Winter Storage Questions

[ChargerHellcat]

Originally Posted by Anderson11

My service adviser recommended the follow regarding storing my M2C during the winter. I can't use a battery tender because there is no power in my unit.

1. Fill the tires to 45 lbs

2. Disconnect the battery if you are not going to run the car for more than a month. I questioned that due to electronics and he said it would be okay. I have winter tires so I would run the car weekly for about an hour or two in lieu of disconnecting the battery. Had no issues keeping the battery charged.

3.Maintain a full tank of gas during storage.

I didn't cover my car because there weren't any issues with dust. I did wash it at a touchless car wash every 2 weeks. I am paranoid about salt on the roads! Had no issues at all regarding winter storage here in NH during the winter. I have a 2010 328i xDrive for winter and last spring I started counting down the days to March 15th to switch cars! Good luck.

what's the purpose for the 45 PSI. I have left at 33. I/m sure it's no where near that now.

[Anderson11]

Originally Posted by ChargerHellcat

what's the purpose for the 45 PSI. I have left at 33. I/m sure it's no where near that now.

The service tech said it helps to prevent flat spots and cracking.

[G80indy]

Yes - a good idea

Note: the car reads a little high.

What I actually measured in the front tires was 39 psi, and in the back tires 44 psi FYI. Garage is 50* F

[edofloat]

So it is May and the snow is mostly gone now. Just 18”+ up over the hill from me in the woods. Here is what I know about 6 months of storage. My storage preparation may have been a bit excessive, but it worked I haven’t any issues from the car sitting.

I took the cover off and was a bit surprised by finding a little dust, it was very minor. After removing the battery tender the car started instantly as if I just shut it off moments earlier. I drove it out of the garage then lowered the tire pressure to the recommended spec. Next step, took the car for a 30 minute drive to get it all the way to full operating temperature and everything seems good.

Once back home I opened the hood, wouldn’t you know I smell coolant…again. I had coolant leaking from the bank one turbo when the car was brand new (from the factory) which as repaired last summer. I can see coolant leaking out near the bottle, hmm.

My car has just over 3,600 miles so off to the dealer it goes. They told me the car is actually leaking in two places and of course there are no parts available, I’m not really sure where the other coolant leak is at the moment. So I get a loaner and head back home.

Three days since I dropped off the car I get a text letting me know the car is ready. Can’t help but wonder if the coolant leaks are front eh previous repair? I have owned more than 40 new cars and have never had one leaking coolant like this before. I go back to the dealer on the 15th to retrieve my car.

[Hapbob]

2018 M240
Do I need a fancy battery tender for this car technology?
Can car be put on jack stands and not inflate tires to #45lbs
I am worried about rodent damage. Will do all you suggested for that issue.
Not heated detached garage.
Not possible to check on car for 6 months.

Looking for experienced storing people advice.

Hap

[arucano]

Try peppermint oil soaked cotton balls scattered around exposed wiring and rubber parts. Disconnect the battery and use a good quality battery charger/maintainer. Once disconnected (negative pole), all that is required is a battery maintainer since there is no external drain on the battery.
the Battery Tender Jr on amazon is only $39 and should do fine
If up on jackstands, the tire pressure is not critical. Without jackstands inflate the tires to their max rating during the storage. Make sure all fluids are "winter/freezing safe"

[Car-Addicted]

Curious, what is the rational for over inflating tires? Reducing flat spotting? I was intending to put my M4 up on jack stands as I have winter upgrades planned.

[arucano]

The only reason for inflating the tires is IF you DO NOT use jack stands during long storage. The high pressure keeps the tires closer to round (less flat spot) during the extended standstill if the car is NOT on jack stands. There is no special inflation required if stored on jackstands, since there is no load on the tires and they thus remain "round" during the storage period.
The flat spotting will manifest itself as a thumping noise and a sence of being out of balance when you take the car out of storage

[RickinAK]

I live in Alaska and I store mine ina heated garage (45F) with the battery disconnected and Sta-bil added to the fuel. I have never had a problem other than resetting the clock.

[Radix!]

Originally Posted by edofloat

I have my car stored in my garage, here is what I did.

1. Filled with non-oxy fuel and added fuel stabilizer and drove it enough to get it into the fuel system.
2. Full wheels off wash and detail. Cleaned wheel wheels, brakes, rotors, brake calipers, wheel barrels, the underside of the hood, engine bay, and glass inside and out, wiped down the interior, vacuumed everything, and stipped the floor mats too.
3. Inflated tires to 45 psi.
4. Put a heavy-duty tarp down on the garage floor to keep moisture from concrete away from underside of the car.
5. Put air desiccant bags in the trunk in a foil pan and in the interior of the car to absorb moisture.
6. Removed the wiper blades and put them in the trunk, put old socks over the end of wiper arms to avoid scratching the glass.
7. Bought Battery Tender @ Costco for $42 with LiPo maintainer setting and attached to the battery.
8. Car is sitting on race ramps (with higher pressure in tires) to help avoid flat spots. I jacked up the car and slid the ramps under the tires instead of driving the car on them since I have the rear of the car about 1" from the back garage wall.
9. Put some steel wool in exhaust tips to keep out mice.
10. Put some glue traps in the garage for mice control along the walls near the car.
11. Put some Irish Spring soap bars on the wheels below the brakes, might be old wives' tales to keep mice away...we will see.
12. Installed soft custom-fit CoverCraft dust cover. Super soft inside and adds some cushion to keep things nice. The car was super clean when I put the cover on and I have no concerns about damage. My car has full Stek ppf too.
13. Set the thermostat in the garage to 50 degrees.
14. Dehumidifier set to 50% humidity. Runs a lot and pulls some moisture but not as well as when it is warmer. May consider raising the temp in the garage to 60 but only if that drys the other cars completely overnight or lower to about 34 to keep ice from melting fast on other cars).
15. Other cars are parked on moisture containment mats too.
16. Put a heavy rubber curb stop on the moisture mat to keep my wife from getting to close the hibernating car (she parks in front of the car as her Subie is not as long as my daily/winter car).

Now I just need to wait until April for the snow to melt and get salt off the roads.

Edit:

1. I also added some air in the tires every 4-6 weeks to maintain the higher tire pressures.
2. Not sure if the soap bars worked, no sign of mice or mice in glue traps.

speaking for myself...

[edofloat]

Originally Posted by Radix!

speaking for myself...

How many mice live in your car?

[tsaytes@gmail.com]

Does the new X5 50e plug-in hybrid come with Lithium batteries

[Car-Addicted]

Originally Posted by tsaytes@gmail.com

Does the new X5 50e plug-in hybrid come with Lithium batteries

How is it you own this Hybrid and don't know what the batteries are?
Lithium Ion Traction Battery w/7.4 kW Onboard Charger and 25.7 kWh Capacity

[tsaytes@gmail.com]

Just got delivery of this vehicle

[Hapbob]

How do I know if I have a Lithium battery ?
2018 M240
Planned on a tender I already have for storage ?
6 Months with no ability to monitor
Tender JR

[///MPhatic]

Originally Posted by Car-Addicted

Curious, what is the rational for over inflating tires? Reducing flat spotting? I was intending to put my M4 up on jack stands as I have winter upgrades planned.

Colder temps cause the tire to lose pressure (which you already know I'm sure), but that deformity allows the belts to flatten out. The bigger the deformity, the worse the flat-spotting. More psi creates less deformity, which creates less of a flat spot. No more than 42psi over the front (engine area) and 40psi in the rear should be used, and this isn't a 100% guarantee that no flat-spotting will occur, it's just mitigation.

Jack stands are always the best option, but if you don't want to do that you can put 42/40 psi of cold pressure in them and roll the car forward or backwards off of the contact patch every few weeks. However, don't take this option if the temps in your storage area are below 42° as you'll cause micro-sipes and the tires will never perform as good as they did before.

It pretty much always comes back to jack stands as a solution for the tire issue.

[Car-Addicted]

Originally Posted by ///MPhatic

It pretty much always comes back to jack stands as a solution for the tire issue.

The only problem with jack stands is it makes it too easy for me to do upgrades. read $$$$.

[///MPhatic]

Originally Posted by Car-Addicted

The only problem with jack stands is it makes it too easy for me to do upgrades. read $$$$.

My space is so tight that this past year I just jacked the car up one side at a time every 2 weeks and rotated the tires. No flat spots after 3 months, so no more mods bought! lol

[Car-Addicted]

Originally Posted by Hapbob

How do I know if I have a Lithium battery ?
2018 M240

It will say what the chemistry is on the battery.

Originally Posted by Hapbob

Planned on a tender I already have for storage ?
6 Months with no ability to monitor Tender JR

If the battery is a LiPO I would never run a non LiPo charger on it.
NEVER manually charge a Lipo battery unattended unless using a LiPo charger with a maintenance program!