Hi! Has anyone stored a car at their kids’ school over the whole summer? We have the option at DD’s school to leave it in a campus garage, but I am worried about the car; I thought in general if you have an unused car, it’s best to start it and drive it once a week or so. It’s an older compact car. Could a car sit May-August in a parking garage in CA and still work come August? (Not super worried about security, it’s a very secure campus)? Bringing the car home is not an option, it’s too far and we’re not paying to transport it. Thanks!
We’ve left our car for two months without anyone starting it. Had no problem. Worst case, I’d think, is that it would need to be jumped bc dead battery. Maybe back it into spot just in case?
We have left cars for months in CA and had no one driving them. As long as the battery was in good shape when the car was left, it always started up just fine. We had planned to call AAA if there was any problem starting the car but there was no need. ;).
We left the car at a private residence rather than in a campus garage.
Google “storing a car” for tips. A summer in California? I expect the car will be fine. Something I learned thanks to your question: do not set the parking brake. That was interesting. My dad would have told me to disconnect the battery, but that seems to be a bad idea with today’s electronics.
I have left my 13 year old Toyota corolla untouched in my driveway in New Jersey for most of a winter (much of that time covered in ice and snow) and once it got warm it started with no problem. On the other hand, when I didn’t drive my brand new 2014 Elantra for a couple of weeks it would need a jump to start.
Why would you not set the parking brake? I drive a manual car so always set the parking brake. I was recently doing some research on car complaints and one of them is that they ‘just start and roll away’ when parked. Um, parking brake people!
I suggest you Google as I suggested. This was advice for storage, not for your usual parking on the street.
I found this on the internet “Don’t engage the parking brake for storage as it can become “frozen” and difficult to disengage. If you’re worried about your car rolling, get some wheel chocks or blocks of wood to wedge against the tires.” - in my garage I don’t set the brake - on my inclined driveway I have to…
Oh, didn’t think of that and if I did, I’d think it was stupid. I leave my car out in the cold all the time with the parking brake on. Why wouldn’t my brake freeze overnight if it is 20 below outside? Of course, probably not an issue in california in the summer as the OP was asking about.
The question is about leaving the car in a school garage, so I assumed in a semi open air situation, maybe even on a slant. I’d take the risk of it not freezing over the risk of it rolling.
I’d buy a car cover and a battery tender, which if a plug is nearby, you can maintain the battery at or near full 14 volts level. Some can plug into the dash outlet.
In the SF Bay Area, I’ve never ever once had a frozen emergency brake. I’d park it with the emergency brake.
“Frozen” was not the temperature but being stuck after such a long time- I can see that happening.
Many parking brakes are activated by a cable running inside a housing, and those can rust or corrode and thus seize up. The spring that retracts the brake doesn’t have enough strength to break the stuck cable free from the housing. The lever you pull to engage the brake, however, probably does have more leverage than the spring in the brakes, so that’s why we don’t usually worry about not being able to activate the parking brake if it were to seize up in the “open” position. If you are concerned about it, you can have the parking brake cables lubricated…
We leave cars to be stored on two continents every year. One is stored for ten months, the other two for about two months each time. Unhook the batteries, fill the tank and add Stabil as directed. Every few years we have to replace one of the batteries. We have done this for 21 years. No problem.
Thanks everyone for the replies! After this and a google search, feeling better about it. Also read about not using the parking brake, and using wheel chocks instead. Most of all thanks for the back-in tip, not sure I would have thought of this, but yes, we have AAA and figure we may need to call them for a jump come August. Thanks everyone!
Definitely back it into the garage space.
Easy access if you need to jump the battery. Easy to push out of the spot if need be and coast it down to street level (or facilitate a manual transmission jump start). And you can rig it so if the car would ever roll (highly unlikely but you never know) it would only roll backwards a few inches before the rear bumper taps the garage wall.
For security, park it near the booth or in an otherwise visible place. A car that is obviously being stored in a low visibility spot is an attractive break in opportunity. Even if there’s nothing to steal in the vehicle, a break in can mess the vehicle up. Think like a thief thinks!
You can probably disconnect the battery unless it’s a finicky higher-end car like BMW/MB/Audi. Those brands tend to be a little precious about electrical stuff. Regardless, it’s a good idea to give your D a portable jump-starter to keep in the trunk, and she can jump the car herself if necessary. Something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/DBPOWER-18000mAh-Portable-Starter-Charging/dp/B01D42TYFC/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1521754233&sr=8-3&keywords=jump+starter&dpID=51Tb5QEsgAL&preST=SY300_QL70&dpSrc=srch
I have one in my car and gave my own D one to keep in her trunk as well. Haven’t needed to use it yet, but it certainly beats waiting for AAA if/when you do need it. The one I gave my D charges cell phones and laptops too.
Putting some stabilizer in the gas is also a good idea. I’d also check in with the parking garage folks just to make sure they know not to tow the car as abandoned.
Thanks @anomander ! The college does have a car storage form so it will be “official.” Love the tip about parking in a space visible to the booth…probably wouldn’t have thought of that either. But again, the campus is gated and very secure.