My wife and I got our '13 R56s as a good weather "extra" car last March. It's never seen snow and barely seen any rain, so it will be garaged for the winter unless it's a really nice, dry day, which I don't anticipate many of in the Northeast.

When I put it away for the winter, am I better off to store it with the gas tank full, or closer to empty, or does it not matter? My guess is that it will be garaged from mid-November to some time in March.

Any suggestions? I'm probably also going to get a battery tender. Anybody have any experience with those on Minis?

Thanks in advance!

 

I will be storing mine with full tank and stabil added. If you do that, make sure you drive it for a bit so that stabil gets into the system.

Also, check out this thread...

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...nvertible.html

 

Good info, but didn't answer my fuel tank question.

 

I'd fill the tank & add stabil. I'd also plug in a battery tender. Make sure your place of storage is not a mouse habitat. They can & do lots of damage.

 

If you have the money, get a Car Capsule. No dust or rodents. I have one for my MIni and Z-3.

 

Drive it on nice days...monthly....for an hour...
Letting a car it is hell on it.

 

Leave it full of gas, with some type of stabilizer and water absorber in it.
My preference has always been SeaFoam, but there are many products just as good. I used to routinely leave my car for 105 days while on submarine patrols. Never had any issues.

I would do a little Googling for the "mouse proofing screen" mod they're doing at Greasy's Garage. It's a piece of hardware cloth affixed in the battery compartment space.
http://www.greasysgarage.com/main/2012/10/awww-rats/

Put another over the air inlet for the engine.

 

Stored a miata for the winter for 12 years. I traded that car in for my mini. With 50 k on it in near perfect condition. And I got retail+ for it.

This is what you do: ( or better said this is what I did )
A) full tank of gas with stabuil As stated drive for a few miles before finally putting it away An empty tank is way more dangerous than a full one.
B) when you pick the spot where it will sit inflate tires to 50 psi. Jack car up and put remnant carpet squares under the tires then let car down. Helps avoid flat spots and cold temp damage to tires
C) by a box of fabric softener sheets from the dollar store. Put a few under the seats. Stick some behind the dash panels and behind the glove box throw some in the boot. I laid some on the valve cover and the under hood fuse box and what ever big harness I saw. Critters LOVE wire insulation and the sound deadening padding. Your car will also smell nice when you unwrap it Critters don't like the smell or texture of the sheets.
D) I drained the oil and refilled with new where it sat no filter change. When I unwrapped it I drove it for about an hour then did a proper oil and filter change again This deals with the condensation
E). DO NOT run the care every month. This only add to condensation that is not properly burned off.
F) connect a batter,y tender.
G) either chock the wheels or leave in gear. Do not store with brake on.
H) wash and wax before you put it away.
I ) put a rag with a rubber band over the exhaust and intake. Critter thing again.
J ) I covered mine even though it was in the garage.
K ) remember when parking it that you can probably scooch it over to either side of the garage so that you have ample walk way. Remember your not moving it so it can hug the walls and it will give you room to get the tree out for Christmas.
L) make a note to remember to get it inspected right away after you unwrap if your state smog test is due over the winter months

Now for the most important. Write a note and stick it on the steering wheel that says DO NOT START. !!!! Tire pressure / rags/ oil / sheets / battery charger. Etc etc You get the idea.

( some may say this step is silly and it is. Or so I thought until My friend of a friends wife called me after her husband had passed and asked me to help her sell his car that was stored. I went over to the house not knowing what to expect. Corvette covered up Guess what I found on the steering wheel. Yup a note to remind him to undo everything he did. Found every thing he said You just never know. ).

YMMV. but my cars survived the hairy NY winter months very well.

Regards.

Sent from my iPad using NAMotoring

 

I would store it with a full tank of non-ethanol full and only add staybill if it's going to be longer that 3 months. I store mine each winter from Dec till April and I do an oil change, rotate tires, bleed brakes and wash/wax it each year at the end of the driving season. It's stored in a heated garage with a cover over it. I plug in a battery tender jr. about once a month for the battery.

 

I stored my Z-4 on a quarter tank from August to April last year, under a cover, and it ran as good as ever. I hadn't intended on letting it sit that long, and I certainly didn't know that it only had a quarter of a tank. I did have a battery tender on it from Dec. to April.

 

I'm going to lob this out there. The full tank idea prevents the air space above the fuel from expanding/contacting with temperature extremes and dragging in moisture. The down side is if you fill with ethanol fuel and suffer phase separation after 3 months or so of storage. Ethanol "enhanced" fuel is NOT stable. With a sealed fuel system on modern cars, I tend to NOT wish to store fuel for longer than a few months, like 2 or 3. Certainly not even 6 months of W. NY winters. THere shouldn't be passage of air in/out of the MINI fuel tank. Not like a '65 Buick!

 

One tip....
A MINI has a PLASTIC fuel tank....
So no rust...the main reason for storing full.
But if you get out and drive it monthly...you can enjoy it...and have fun..and your car will thank you.
And the weather is NOT that bad damp dark and dreary in NE...LOL.LOTS OF DAYS folks even drag motorcycles out during the winter for a little trip....

 

I agree with Zippy, run the car on nice days. In the time you run the car, you must also activate the A/C system to lubricate it's seals to keep them supple/from drying out or by your third summer plan on having some A/C work done. You also have to exercise the brake calipers by driving the car or you will be buying new ones rather quickly... Mechanically speaking, over time leaving a car you plan to keep for a while to just sit for 6+ months a year would be worse than just driving it all winter. My 2 cents...