Off Duty, Automotive - Army Times

Car storage: An engineman’s tips

After we published our 14-step guide to prepping a car for storage before deployment, we heard from Petty Officer 2nd Class Brian Follman, an engineman with Mobile Inshore Undersea Warfare Unit 501 at Naval Outlying Field Imperial Beach in San Diego, Calif. He had some more great tips worth checking out:

In the story “Store your ride” in the Jan. 29 issue, section No. 7 suggests spraying WD-40 on the drive belts of your automobile.

Although you should spray a suitable substance such as "belt dressing" to them, WD-40 is not the substance you want to use. WD-40 is known to deteriorate rubber and if applied too heavily will actually eat a spot in them, causing them to either stick on a pulley or snap under pressure. Belt dressing can be found in most auto shops.

There are a few other suggestions I would also like to add to the list:

• Lucas Oil makes an oil stabilizer that should be added too — it helps the oil hang on the cylinder walls and will help in that first cold start after deployment. It’s also good for the cold winters of the north.

• When putting the car up on jacks, place the jack stands under the frames to alleviate the pressure sitting on the suspension.

• After placing the car cover over the auto, it is a good idea to put a heavy-duty tarp over that to ensure the cover will not come off or tear in high winds.

Did he miss anything? We want to hear about your tips too. Share them here. Want a start-to-finish plan to get your ride ready for a nap? Check out our 14-step storage prep guide.