GolfGTIforum.co.uk
Model specific boards => Golf mk5 => Topic started by: Manu_R32 on 17 September 2008, 11:58
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So the time has come for me to finally head off to uni. Make my way over to Cardiff this saturday and deffintaley looking forward to it, just not looking forward to leaving the car behind. The cars gonna be kept in a safe place, in a lockup garage over in our house in spain. One thing i was curious about is if it would be a good idea to disconnect the battery or not? The car wont really be used till about December (when i get back) and i honestly doubt my dad would use it...what about petrol too? Leave it with a full tank or just a bit of petrol?? Any help would be good :smiley:
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Found this for you
Up to three months
If storing a car for up to three months you should attend to the following in addition to the one month items
Hose under the wheel arches to remove accumulated mud. Wash the vehicle then polish, apply a chrome protective polish where appropriate. Let the car dry thoroughly before putting it away.
Remove the battery (Check the code of any coded radio before removing a battery lead, and you must find out if any on-board computer will be affected by having the battery disconnected for a long period of time. Refer to the vehicle owner's handbook.), clean the terminals, top up if required (if it's not a sealed for life battery) and arrange for it to be slow / trickle charged about every 4 to 6 weeks. Don't leave it where it may freeze. Some special chargers can be left on all the time.
Raise or remove the carpets if dampness is suspected and dry thoroughly.
Make sure the wiper blades are not in contact with the front or rear screens.
Empty the windscreen washer bottle.
If the vehicle is not to be parked on the public highway you should consider getting a refund on your road tax by declaring Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN) on the refund application form. You can read more details on the DVLA website.You may also be able to reduce your insurance cover to fire and theft only.
If the car is in a garage, make sure that there's plenty of ventilation - gaps under the doors and a high-level air vent to promote circulation.
An alternative is to use a dehumidifier, in which case the garage should be sealed as far as possible. Dehumidifying is cheaper and probably better than heating a garage, though a dehumidifier will need a low-temperature shut-off thermostat as they can't work below about 4C. Corrosion is in fact not a problem in very cold weather, provided the car is dry and free from road salt.
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Cardiff was one of my choices for uni this year :cool:
What course you doing?
:smiley:
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Cardiff was one of my choices for uni this year :cool:
What course you doing?
:smiley:
Business Information Systems...where you off to? :smiley:
Thanks for the Find Jkctr! :cool:
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Off to birmingham to do engineering :smiley:
Cardiff looked ace!
You been to look round?
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Cardiff rules :cool:
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why not bring the car with you...
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Wouldn't need it. I leave my car at home during college since you can just walk everywhere or get the bus. I make sure to start her up and give her a run when I'm home at weekends, as well as a clean if needed :smiley:.
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when going on holiday earlier this year I thought i'd remove the battery
the alarm went off as soon as i disconnected it and I put it straight back on to stop it :embarassed:
don't know how long it would've went for, of course it's an anti jacking system from the alarm don't know if that feature can be switched off
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When storing the car for that lenght of time I would disconnect the battery. If you can't jack up the car so that all the wheels are off the floor then overinflate your tyres. That prevents flat spots from occuring in the tyres.
As for fuel, fill the tank up with petrol as this will prevent rusting in the fuel system because of water vapour. Our US partners add a fuel stabiliser to the petrol when storing the car over winter but that shouldn't be necessary for you. Be aware that the fuel will deterioate during storage and it's octane level will drop!
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....Cardiff Uni? - My daughter wants to go there! I'm taking her to an open day there on 22nd October.
(http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b308/RedRobin_05/MySpace%20SlideShow/Sky_passenger.jpg)
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Shame its in Wales ;)
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watch out you'll have manu after her in freshers week robin!
p.s what about putting a cover on the car?
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when going on holiday earlier this year I thought i'd remove the battery
the alarm went off as soon as i disconnected it and I put it straight back on to stop it :embarassed:
don't know how long it would've went for, of course it's an anti jacking system from the alarm don't know if that feature can be switched off
You need to disconnect the battery within 15 seconds of turning off the ignition. :nerd:
So, remove battery cover, loosen the nut on the -ve terminal, wiggle to make sure it is free (but don't remove). Then, turn on igntion for 30 seconds or so (to allow throttle valve to correctly cycle), then turn of ign and remove key, dash round and pull off -ve terminal lead.
Your alarm should stay quiet. :wink: :smug:
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If you can't jack up the car so that all the wheels are off the floor then overinflate your tyres. That prevents flat spots from occuring in the tyres.
Very true, and vital if you have Dunlops!
As for fuel, fill the tank up with petrol as this will prevent rusting in the fuel system because of water vapour.
Didn't know plastic rusts? :wink: :smug: :nerd:
But filling the tank is a good idea, because no water vapour will be able to condense inside the tank.
Our US partners add a fuel stabiliser to the petrol when storing the car over winter but that shouldn't be necessary for you.
Snake oil. Because that too will deteriorate over time!
Be aware that the fuel will deterioate during storage and it's octane level will drop!
Yup. Short of draining the tank, and filling with some fresh juice, you may have to just put up with some slightly rough running for the old tank of juice.
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Beleive it or not T_T i do have dunlops...some recomended i should over inflate the tyres by 2psi. What is the standard PSI?
Would i be a good idea to completely remove the wipers as the car will have a cover over it? I know the rear wiper is rather easy to remove but what about the front ones? Would removing the wipers effect any of the cars electronics??
Thanks again every one :smiley:
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Beleive it or not T_T i do have dunlops...some recomended i should over inflate the tyres by 2psi.
What, for normal road use, or for storage?
For normal road use with the Dunlops, I'd recommend increasing the front pressures by about 6psi, and 2-3 for the rears. For storage purposes (of 3 months or more), then whack the pressures upto 60psi - for any make of tyre. Just remember to correct them when you return. Put a little post-it note on the inside of the windscreen to remind you.
What is the standard PSI?
Dunno, but it has a sticker on the inside of the fuel filler flap. It will be in "bar" though, rather than "psi". In another thread, I posted a link to an online convertor for pressures.
Would i be a good idea to completely remove the wipers as the car will have a cover over it? I know the rear wiper is rather easy to remove but what about the front ones?
Not completely necessary, but you can either just poke the wiper arms in the air, as you would do when washing the car, or completely remove the blades from the arms. Remember though, with the fronts, you must use the special "maintenance position" for accessing the wipers, otherwise you will damage the paint on your bonnet.
Would removing the wipers effect any of the cars electronics??
No. Just remember to set the wipers in the maintenance position. Turn ignition off and remove key, and within 10 seconds, move the wiper stall down to the "flick-wipe" position - the wipers will stop in the 12o'clock position.
HTH
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Manu, are you going into halls? if so, which ones? i know Cardiff and the uni pretty well, some of the halls are pretty far away from the schools so depending where you are located you may want to consider taking the golf! not to mention the attention that a fresher with an R32 will get! I'm at uni in Leeds and couldnt live without my car now - always helps to have it when i oversleep!
Anyway, you'll really enjoy Cardiff mate, its a great uni and the city is getting a much nicer place all the time. Oh and in freshers go to Bounce@Walkabout on Thursday (I think its still at walkabout) - its an awesome (and cheap) night. :wink: