Don't worry about flat spots, we are not talking about tires from 20 years ago

Id just park it, start it once a week / fully warm it up, get storage insurance & not worry too much, its a pretty new car, my rx7 was neglected and sitting for over a year before i bought it from previous owner sadly, still started fine (with a jump start lol) drove it home and didnt have any flat spots on tires, never heard of that happening and ive had cars sit for more than 4 months, lol.

if your not going to start it at all, and worried about the fuel add some stabilizer, fill the tank right to the top to prevent the gas from evaporating and leaving sludge deposits on the gas tank, and disconnect the negative battery terminal if your underground is cold

How u guys figure 30$ for 3 months? I paid 30 for 1 month just comprehensive n 1 mill liability. Am I missing something?
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depends on what kind of car you have. my rx7 is super expensive for storage insurance... i think its 60 somthing bucks for 2 or 3 months for mine

im paying about 1000~ (finance+insurance(+% surcharge) + gas) for my civic per month right now

for the beater about 600~ (finance from newercat + insurance (quoted for 220 a month) + gas)

400 x 4 months, minus some this and that for fees, saving is still saving =\

$220/mn insurance on a beater? I pay $90/mn for Basic and Liability on my 2003 C-class cause its only worth $6K and isn't worth fully insuring.

You're doing something wrong.

So much mis information here...starting your car once a week till its fully warm is over kill. You can do it twice a month, and all you are trying to do is get the oil moving on the seals so they don't dry up... No need to get it fully warm.
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dont forget to give the car a good wash before you store it. if you havent already, give the wheel wells, rims and even the bottom of the car a good rinse since the roads were salted recently.

i have a 55 percent surcharge

- Put a car cover on it. Clean all the dirt and dust off the car. Cover will pick up dirt and scratch the paint.
- Empty most of the gas out or put in a stabilizer.
- Maybe put a box of baking soda in the car.
- Disconnect the battery.
- Over-inflate tires to minimize flat spots.

Before reuse, inspect for small animals. Charge the battery up.

When I stored my car back in September before heading to Europe for a year I filled the tank, put some fuel sabilizer in it, pulled the battery and put it on a trickle charger, stuffed a sock in the exhaust (for rodents) and changed the oil. Oh, and I also put it on jack stands (but the stands are placed on the control arms to keep the suspension loaded like the car is sitting on four wheels).

When I get home, I am going to drive the car around for a bit to drain the tank. Then pull my injectors, get them cleaned, change the oil and fuel filter and that will be the end of it.

edit: oh, and run the car around the block a few times with the fuel stabil in the tank to mix it up really good and for the stabilized fuel to make it's way to the injectors.

No offense but some of this is terrible advice. You want a FULL tank of gas, not an empty one. And fuel stabilizer is not an option. If you just disconnect the battery, it still likely won't start when you get back. Get a $30 trickle charger. Over inflating tires will promote cracks if there are large temp. swings. Just air them up to 40PSI all around and call it a day. Or put it on jack stands like I did.

A can of baking soda is a good idea and a cover is also a must especially if its going to be in a place people will be like a shared garage.

Also bad advice. Starting the car once a week and "warming it up" is not only going to slowly drain your battery but also create condensation in the exhaust system which can cause rust.

Your alternator needs to be on average above 2000-3000RPM to actually charge the battery. By idling, every time you start the car it uses a bit of the juice, slowly draining the battery because while idling you're not actually re-charging the battery. You are also causing a lot of strain on the motor just starting it with cold oil and un necessarily putting wear on bearings. Unless you plan to DRIVE the car once a week (like around the block a few times for like 10min.) you are better off just leaving it alone and not causing extra work for yourself.

I dealt with storing a huge amount of motorcycles for the winter season at my old job as well as storing multiple cars over the years. Never once have I had an issue in the spring.

Most likely, but the "good" stuff (the acutal Sta-BIL brand) you can pick up at any motorcycle shop in the lower mainland.

If it's for a year, get a trickle charger. You'll thank me later.

get some of this: DRI-Z-AIR® DEHUMIDIFIER - MOISTURE ABSORBER - MADE IN THE USA

sucks moisture out of the air, so you won't get moisture buildup inside the car. might not be a big issue in an underground garage, but definitely needed if the car is outside. I have the "classic" in my Supra, it fills the little bucket in a month.

Good investment as it saved me when someone broke into my car and did about $2000 damage trying to steal it.

Better to be safe than sorry.

Dude, it'll be fine. Started it every couple weeks and you'll be fine. I've had cars stored for the same amount of time and that's all I did.

Hell, I have a car in my driveway that's been sitting for close to a year now and i'm expecting it to start up fairly easily... Once I get it fixed.

I'm storing my my car for a little under 6 months would I be okay without stabilizer? Car has been stored for 4~ months now and I kept the tank low on fuel so when I drive it again I can just fill it right up with new fuel.

4 months i doubt the exhaust is going to rust enough to be worried about (just surface rust at worst)

Alternators start charging the battery around 1400RPM (which the rpms are at while cold started) maybe 2000rpm-3000rpm if tons / all of electrical accessories are on and putting a load on the alternator

since the cars parked in a underground parking lot i cant see why he couldnt drive it around the parking lot a few times after its warmed up. Trickle charger is a good idea though

As for your second paragraph... We are talking about a 09 civic here, not some old car / motor / motor bike engine / shit box. Starting the motor with cold oil (like people do every morning) is not going to hurt the bearings or put any excessive wear & tear starting the car once a week for 4 months, lol

please dont idle your car in an underground lot for 20-30m.

my car is currently being stored for 6-8 months.

i use fuel stabilizer, have a tickle charger on it, and I do start it every couple of weeks.

2 years ago i left it for 9 months untouched and when i started it, the cylinder head cracked. I'm not going to leave it without running for a long time anymore.

4 months is not that long.. I think it is best for you to figure out what your maintenance needs / state of the car.. then plan on what you need to before you store it. If you care about your car.

Eg I currently have my M5 in storage.. I am going to clean the fuel injectors.. so I removed them during the storage procedure, and replaced them with my own custom silicone replicas of them. Though I have been tempted more than once to remove the heads to run it through my CMM rig.

Also It is best to leave a checklist / what you have removed and leave on a clipboard and leave it on the steering wheel.. list you have removed that might cause bad things to happen etc.

Personally I won't start the car during storage. I also flushed my coolant and replaced it with distilled water before storage.. oil etc I didn't change... as for how much gas... when the time when gas tanks were metal, you are supposed to fill it up so no water vapor will rust the tank.. but the tank these days are plastic, so I don't think it matter as much. Oh I also removed my battery, check the state of spark plugs before I store it.

If you have a 55% surcharge.. when will you actually be reinsuring the civic? You might want to think about just selling it since you're still taking larger amounts of depreciation every year given that it's an 09.

Man you guys go through some extensive measures for storing a car for such little time. My dads car sits in the garage for 350 days a year and it's 40 years old. All he uses is STA-BIL and disconnects the battery. He starts it up every month and maybe drives it 3 times a year. Tires have never had a flat spot and always starts up.