Orlando Classic Car Insurance: Tips for Long Term Storage
Inactivity can be as damaging to the vehicles as it can be to humans. Storing your classic and collectible vehicles over the winter or longer periods of time can wreak havoc on the health of your baby. Cracked and rotting rubber, rusting and corroding metals, chipping and blistering paint; these are just a few of a host of complications which can befall your prized vehicles if proper care in not taken before storing these autos. Here are a few tips from the experts to help keep your classics and collectibles safe in storage in ready for their next ride.
- Wash up. Experts suggest that giving your classic cars a thorough wash and detailing is the best way to start preparing your vehicle for storage. A thorough cleaning will help cleanse your vehicle of all the road grime and debris from the external components of your vehicle. It is also important to make sure the interior of your vehicle has been vacuumed and cleansed so that no hidden food crumbs or sticky stains will attract unwanted critters.
- Replace the fluids: During long term storage, some of the chemical components of many different vehicle compounds can start to break down, in doing so they can corrode the metal surfaces and engine parts they come in contact with. To avoid this, experts recommend that owners drain the existing fluids from the vehicle and replace those fluids with fresh clean ones before long term vehicle storage. Start by draining all the engine oil, transmission fluids and gasoline. Experts recommend draining the fluids while the car is still warm when possible which will allow the warm liquids to pick up and emulsify contaminants and particle. Fuel takes should be free of any old gasoline which can spoil and cause problems during storage. Professionals suggest that owners fill the vehicle’s fuel tank 95% full with new fuel and add stabilizer which can help keep the fuel for up to a year.
- Get greasy: During long term storage latches, joints and other movable parts have a higher likelihood of rusting or sticking due to inactivity. To avoid this, all hood latches, joint locks, wheel bearing, and other hinged components should be greased and lubricated prior to storage, to avoid corrosion, sticking and other lubricated as well to avoid rotting and detonation.
- Protect your battery: Leaving the battery in the vehicle stored vehicle will not only allow the battery to die out, but it could also lead to corrosion. It is best to remove the battery from your vehicle and store it carefully in a dry, non-concrete place.
Protecting classic cars is no easy task. It takes a great deal of experience and expertise, especially when finding the right insurance coverage to protect your prized collectables from damage, theft and other losses. At Newman Crane, one of our areas of expertise is finding comprehensive coverage for classic vehicles. We have offered Orlando Classic Car insurance to owners throughout Central Florida for many years. As such, our Orlando classic car insurance specialists are devoted to protecting the passion and detail classic car lovers and collectors put into their investments. We can help motor enthusiasts find the best Orlando classic car insurance Orlando FL has to offer. Give us a call today at (407) 859-3691 to learn more.