*sigh* winter sucks

We live in a suburb of Minneapolis and will be storing the Roadster in about a month. We're fortunate to have a 4 car garage that is also insulated so temps never get much below 30F. I plan on adding Stabil to the fuel and covering the car and rolling it a few feet every month (to keep the tires from getting flat spots). Any other considerations? I figure 5-6 months before she gets out again. Should I disconnect the battery? Drain the oil?

 

I also store my Coupe during the winter months. I have my battery connected to a Battery Tender. The tires i keep pumped up to 40 psi and have never noticed any flat spots. As for the oil i wait until spring and change it before i start driving it again. I also dont use my parking brake so it doesnt become stuck due to moisture, just leave the car in gear.

 

Well aren't you guys lucky . . .
. . . our MINI, with some nice winter tires, is going to be a blast this winter


No, no, do not drain the oil...
You can unplug the battery to prevent it from draining out possibly.

What I personally would do however is put the car on jack stands.
Also, if you can open the garage door with the rear of the car pointing out, I would once every 2 to 3 weeks plug the battery back and let the engine run for a minute or two this way nothing will settle too much and with the car on stands you won't need to worry about your tires getting weird. Just some thoughts to consider...

And yes not having the parking brake on is a very good idea to keep rotors from rusting strangely.

 

I've store my MINI Cabrio S for 4 years, and will be storing my new Roadster S this year. It goes into storage (unheated storage shed) on Thanksgiving weekend, and comes out around April 1.

I use a battery tender, Stabil in the gas tank, wash and dry. I'd recommend changing the oil just before storage, as used oil is quite acidic as compared to fresh oil, and it's ready to go in the spring. I don't use jack stands, and never had a problem with properly inflated tires getting a flat spot. It gets covered with a MINI cover which is stretchy and flexible enough to cover 99% of the paint. I put steel wool in the exhaust pipes to assure mice don't get in (had that problem a number of years ago with another car). Don't park it where something unexpected can fall on it.

I also call my insurance agent (Allstate) and discontinue the collision and other coverage, and just keep comprehensive...I get a nice refund for the 4 months it's not in use. For that 60 degree day in February that I want to take it for a ride, I call my agent and he'll reinstate the insurance just for those few days. If you have Sirius XM on your radio, you can discontinue that and get a credit as well. Hope this helps.

 

Great suggestion on the insurance. I will look into that and likely save a few $!

 

I live in Lanford ND and I have snow tires going on it this Friday and plan to drive it in all but the worst winter weather. Previous years my wife has had a regular Cooper S and did fine driving it every day the roads were open. Our roadster should be about the same. Just worried about the rear wing freezing! I may store it for a few days during any blizzards. LOL.

 

And miss those nice 30 degree days with sun!!!!

It would be like cutting off my head............

 

Nothing like driving around with snow on the ground, the top down, a blue sky, and a beanie on!

 

What i find to be better than stabil is PRI-G. Use race ramps tire cribs to stop flat spots. Also use a CTEC 7000 to keep battery in good shape. I stop driving when they spread rocks all over the roads in the winter.

 

The idea of winter driving sounds like fun but they salt the heck out of the roads around here so we'll stick to the storage idea. That being said...we tend to start driving after the first clear day in March...

 

I can truly appreciate the salt concern for sure. That is a bit of a pain . . .

As anyone looked into protectant against salt that can be applied (epoxy, or else).
I would be interested to prevented salt damage over the years.

My other car is 8 yrs old and it as not been overly damage by salt. It is babied a lot but also has a good undercarriage construction with fewer exposed metals. But I don't know the MINI has the same under frame construction. It seems the braces, bolts, and suspension could suffer more damage. Any input on the subject? . . . and my apology for hijacking the thread a little but it relates

 

Most modern cars (including MINIs) are actually reasonable well protected against salt through their use of galvanized steel and aluminum, paint dips, primers, basecoats and clear coats, etc. MINI includes a 12 year warranty against rust perforation of sheet metal.

Having said that, my state dumps more salt per mile of roadway than most others (you may recall that we had a mayor who lost an election because the roads were impassable after a large storm). It can cause pitting on chrome parts, wheels, and other non-sheet metal parts. And of course, getting a large hunk of rock salt thrown up on your hood doesn't help the appearance!

I'm not aware of any product (such as undercoating) that is independently tested and recommended to prevent salt damage. Most will cause more problem if they separate from the metal, causing gaps than can hold water and dirt, etc.

If you drive in the winter on salted roads, the only good option is to wash the salt off regularly and , including the undercarriage and wheel wells, etc. and apply a good coat of wax before the snow falls.