Finally.....for the first time since I've owned my 06' Daytona, I'm going to be able to keep it in the garage this winter & keep it free from salty roads as I purchased a 4X4 to drive in the winter instead. Now my question is....what do I need to do to my Daytona to winterize it? Should it have a full tank of gas in it? Anything I should put in the gas tank to preserve the gas?

My Dad suggested that if I could, I should put it up on blocks to keep the tires from getting a flat spot, but is that necessary, or could I just move it out of the garage every once in a while? And if I do it that way, how often should I move it....every week/month?

Another question......I know that mice can get inside of the engine & do a lot of damage & with the misery winters we have here, I'm afraid that might happen with the car just sitting in the garage. Anything I can do to prevent that from happening beforehand?

Any other tips you can give me? TIA

 

Everyone has their own idea of what to do in this situation.

Some will tell you the extreme by putting the car on block, draining the fluids, disconnecting the battery and cover it with a car cover. This is for those that will TRULY not drive their vehicle during a certain period.

The question to ask yourself though would be, are you actually going to let it sit there for the 11 months of winter? ... (J/K) Seems like it though sometime up there. But in what I mean is if there is a couple of days when the temps rise above 40, the streets are dry and clean and the roar of the Charger wants to be unleashed, you're still going to leave it there and not drive. Winterizing your car is like going on a diet. You'll definately start out good, but the will power to keep it up stops.

Now if you feel that you will bring her out on the nice days to poke around, you don't really have to do much as the car can sit there probably for a couple of months without doing anything. Maybe start once a week and let it run for 15 minutes is about it. NOTE: open garage door when doing this!!!!

As far as the mice go... I've heard of that happening but that's about it. If it is a concern of your due to your area, I would get in touch with the local exterminator and have them out in some mouse traps. Not the old fashion ones though because if you aren't out there alot to clean them up, they can kinda stink. THey have these box traps that hug the walls. Mouse walks in, gets stuck, check and clean out on a regular basis. Protecting the car from the mice is just maintaining your house.

 

Thanks for all the tips/info. That's what I can't decide.....whether or not I really will let her sit during the whole winter. I can actually have my insurance dropped down while it's sitting, but then I'm afraid I may be tempted to take her out when we have a nice day So maybe if I do drop the coverage down, I'll know I won't be able to do that. My dad is giving me a car cover for her to keep her clean, but I'm wondering if that might be more of a pain to cover it since I will want to start it every once in a while.

As far as the mice go, we don't have any in our house (:::knock on wood::, but I know that our neighbors that are a little ways down did have a MAJOR mice problem when they just bought their house at the beginning of this year. Apparently, the mice were in between their floors & did a lot of damage, so I'm praying that they didn't try to come this way! I know that a car dealer had a problem with mice & they put those blue block things underneath the cars to keep the mice from getting into the engines.

Thanks again.....I appreciate all the help

 

Car covers aren't that bad. You can lift if off the back area and the drivers area then pull it back down if all you're doing is starting it. If you take it around the block, again, not that big of a deal. Assuming you get the correct car cover, they only take a minute to put on. I had a cover for my charger and it was easier to cover her than it was to put a fitted sheet on my king size mattress. LOL!!!

 

I store mine from Nov. through mid March. I put the battery on a battery tender, raise the tire PSI to the highest amount allowed on the sidewall, usually 45lbs, keep a full tank of gas with a fuel stabilizer added, and just a regular indoor car cover that's ventilated. I don't restart my Charger, as it will produce moisture in your exhaust system, but that's a personal preference. As far as mice, scatter moth ***** underneath your Charger (around tires) it will help greatly to deter them from approaching your Chargers under body area. Done all of this the last six years now, no problems.

 

Hehe....I know what you mean about fitted sheets, KRZY Thanks again for all your help

Power, what is a battery tender? Never heard of that before. Thanks for the tip about the moth *****, too....gonna give that a try. Like I said, we don't have mice currently, but I want to keep it that way!

 

Battery Tender keep a charge on your battery as needed sort of like a trickle charge. They cost about $30, and can be found at a local Batteries Plus store.