3380 Rustin Street, Sioux City, IA 51105
Parked electric car
September 1, 2017

Preparing Your Electric Car for Storage

Here at Elite Self Storage, we know that there are many reasons to store your vehicle. Whether business travel takes you out of town or you’re being deployed overseas, there are many things that you can do to ensure that you have a healthy electric car waiting for you in our storage facility when you get back. When you’re looking for a car storage solution, there’s always a few different factors to keep in mind. If you want to avoid costly repairs, like exterior damage, a permanent loss of charge, or a battery replacement, there’s a few tips that you should follow.

Clean your vehicle before putting it into storage

Leaving dirt or dust from the road or other common environmental hazards encountered by your car, like bird droppings, can cause issues later. At best, your car is going to be harder to clean once you get it out of storage. At worst, you’re looking at some paint damage that could be pricey to fix.

Fill your car’s tires to their recommended tire pressure

This can help you avoid flat spots, especially when the temperature drops. This is an especially smart    move if your vehicle is equipped with low-profile tires or tires that are focused on performance.

Don’t set your parking brake

Out of habit, you may set your parking brake once you bring your vehicle to a stop inside of a storage locker. Setting your parking brake can cause the rotors and brakes to become fused. Remember to leave your parking brake off to avoid a potentially annoying problem.

Don’t drop your insurance coverage.

If you don’t plan to use your vehicle for a while, you may think that it’s a good idea to cancel your insurance coverage. You might think that this will save you money, but causing a months-long gap in your insurance coverage could actually make getting car insurance again later a more expensive proposition.

Put clean rags or towels between your wiper blades and your windshield.

Doing this can help you protect both of these critical car components. It will help you make sure that the wiper blades don’t leave a mark on the glass and it will help better protect the rubber on the wiper blades.

Start your car occasionally or use a battery tender.

This is a smart way to ensure that you don’t come back to a dead battery. A battery tender, or “trickle charger,” gives your battery just enough charge to keep it healthy. Electric car batteries are expensive and some simple steps can help you avoid the need to shop for a replacement Once you get your car out of storage, take a close look at the windshield wipers to see if there are any cracks or other signs that you need new ones. Check your tires to make sure that they’re at the proper pressure. Taking a few extra steps can ensure that your electric car stays in top shape, no matter how long you need to keep it at our storage facility.