I want to start garaging my r56 for the winter. I've read mixed opinions on what to do to prep it for the winter months. Context: I'll have it in a temperature controlled garage

What suggestions do you all have for making sure the MINI sleeps well?

Note: I've read highly mixed reviews from taking the battery out to leaving it in and hooked up to "charger"... to taking the tires off, to leaving them on and inflating them, to jacking up the car just enough to relieve some pressure from tires but not letting the suspension hang... to gas stabilizers (recommendations?)... to rodent blockers at entry points (recommendations?)

What'ch'y'all got?

 

First off, welcome to NAM!

You've got a pretty good list. I have more experience winterizing motorcycles but I'll run you through my process since it's quick.

Full gas tank, use pure gas, add Seafoam as recommended for storage by the can.

"Smart" Battery tender. You want a trickle charger not a charger meant to fill a flat battery. I prefer to maintain the battery in the car, but if you are in an apartment or rented storage and this isn't possible, pull the battery and take it home with you to keep it healthy.

Get the tires off of the concrete. Dollies are ideal and let you really squeeze the car out of the way. This is to avoid moisture, not flat spots. Flat spots might be a concern with super soft track tires otherwise they will work themselves out during the first spring drive.

That's all I do. Fuel, Battery, Tires. You can always do more or take your chances doing less. I'm not a fan of starting vehicles during storage. The idea is to prevent seals from drying out, but if your seals are shot after ~4 months of storage they were probably on their way out the door when you parked it.

If you are worried about pests don't bother giving them an obstacle course, just trap or poison them and be done with it. I've had good luck but I know plenty of people that have found a nest in place of their air filter in the spring.

Anyway, welcome again, and I hope you found that helpful.

 

Hey MiniAndo!

Thanks for the welcome. It's nice to be around other folks that are interested in MINIs

What do you mean when you say "pure gas"? I always use mid-grade when I fill up while driving - should I consider something different for storage?

I've also read about the battery tenders.. I'll have to look into getting one of those. I'd imagine they take place of the alternator "recharging" the battery during drives?

Hmmm... dollies are a good idea. I plan to do work on it during the winter, so may need to move it around a bit but not sure if I'll need to drive. I'm sure moisture is a problem everywhere, but being in the high desert of Central Oregon do you think I'll need to worry about it?

I've also heard starting up "every once in a while" is actually worse for the engine because it creates condensation without warming it up enough to burn it off. Could be false, but idk.. makes sense. I will however be starting it as I do engine work (to hear how good it sounds :D) - do you think that'll do any harm?

Thanks again for your thorough response

 

MINIs need premium fuel. I even find a difference between the cheaper brands and the top names. I go with Shell V Power.

For storage I go with a bunch of mouse traps around and under the car. Clean the garage so they find nothing but the traps.

Second, I go with a trickle charger for the battery.

Third. I fill the tank with fuel and Sta-Bil fuel stabilizer.

Fourth. I start the car once a month or so. I let it run for 30 minutes or so.

Fifth. I cover my MINI with some extremely lightweight paper drop cloths. This blocks the road salts that blows in when the other side of the garage is open. I thought about a custom cover but I didn’t want to reuse the same cover year after year with dirt buildup on it.

Another thing that should have been first. Wash the MINI before putting it away but don’t put it away wet.

I don’t worry about the tires since I back it out once a month which I think addresses this need.

Others don't seem to mention the sta-bil. I would like to hear if anyone has any reason to leave it out of the plan.

 

https://www.pure-gas.org/index.jsp?stateprov=OR No ethanol less chance of moisture build up in the tank.

 

YES to the pure gas - ethanol-free - from a few gas stations or try a small engine shop. marine or aviation supplier. You don't need racing fuel, just something with no ethanol.
NO to StaBil - it turns to a stiff jelly over time.
YES to a smart battery tender - preferable to a trickle charger.
YES to pump the tires up - 40lbs psi is enough.
Scatter moth ***** liberally!

Now whether any of these apply for just 3 or 4 months is debateable - for any longer, I'd say they are a very wise move.

 

Everybody has given good advice. I store three car every year, two of them has been over 25yr. couple things I don't agree with.
1---jack stands good for tires, but bad in case of a fire.
2---I fog the engines, and don't start them till spring.
3---I do use stabil, injector or carb cleaner, gas line antifreeze, trickle charger and a ultrasound pest deterrent.
4--- I put rags in the intake and the exhaust.
5--- The mini is started once in the middle of the winter for charging the round keys.
I live in Wisconsin, and this works for me. I don't have attach garage.
The cars are 76 corvette, 78 mg midget, 2013 Cooper s.

 

Minimum would be to change the oil/filter shortly before putting the car away.

Leave the car on its tires. You can "over" inflate the tires to avoid them flat spotting. (Often new car tires are over inflated. Bought a new Hellcat and its tires were inflated to 45psi. The door jam pressure sticker called for 32psi.) Do not over inflate the tires above the max pressure rating on the sidewall.

My preference when storing a car any length of time is to have the fuel tank be full to ensure all the hardware in the tank is submerged in fuel over the storage period..Fill up the gas tank with a good brand of gasoline of the proper octane grade and buy from a busy station to ensure the gasoline is fresh. I am not a fan of gasoline additives. My limited experience is the gasoline will almost certainly go stale -- as was the case with a family member's car that sat for 6 months -- but this is not really a problem as long as the engine starts and idles ok and runs ok. In my experience even after 6 months the engine was "ok" but a bit down on power. At some point the gasoline level got low enough and I filled up the tank and with fresh gasoline the engine was not longer down on power.

Be sure the area where the car is stored is free of boxes/junk etc. Mice love "cover" and boxes and stuff just say "welcome rodents". Use mice traps with a smear of peanut butter. You want the mouse to really work to get at the peanut butter caught in the eye of the trigger. Place the traps along where the floor/walls meet. Mice prefer to scamper next to a wall rather than cross an open area.

Plug any holes in the walls with coarse steel wool.

If you want remove the battery and store it someplace off the concrete. In a temperature controlled garage might just leave the battery in the car but disconnect the battery cables and connect a battery maintainer to the battery. I'm no expert on battery charging but you want to be sure you have some setup that can preserve the battery's charge over the storage interval without damaging the battery by over charging it or in some other way damaging the battery.

Up to you if you want to once in a while start the engine and let it idle a while then raise RPMs a bit and let it run some more to get the engine warm. You'll probably not get the engine that hot but running does circulate the oil and wets the seals which keeps these from shrinking. If an automatic transmission consider shifting from P to R to N to D and leaving it in each of these say 30 to 60 seconds to ensure full circulation of transmission fluid.

If you start/run the engine run the A/C system to run the compressor and circulate refrigerant and oil through the system. This helps prolong the seal life of the A/C system.

Come driving season be sure the tire pressures are adjusted correctly. You want to as soon as you can add fresh gasoline to counter the stale gasoline in the tank. Avoid hard running of the engine until you get some fresh gasoline in the gas tank.