Over the winter months....

What do you do with your Alpine?

Providing it isn't your daily driver, do you have your car garaged, under a car cover or uncovered and do you isolate the battery or start the car regularly?

I'm hoping to create some space in the garage for when it gets baltic out there but for the time being I have it under a car cover which is waterproof and breathable (although I do notice it does sweat a little - I hope this won't do any damage to the paintwork over time - must be better than uncovered completely anyway!) I would also think regularly starting the car would be better than leaving it idle.

Discuss.

Mine has been under a dust cover for about a year now!

The last time i was out in it i cooked the brakes all round and also needs a new clutch! (i guess thats what 3 sprints does to a road car!)

I always recommend that the car is at least started until fully warmed up every couple of week and at least driven once a month.

I am not doing this because i would rather have the challenge of fixing all the things that go faulty after a year of 'rest'

Mine has been garaged since I bought it new in1990, but after finding out that the battery runs down, over a period of 2 to 3 weeks to a point where starting becomes a problem, I have always disconnected the battery when I have intended to not to use the car for a while. I dont know if they are all fitted with them, but mine was supplied with a flip off negative battery connector which helps. With regards as to running the engin or not over a long period of time, my preference is to only start the engin when I am going to take the car for a run which must last for at least 20mins. That amount of time is required to put back the charge into the battery what was used to start a cold engin. The oil I have used for many years now is Castrol GTX Magnatec,The car has done just on 30k mls, and there is no sign of smoking, and it does not use any oil between changes, and starts like a dream every time, but I do have a switch on the dash, to prime the float chamber of the carb, (mine is an Atmo)
My feeling is that the most important factor for long periods of non use, is keeping it in a garage, and if you do use the car to go for a blast, pick a dry day.
If you just start the car up every couple of weeks without taking it for a run, I am convinced that that is the worst thing you can do to any engin. In order to generate enough heat to warm the oil to disperse condensation and all the other nasties. the engin must be under load.

Mine has been garaged since I bought it new in1990

The car has done just on 30k mls,

Surely yours has got to be one of the best going then John - unfortunately there's no emoticon for "green with envy"

No rusty turret sections for you then - "green with envy emoticon again".

Any photo's of the car on the site anywhere?

Last winter mine was off the road as the clutch slave cylinder gave up, followed by the master cylinder about a week later. It look ages to get the plastic pipe connecting the two. This year it'll be used every couple of weeks. I'm planning on spraying Waxoyl everywhere like I did last year to protect against the worst of the winter and road salt. I find it better to use the car - they don't like sitting around unused for long.

Any photo's of the car on the site anywhere?

Hi scottydog

If you go back to May 9th 2008 under "Show us yours" page 3, you will find a pic. The blue bloom on the horozontal surfaces is not the paint gone off, it is the reflection of the sky in the polish

John

Ps, Have you sorted your computer problem yet

@ John c, rust also forms on any steel parts of any engine, regardless of what oil is used, that is left for a period of time unused.

I personally think that its better to get the thing up and running until the fans kick in and out a time or two, at least the oil gets a chance to coat all the steel bits.

[BIG_MVS]

Any photo's of the car on the site anywhere?

Hi scottydog

If you go back to May 9th 2008 under "Show us yours" page 3, you will find a pic. The blue bloom on the horozontal surfaces is not the paint gone off, it is the reflection of the sky in the polish

John

Ps, Have you sorted your computer problem yet

What a cracker, mint condition, 2 berth is it John?

@ John c, rust also forms on any steel parts of any engine, regardless of what oil is used, that is left for a period of time unused.

I personally think that its better to get the thing up and running until the fans kick in and out a time or two, at least the oil gets a chance to coat all the steel bits.

Hi Simon

I am afraid I must disagree with you on this one. My experience not only comes from motor vehicles, but marine engins as well, as I have owned and maintained motor cruisers for more than 30 years, with twin large 6 cyl High Speed Turbo Intercooled Diesels ( there`s a word you dont see on this forum very often ) These engins operate in the harshest envoriment that you can imagen, salt atmosphere and all that, and usually laid up for 6months at a time each year. It is well known in marine circles that engins are not run when the boat is laid up for the winter, unless it is taken out to sea and put under load for at least half an hour, or it is tied down tight in the marina and run in gear with the props turning, the latter only to be considered if the weather is too bad to take the boat out to sea.
Remember the internals of an engin are not directly open to the atmosphere, and are coated in oil, which will not drain away completely to the sump, you might think that the only weak part in this is the bores which have got a specific patten of microscopic scores (glaze busting on worn bores) which actually hold the oil to the bore, this does have a secondary effect of protecting them from rusting, but they are not there specifically for that purpose.
More damage is done to an engin if run off load when condensation formes because the internal temperature does not get to a high enough level to disperse it

PS Another rule I forgot to mention, "keep the fuel tank full if not used regularly", as partly filled tanks, with a large amount of air space, will produce condensation inside the tank, due to temperature variation (more noticeable in steel tanks but will occure in plastic ones to a lesser degree) which will sink to the bottom of the tank, and into the steel pipes, which can cause them to rust. A problem DG has encountered, mentioned in a recent posting. Putting these two things together makes me think that if someone buys one of these cars which has not been used for a long period of time, they would be wise to check the pipes for rust, and clean out the tank.

John

What a cracker, mint condition, 2 berth is it John?

Thats right Martin, embarrass me again. I was trying to direct scottydog on to a good pic of the car
Yes..... two berth, fridge, sink, 2 burner cooker, wardrobe, toilet compartment with electric flushing loo, 240volt electric hookup, with mains and 12volt sockets, plenty of storage, awning and sun cover, complete with GTA towbar, with electrics.
Perhaps I`ll bring it along to your next North Wales Mini Tour next year,

John

[quote="simonsays74"]Mine has been under a dust cover for about a year now!

The last time i was out in it i cooked the brakes all round and also needs a new clutch! (i guess thats what 3 sprints does to a road car!)


I make you right my clutch in the 21 has gone as well; 2 Hill climbs and a sprint.......Clutch only done 16,000 miles tops Gutted (2nd gear starts in the Wet at Prescott is waht did the damage!!)

si21 Guess I will be even more really busy than I usually am this winter.

What a cracker, mint condition, 2 berth is it John?

Thats right Martin, embarrass me again. I was trying to direct scottydog on to a good pic of the car
Yes..... two berth, fridge, sink, 2 burner cooker, wardrobe, toilet compartment with electric flushing loo, 240volt electric hookup, with mains and 12volt sockets, plenty of storage, awning and sun cover, complete with GTA towbar, with electrics.
Perhaps I`ll bring it along to your next North Wales Mini Tour next year,

John

Don't worry Jon .You'll still have to overtake Long-Drop even with the caravan attached .......

mine lives outside under a cover but is religously started and drove once a week in the winter,more often in the summer.
maybe i am lucky but in 12 months the only problem has been a slave cylinder.

[BIG_MVS]

What a cracker, mint condition, 2 berth is it John?

Thats right Martin, embarrass me again. I was trying to direct scottydog on to a good pic of the car
Yes..... two berth, fridge, sink, 2 burner cooker, wardrobe, toilet compartment with electric flushing loo, 240volt electric hookup, with mains and 12volt sockets, plenty of storage, awning and sun cover, complete with GTA towbar, with electrics.
Perhaps I`ll bring it along to your next North Wales Mini Tour next year,

John

Don't worry Jon .You'll still have to overtake Long-Drop even with the caravan attached .......

Cheeky barstewered! All true though of course....

[BIG_MVS]

mine lives outside under a cover but is religously started and drove once a week in the winter,more often in the summer.
maybe i am lucky but in 12 months the only problem has been a slave cylinder.

Not wanting to sound like I'm p$ssing on your jockeys whips but did you sort your sticking caliper, or was it something else in wales?

had all the wheels off upon return the next day,checked pads,discs,calipers all operating fine.
happened twice on way home on m54,pulled onto hardshoulder played with handbrake started off noise disapeared.
never heard the squealing noise since so very puzzled but relieved.

p.s headlight glasses you lot were not kidding,got them out of the spare nosecone working up to actually getting them off and replacing my car.