Defender to be parked for quite a while! :(

[nitrotom93]

Hi everyone,

So im off to uni tomorrow so my car is going to be parked on the drive for about a year as it probably wont be insured.

Going to get my dad to start it quite often but is there anything else you recommend me doing to it before i leave as it will be sat for so long?

Was also thinking of getting a cover for it, to protect it through those cold winter months!

Thanks!

[daveturnbull]

Put it up on stands and take all the wheels off, take the battery off and disocnnect one or two key bits of wiring. Then there's a chance it might still be there when you get back.

[Tanuki]

I'd not recommend starting it periodically: unless it's driven and got up to full working temperature all that running the engine will do is add condensation to the oil.

Things to do:

Change all the oil/filters; you don't want old used oil sitting in the sump/gearbox/transfer-box/diffs where the combustion-acids and condensation can do Bad Things.

Change coolant - refill with appropriate antifreeze. This will inhibit corrosion and prevent you coming back to it in a year to find you've now got a cracked block.

If you have electrical access, get a "Battery Conditioner" [Ctek do a good one] and leave this permanently connected. It'll stop the immobilizer/alarm etc. draining the battery to uselessness. Otherwise, remove the battery and put it on the Ctek in your garage/kitchen/bedroom.

Put a few extra pounds in the tyres and have someone check the pressures/reinflate for you every couple of months. If the tyres are left for a year they *will* lose pressure and the weight of the car will distort the sidewalls.

--Tanuki.

[ejparrott]

Don't leave it without insurance in this day and age! There was a very recent thread about a 90 nicked - luckily that was recovered.

Anitfreeze is probably the next most important thing, make sure its got a very strong winter mix in, I'm sure we're due a very cold winter again.

Can your dad not drive it around one week a month?

[TheRecklessEngineer]

I'd also add putting something over the tyres. UV will degrade the rubber over time unless they're kept moving.

[FridgeFreezer]

These guys do a few "laying-up" type products to keep stuff in good nick:

for oil:

http://www.frost.co....l-5-litres.html

For fuel:

http://www.frost.co.uk/automotive-tanks-products/por15-fuel-preservative-stabilizer-us-pint.html

[Off Road Toad]

My series doesn't go anywhere these days but is insured against fire and theft only ( not to be driven or kept on a public highway) it costs me £20 per annum. I would say insurance is your biggest concern! If it doesn't get stolen it will be fine after just 1 year! I would drain the diesel out of it though.

[nitrotom93]

All sounds very helpful, thanks!

ill look into the insurance for just fire and theft, i forgot about insurance for if it was stolen!

I did speak to my dad about insuring it for a a very low milage per year so he drive it around a bit, trouble is he is a civil engineer, so drives for usually an hour or 2 at least a day so its too unreliable for him!

I also looked at seeing if i could get insurance, short term for like a week for when im home so i could still drive it but being 18 thats proving quite hard.

would you recommend getting a cover? would it help?

Thank you!

[Olsmokey]

presuming it's a diesel I would make sure the tank is full to the brim, this was standard practice in the army, the reason is that diesel can support micribial growth, so emptying the tank could mean that when you eventually recomission the vehicle you coule end up with random blocked fuel filter trouble as the bacterial growth will eventually be removed by your fuel filter blocking it in the process,

Brimming the tank excludes oxygen and so prevents bacterial growth.

[UdderlyOffroad]

I also looked at seeing if i could get insurance, short term for like a week for when im home so i could still drive it but being 18 thats proving quite hard.

would you recommend getting a cover? would it help?

Thank you!

I know you've probably already ruled this out, but I would seriously recommend insuring it for the full year on your own insurance and building up no claims bonus. It is ridiculously expensive, and it will seem like a waste of money, especially if your uni doesn't allow you to bring a car. But it will, long term give you benefits, I.e. the cost of your insurance coming down next year, and you to have transport. By the way, there are ways and means round the not having a car at uni thing - but you need do some legwork on the ground. In other words, you could probably find a parking spot near your halls/house but not until the second term. Or your uni might have a motor club or sailing team with space to store the car. The latter two clubs are usually glad to have Landie available for towing duties (ask me how I know...). In other words, rather than messing around 'laying up' the Landie, use it! Even if you have to leave it at home for the first term...

Obviously you need to do some time online and on the phone with the insurers to get a decent quote, but try some of the specialist landie insurers who advertise in the back of the mags too...

Think about it before you dismiss it anyway.

[FridgeFreezer]

I know you've probably already ruled this out, but I would seriously recommend insuring it for the full year on your own insurance and building up no claims bonus. It is ridiculously expensive, and it will seem like a waste of money, especially if your uni doesn't allow you to bring a car. But it will, long term give you benefits

What he said, it'll cost you money short term but you're basically guaranteed a year's NCB (since you can't crash it when it's parked) which will save you money every year for the rest of your life.

[unclemicky]

I know you probably live in the city

but is there no way you could store it in a haybarn or old factory, for a few bob.If the bast%^&£~ see it they will nick it or take parts off it...

[Retroanaconda]

Take it with you. I took my 90 to uni with me, had a blast. Left it at home in the latter part of my second year and took the Focus instead, missed driving it every day.

I wasn't aware that there were universities that would prohibit you having a car! Okay maybe at city ones like Oxford etc. it would be hugely impractical to have one, but to actually prohibit it?

[discomikey]

where are you going to uni? can you not take it with you?

[Big.Mike]

With regards insurance, unless you are going to have is SORN then you have to have insurance, which is a PITA if you are selling a car...

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/OwningAVehicle/Motorinsurance/DG_186696?CID=Continuous_Insurance&PLA=DM&CRE=Furl

Honestly, it opens up a whole world of "interesting options" if you have a car at Uni.

[jason110]

Rather than take it to uni, can't you ask a family member who can drive a landy to go halves on insurance (in your name, them named)?

They get to drive it, you get your NCB, you don't take it to uni and get endless request for lifts, shopping trips and all that sh*t.

It's better for it to get used once a month, then sit about.

You can always lend it to me

[ChrisB]

Definitely take it to Uni if you can possibly find somewhere to park. Insurance-wise, how a bout a 4x4 specialist limited mileage policy - Excellent for letting you drive when you need to, but keeping the cost down if it's only a few miles every so often.

I have a 5k mile policy on my Disco to keep the cost down (I've got 3 claims in 5 years, and it's modified as most old Discos are) It knocked my premium down by 40%. I use it as my daily driver, but I work 4 days a week and it's a 10 mile round-trip. That leaves plenty for trips to the dump, B&Q and getting everyone about in the snow. then there's the extra 500 miles from the 10% odometer under-read as a by product of the 235/85s!

Chris