Keeping my E12 outdoors during winter

[Gentil79]

Hi all,

Not all of us have access to a garage, so the only choice is to keep them outside and doing the best to mitigate the effects of the bad weather:

Maintaining a classic during winter - BMW E12 in hibernation

 

[Sharkfan]

Very good but could I make a couple of points based on my own experience. 

1. Spend a little extra on a layered quality outdoor cover - paintwork is increasingly costly to fix so a £100 extra investment on a better cover is well worth it. It will/should last longer too.

2. Get some mice/rat poison blocks and put them on the top of the inner wheel arches in the engine bay, and near the engine bay loom too. Mice will seek and warmth and shelter and then eat wiring looms for fun.

3. Definitely dehumidify in the cabin but also clean and treat any leather with a quality hide food to a. Keep it supple, and b. Help prevent mould forming.

4. Don’t just run the engine; roll the car to round the tyres, clean the brake surfaces and generally exercise the suspension and steering joints.

[Sir Anthony Regents Park]

Don't use a car cover, period. Just wash, ventilate and run the car regularly. Car covers do nothing but harm outdoors. 

 

Halfords are selling car dehumidifiers for £7 at the moment, basically big silica gel pouches but effective.

[Gentil79]

Sharkfan:

Thank you

This is a multi layered car cover and is breathable.

Good point about the Mice. Mine used to be in a warehouse for quite sometime and it got attacked by them. I also agree in keeping the leather fed with a good product. Mine is vinyl, so it’s just a case of cleaning it before storing.

I did mention in the video about rolling the car back and forth to avoid tyre flat spots, or, using tyre savers. Yes, I agree it also helps exercising the suspension and to clean brake surfaces.

[Gentil79]

Sir Anthony.

This is a multi layered car cover and it is breathable. I did say in the video that I had to use it because the windscreen seals are perished and let water in.

washing and ventilating in the Uk weather isn’t a practical thing in the winter. I don’t have time to wash both daily cars on a weekly basis, never mind a classic.

I also did mention the car dehumidifiers in the video. 

[Sir Anthony Regents Park]

OK - you seem to have all the answers. 🙂

[Gentil79]

Not all I’m afraid. I have just been told that I could have used a sealant repair from “Captain Tolley's Creeping Crack Cure” the seeps into all cracked seals. That could have been used as a temporary solution instead of a car cover (main reason was the leaky windscreen seals).