You’re all packed and ready for a nice long vacation but have you thought about what you’ll do with your car while you’re away? While most Wisconsin residents worry about protecting their home whenever they’re away for long periods of time, many forget that their car needs protection too – especially if they don’t have a garage on their property! In addition to investing in great auto insurance coverage, you’ll also need to consider how to keep them safe from the elements and robbers whenever you’re traveling. Interested in learning more? Keep reading to check out our top tips for vehicle storage in your area.
How to Store Vehicles Long-Term
If you plan on being away from your car for more than a few weeks, you should consider long-term vehicle storage options to protect it from bad weather and potential other potential threats like theft or vandalism. While many Wisconsin drivers only think about storage options for classic cars, your everyday commuter will need to be stored whenever you’re on a long vacation or out of town on business.
The longer you plan on storing your vehicle, the more maintenance and care it will need to ensure it’s ready to hit the road again when you come back home. If you plan on storing your car for 30 days or more, you should follow a few key steps, including:
- Change the oil and filter. If old or dirty oil is left sitting in your car for more than a few weeks, it can cause engine issues. Just be sure to use a high-quality oil at the recommended viscosity for your engine, and you should be good to go.
- Top off the coolant level for the engine. Additionally, don’t forget that the coolant added should follow the recommended water to antifreeze ratio.
- Clean your car. While this can seem a little counterproductive, it’s a very important step for many reasons. If your car has any build-up or debris left on it during storage, you could take it out to find that your paint finish is damaged. Additionally, the road salt used in Wisconsin during the winter can lead to erosion if not cleaned properly.
- Inflate your tires to the recommended pressure level to prevent flat spots from developing over time.
- Fill up your fuel tank after adding a stabilizer; this will keep it from separating.
- Lastly, invest in a quality cover for your car and store it in a garage or storage facility. The car cover will protect your vehicle from dust and other build-up, while the garage will keep it safe from the elements.
Maintaining Insurance Coverage
Even if your car is in storage for several weeks or months, you should maintain your auto insurance policy. While you could save a few bucks up-front by canceling your insurance, you could end up paying a higher premium later on because you now have a gap in coverage. Additionally, even if your car is stored away properly, you could end up paying for any damages out of pocket.
Contact Pagel and Associates Insurance Today
Proper vehicle storage when they’re not in use is the best way to make sure they’re ready to hit the road again quickly when it’s time to bring them out of hibernation. Interested in learning more about the benefits of comprehensive auto insurance protection for your vehicles. Even if you’re storing a car away for the winter, relying on total insurance coverage is the best defense against bad weather, theft, and vandalism. Call (920) 544-0687 or contact our team to learn more and be sure to request a free quote today.
