time. I'll probably need a jump, maybe?

I'm not sure if I'll be able to even start the engine and let it idle but I might be.

Is it a good idea to get an oil change immediately before and immediately after? Keep a full gas tank? Anything else? Is it even a good idea to idle it if it's possible?

[Guest]

I know for sure that you will need to get some gas stabilizer.. and put the directed amount in the tank.. other wise the gas will start to lose its mixture..

[Missay]

this is kinda ironic..i just read about this the other day..i think it was edmunds.com..humm..let me see if i can find it

i can't find it..but i swear i just read an article somewhere about what to do if you're storing your veh for several months. one was to put a fuel stabilizer in..then there was a bunch of other stuff..like disconnect and take the battery out if possible.

i have to go to work, but when i get home i'll see if i can find it if i have time.

[ericatdallas]

wow, I'm glad I asked. I didn't even know of such a thing as fuel stabilizer! Maybe I should keep it fairly empty (or near empty) and refill it when I'm back out with fresh gas? That might be too much trouble though and not good for the car for other reasons...

hmm..

disconnect the battery I can do. I should bring along a battery charger just in case I guess.

[Jai_Jai_Binks]

my suggestions:
1. Fuel stalibizer w/ a full tank of gas!!
2. Make sure your spare tire has appropirate air before you leave your car (because tires may go flat over time or loose air)
3. It would be best to keep a wrench, and appropriate screw/lock, so that you can remove the negative (from the battery) before you leave the car...meaning..it won't be armed or anything...when you come back, tighten it back in, and your all set like nothing happened..MAKE Sure you remove the negative from the plug when you loosen it
4. just open the hood a few days before and make sure all fluids are full
5. Keep a brake parts cleaner when in your car, when you come back, spray some before you drive, so that all dust, etc is blown away....(before you drive again!!).
6. after your back, go get an oil change...

some of all this might be extra precautions..but thats what all i did when i left my car at the airport for 2 months!!

[Flipside909]

In a couple months i'm going to be driving to Montgomery, Alabama which is about a 650 mile drive. After that, I'm going to be leaving it on the parking lot for 2-4 months without driving.

What's the best way to make sure it's in good condition when I get back to it I've been told that you shouldn't leave a car without driving for more than a week at a time. I'll probably need a jump, maybe?

I'm not sure if I'll be able to even start the engine and let it idle but I might be.

Is it a good idea to get an oil change immediately before and immediately after? Keep a full gas tank? Anything else? Is it even a good idea to idle it if it's possible?

Military duties eh?

[ericatdallas]

Military duties eh?

Yup, heading off to Maxwell AFB for Officer Training School. I'll be driving back and heading to San Antonio for 5 weeks after 13 weeks of training, so my car will AGAIN be neglected for a couple of weeks

I think they said that IF I'm lucky, I'll get leave after 8 weeks but it's more likely to be during the 11th week of training. After that, I probably won't be ericatdallas anymore :-/

my suggestions:

6. after your back, go get an oil change...

get an oil change after I get back to Texas or when I get back to my car?

Thanks

[Flipside909]

Military duties eh?

Yup, heading off to Maxwell AFB for Officer Training School. I'll be driving back and heading to San Antonio for 5 weeks after 13 weeks of training, so my car will AGAIN be neglected for a couple of weeks

I think they said that IF I'm lucky, I'll get leave after 8 weeks but it's more likely to be during the 11th week of training. After that, I probably won't be ericatdallas anymore :-/

Yay Lackland! I take it you have to park your car outside with all the rest? Damn, I miss Sea Island off loop 410.

get an oil change after I get back to Texas or when I get back to my car?

Thanks

Change your oil when you get back to your car if possible.

[ericatdallas]

Yay Lackland! I take it you have to park your car outside with all the rest? Damn, I miss Sea Island off loop 410.

Are you ex-military? AF? I don't know what Sea Island is. Yeah, I'm sure it'll be outside, but I don't know. So I'll have to look for a good car cover before I leave. Hopefully no hail

[Flipside909]

Yay Lackland! I take it you have to park your car outside with all the rest? Damn, I miss Sea Island off loop 410.

Are you ex-military? AF? I don't know what Sea Island is. Yeah, I'm sure it'll be outside, but I don't know. So I'll have to look for a good car cover before I leave. Hopefully no hail

My dad is Ret AF. I'm just a dependant which will lose his privilages in 2.5 months. Maybe I should join and become an officer too? Thanks to Cal Vet, they paid for my tuition. They will cover grad school as well. Still debating on continuing now or not. Sea Island is a pretty good fastfood/seafood place if you are into sea food. It's off the 410 off the Leon Valley/Ingram/Culebra exit.

[ericatdallas]

My dad is Ret AF. I'm just a dependant which will lose his privilages in 2.5 months. Maybe I should join and become an officer too? Thanks to Cal Vet, they paid for my tuition. They will cover grad school as well. Still debating on continuing now or not. Sea Island is a pretty good fastfood/seafood place if you are into sea food. It's off the 410 off the Leon Valley/Ingram/Culebra exit.

Wow, they cover tuition, that's awesome! I would completely take advantage of that for grad school if I were you. I will probably be getting my graduate degree while in the AF.

You still get to keep your great insurance rates with USAA though right? I know a friend of mine will keep hers because her dad served in the Navy for 4 years as an officer.

Hey, you wouldn't happen to know how the residency works in the military would you? Texas doesn't have an income tax and I'd prefer to keep that status. Since I'll have a PCS every 2 years or so, it wouldn't make sense to become a resident of the state I'm stationed at (not to mention annoying since I'm so used to not paying state income tax), especially if subsequently I'm sent to Iraq or something...

[Flipside909]

Wow, they cover tuition, that's awesome! I would completely take advantage of that for grad school if I were you. I will probably be getting my graduate degree while in the AF.

You still get to keep your great insurance rates with USAA though right? I know a friend of mine will keep hers because her dad served in the Navy for 4 years as an officer.

Hey, you wouldn't happen to know how the residency works in the military would you? Texas doesn't have an income tax and I'd prefer to keep that status. Since I'll have a PCS every 2 years or so, it wouldn't make sense to become a resident of the state I'm stationed at (not to mention annoying since I'm so used to not paying state income tax), especially if subsequently I'm sent to Iraq or something...

Yeah i'm still debating about grad school. I'm just burnt out right now...but we'll see.

My father wasn't a member of USAA. I was on their State Farm policy for a while but I switched out to Wawanesa Insurance (a Canadian based insurance company, with US headquarters in San Diego.) which I was paying way less for myself on my Solara. This company is only available to California and Oregon at this time unfortunately.

You must be a resident for a year with a valid Texas address in order to claim Texas residency. But if you were to travel to another state or the AF sends you to another country, you keep the original residency you applied with. So if you were to be transferred to Travis, Beale, Little Rock or something, you can still keep your Texas residency since it's your home state...along with the Texas plates and the cheaper rates on your car. We have Texas plates on some of our vehciles since my dad still claims Texas residency and does business in both CA and TX frequently.

[ericatdallas]

wow, I found an article on storing your vechicle. There's a lot to do. It's in the OCT2002 issue of Popular Mechanics.

Some other things they recommend is to remove and spray oil into your spark plug sockets. Cover vents and holes. Put mothballs inside your vechicle and keep your windows down half an inch (covered with a fine screen taped to a non-painted area).

flip -> what was did you study in UG?

[Flipside909]

flip -> what was did you study in UG?

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