[noshab]

So i am currently studying in Russia and i bought this car (2007 BMW 325xi) about a month ago and now all of a sudden i have to go back to my home country and I don't want to sell the car just now .
I need your suggestions as to what precautions i should take in order to minimize ( if any ) harmful effects on the car
After extensive research , so far i am thinking of

1) Getting a fresh oil change ( even though service history by the previous owner shows he got it done 2 months ago and i still have about 4000-5000 miles left )

2) Renting a small garage and parking my car inside it And also putting a car cover on it

3) Filling up the fuel tank to about 75%

4) Disconnecting the battery teminals ( please brief me on this that should I disconnect both or only one and how should i go on about doing this )

5) changing the steering fluid since its quite dirty and i have to get it done anyways so why not now


I know that ideally i should put the car up on jack stands to keep tires in perfect condition but i don't think that would be possible for me so i think I'll just have to risk it ( how harmful can it be by the way because i left my nissan last year outside a friend's house for about 3 months and when i came back the tires were flawless )
Also i read about this liquid called fuel stabilizer or something like that which you are supposed to put into your fuel tank and drive for like 15 minutes so that it can travel through out the car and it's supposed to keep everything fresh while the car is stationary. Are they any good and does anyone have any experiences with them or are they just a gimmick ?

Any and all suggestions are more than welcome. Sorry if my questions sound dumb but this is my first BMW and i don't want to take any chances with it

[Brian86]

Disconnect the negative battery terminal

Overinflate the tires to whatever the max allowable on the sidewalls.

I like to run the gas tank low, then bring a 5 gallon can of fresh fuel to pour in. If the fuel skunks it'll only take a few minutes to get it out of the lines, the fresh fuel dilutes it enough to get to a gas station.

I wouldn't worry about anything else for 9 months.

[noshab]

Originally Posted by Brian86

Disconnect the negative battery terminal

Overinflate the tires to whatever the max allowable on the sidewalls.

I like to run the gas tank low, then bring a 5 gallon can of fresh fuel to pour in. If the fuel skunks it'll only take a few minutes to get it out of the lines, the fresh fuel dilutes it enough to get to a gas station.

I wouldn't worry about anything else for 9 months.

Alright thank you so much .
I'll definitely be following your suggestions
Also just wanted to clear this
You are saying that i should park the car with low fuel (about 20-25% tank ) and then fill it up with fresh fuel when i come back , right ?

[Efthreeoh]

I've never been to Russia, so my advice is based on USA economic availabilities. The biggest problem with storing a car is prevention of rodent damage. Rodents love to chew on wires and pull apart sound insulation in the engine bay and interior for nesting materials. Rodents love to move into airboxes.

The proper long-term storage for most any automobile is as follows:

- Inflate the tires to their maximum pressure rating.

- Fill the fuel tank completely full. The fuel tank should be completely full. A partially filled fuel tank allows for condensation to build up in the fuel tank and contaminate the fuel with water. The water comes from the volume of air in the fuel tank. Minimizing the volume of air (by replacing it with liquid gasoline) minimizes the amount of water vapor that will condensate out of the air in the fuel tank. So the advice in this thread about keeping a low fuel level in the fuel tank is incorrect and bad advice. Fill the fuel tank full.

- Add the correct amount of fuel stabilizer for a 16 gallon tank. In the USA we have a product call Stabil. It is a red liquid that comes in a squeeze bottle that lets you dispense the liquid in 1/2 ounce increments. It does work. I use it on my motorcycle, which I store for 6 months of the year. Adding a stabilizer to the fuel will prevent the gasoline from getting stale. 9 months of storage for gasoline is not that long. Fuel stabilizer extends the fuel freshness up to 24 months.

- Keep the battery connected and use a battery maintainer (float charger) that monitors the battery state of charge and keeps the battery correctly charged. Connect the battery maintainer to the under-hood battery terminals (i.e. do not connect the maintainer directly to the battery). The storage location must have electricity to use a battery maintainer. If you can't use a battery maintainer then disconnect the battery at both terminals and cover the terminals with tape to prevent accidental contact with the batter cables. Expect to have to recharge the battery when you bring the car out of storage, or depending on the health of the battery, it may need to be replaced. Lead-acid batteries naturally lose charge over time.

- Stuff rags in the exhaust opening to keep rodents out of the exhaust.

- Stuff rags in the opening of the intake to keep rodents out of the intake.

- Use peppermint in a cheese cloth bag under the hood to keep rodents out of the engine bay.

- Use a few mothballs or peppermint in the cabin to keep rodents out of the cabin.

- Thoroughly clean the interior of dirt and food crumbs to lessen the chance of rodents moving into the car.

In your specific case:

- I'd not change the engine oil since it is pretty fresh. Change it when you bring the car out of storage.

- I'd not change the power steering fluid. It's not hurting anything. Change it when you bring the car out of storage if you think it is "dirty".

- Figure out when the brake fluid was last flushed. If it wasn't on the 24-month schedule based on the build date of the car, or you have no record of a brake flush, then change the brake fluid once the car is out of storage. If the brake fluid in the reservoir is very dark colored, it might have high water content in it, and you should consider flushing the brake fluid before you store the car.

[Buug959]

Originally Posted by noshab

So i am currently studying in Russia and i bought this car (2007 BMW 325xi) about a month ago and now all of a sudden i have to go back to my home country and I don't want to sell the car just now .
I need your suggestions as to what precautions i should take in order to minimize ( if any ) harmful effects on the car
After extensive research , so far i am thinking of

1) Getting a fresh oil change ( even though service history by the previous owner shows he got it done 2 months ago and i still have about 4000-5000 miles left )

2) Renting a small garage and parking my car inside it And also putting a car cover on it

3) Filling up the fuel tank to about 75%

4) Disconnecting the battery teminals ( please brief me on this that should I disconnect both or only one and how should i go on about doing this )

5) changing the steering fluid since its quite dirty and i have to get it done anyways so why not now


I know that ideally i should put the car up on jack stands to keep tires in perfect condition but i don't think that would be possible for me so i think I'll just have to risk it ( how harmful can it be by the way because i left my nissan last year outside a friend's house for about 3 months and when i came back the tires were flawless )
Also i read about this liquid called fuel stabilizer or something like that which you are supposed to put into your fuel tank and drive for like 15 minutes so that it can travel through out the car and it's supposed to keep everything fresh while the car is stationary. Are they any good and does anyone have any experiences with them or are they just a gimmick ?

Any and all suggestions are more than welcome. Sorry if my questions sound dumb but this is my first BMW and i don't want to take any chances with it

I just want to say that Efthreeoh is exactly right, as usual. I'm not sure if Sta-bil is available in Russia because of a trade dispute between them and Russia a few years ago but I expect there is a comparable product that you can find with a little research. Also, I have a lot of personal experience with Sta-bil and it absolutely does work.
One other tip I have is in regards to blocking off the exhaust to keep rodents out. I usually slide an empty tin can over the exhaust to block it off. I've found this to be more effective than a rag because, as stated, rodents like to snuggle in soft warm stuff.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by LemansE90335xi

I just want to say that Efthreeoh is exactly right, as usual. I'm not sure if Sta-bil is available in Russia because of a trade dispute between them Russia a few years ago but I expect there is a comparable product that you can find with a little research. Also, I have a lot of personal experience with Sta-bil and it absolutely does work.
One other tip I have is in regards to blocking off the exhaust to keep rodents out. I usually slide an empty tin can over the exhaust to block it off. I've found this to be more effective than a rag because, as stated, rodents like to snuggle in soft warm stuff.

Good point about the tin can over the exhaust tips. Probably a better solution.

Quick story. Friend of mine back in late 1980's bought a defunct 1980 911. The motor had to be rebuilt. The rebuilder found remains of a mouse in one of the cylinders. He figured it squeezed through an open valve, in the dark, then couldn't find his way out.

[Brian86]

Agree on all points above.

Full tank with stabilizer is a good solution. I've never really had water problems in my fuel. Fuel vapors will tend to displace air as the fuel slowly evaporates, and the charcoal canister acts as a reasonably good barrier to exchanging gasses.

Battery tender is also excellent if you have electricity available. My personal favorite is the Delran "battery tender plus". No moving parts and mine will reliably charge an e90 for months on end without some annoying 'safety shutdown'.

Good points on the rodent infiltration. Cars I've had to store have always been in self-serve storage lockers or garages or basements. Looking back I can count my lucky stars that mice didn't get into any of the self-serve storage places.

[noshab]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

I've never been to Russia, so my advice is based on USA economic availabilities. The biggest problem with storing a car is prevention of rodent damage. Rodents love to chew on wires and pull apart sound insulation in the engine bay and interior for nesting materials. Rodents love to move into airboxes.

The proper long-term storage for most any automobile is as follows:

- Inflate the tires to their maximum pressure rating.

- Fill the fuel tank completely full. The fuel tank should be completely full. A partially filled fuel tank allows for condensation to build up in the fuel tank and contaminate the fuel with water. The water comes from the volume of air in the fuel tank. Minimizing the volume of air (by replacing it with liquid gasoline) minimizes the amount of water vapor that will condensate out of the air in the fuel tank. So the advice in this thread about keeping a low fuel level in the fuel tank is incorrect and bad advice. Fill the fuel tank full.

- Add the correct amount of fuel stabilizer for a 16 gallon tank. In the USA we have a product call Stabil. It is a red liquid that comes in a squeeze bottle that lets you dispense the liquid in 1/2 ounce increments. It does work. I use it on my motorcycle, which I store for 6 months of the year. Adding a stabilizer to the fuel will prevent the gasoline from getting stale. 9 months of storage for gasoline is not that long. Fuel stabilizer extends the fuel freshness up to 24 months.

- Keep the battery connected and use a battery maintainer (float charger) that monitors the battery state of charge and keeps the battery correctly charged. Connect the battery maintainer to the under-hood battery terminals (i.e. do not connect the maintainer directly to the battery). The storage location must have electricity to use a battery maintainer. If you can't use a battery maintainer then disconnect the battery at both terminals and cover the terminals with tape to prevent accidental contact with the batter cables. Expect to have to recharge the battery when you bring the car out of storage, or depending on the health of the battery, it may need to be replaced. Lead-acid batteries naturally lose charge over time.

- Stuff rags in the exhaust opening to keep rodents out of the exhaust.

- Stuff rags in the opening of the intake to keep rodents out of the intake.

- Use peppermint in a cheese cloth bag under the hood to keep rodents out of the engine bay.

- Use a few mothballs or peppermint in the cabin to keep rodents out of the cabin.

- Thoroughly clean the interior of dirt and food crumbs to lessen the chance of rodents moving into the car.

In your specific case:

- I'd not change the engine oil since it is pretty fresh. Change it when you bring the car out of storage.

- I'd not change the power steering fluid. It's not hurting anything. Change it when you bring the car out of storage if you think it is "dirty".

- Figure out when the brake fluid was last flushed. If it wasn't on the 24-month schedule based on the build date of the car, or you have no record of a brake flush, then change the brake fluid once the car is out of storage. If the brake fluid in the reservoir is very dark colored, it might have high water content in it, and you should consider flushing the brake fluid before you store the car.

Thank you so much for all your valuable and detailed suggestions. I'll definitely be following them . I haven't seen rodent problems here but I'll not be taking any chances and definitely covering the exhaust .

I'll look into the fuel stabilizer product you guys mentioned and see if i can find an alternative .

And this battery charger is not possible in my case so I'll just disconnect the terminals and cover them with tape . I hope I don't have to replace the battery when i come back because i just bought a new battery 20 days ago 😅