Caring for a vehicle that accumulates low annual miles?

[Marrk]

Excellent point! We forgot about fuel.

I am more conservative on this. I believe that gasoline will noticeably degrade within two months. I would skip the stabilizer and try to drive the car at least enough so that you run out the old fuel within 60 days.

"To each his own." Quite right. I am just spouting off here and, furthermore, I am much more fussy about cars and motorcycles than most people are.

Originally Posted by rainman_16

Couldn't agree more but with that said, to each his own.

If you've only driven a handful of miles over the last 18 months, chances are your gas is old and going bad. Running old gas through your engine could foul it. If you insist on storing the car for long periods of time, ensure the tank is always full (to prevent the accumulation of condensation) and make sure you have fuel stabilizer mixed in.

[Green Sub]

The fuel is never more than about 3 months old. I don't fill it up and always use Amoco Silver, which is low sulfur white gas here in the States.

[Marrk]

BTW, keeping the tank full will prevent rust of fuel tank.

Originally Posted by Green Sub

The fuel is never more than about 3 months old. I don't fill it up and always use Amoco Silver, which is low sulfur white gas here in the States.

[mgm]

One thing I look for in an older car is an average use of a thousand miles a year, minimum. The world is now replete with aged garage queens, that when you buy them look great but that within the first two hundred miles disintegrate in many meaningful ways. The advice you've been getting, of using the car and using it well is spot on. Drive it so that even the oil in the differential heats up... you've got to be a good hour in the car to do that. Exhaust system? Stainless will take care of that, but the condensation in all other enclosed areas will not be forgiving.

Change the fluids way more often that you think you should. That includes coolant and brake fluid every couple of years, and engine oil at least yearly... and use synthetic like Mobil 1

Tires? They're going to go bad whether you drive on them or not. Turning white is not such a big issue, which they'll do if you don't drive much, because the carbon in the rubber depends upon heat and pressure to push it toward the surface... but what the carbon is doing is protecting the rubber from UV, so don't let sun shine in on sitting tires. I'm not sure I understand the pressure issues in your new tires, but one of the horrors... and I think why collectable cars were for the most part a twentieth century phenomenon... is that the electronics are going to be hell to replace. They go bad and they go bad soon, and replacing them will be expensive. Best to use your car while it's young!

[Zman86]

Sitting will kill cars, and is a total waste of a car. Cars are built to drive, not sit, regardless of what kind of car it is. Its like buying a '59 Gibson Les Paul or '62 Fender Stratocaster and sticking them in a vault, if you dont play an instrument, eventualy it will become ruined regardless of how it is kept. You are more likely to have more problems 30 years from now if you barely drive than if you put say 5000miles on it a year. Cars can be rebuilt, so just enjoy it.

And as for paint care, I've had every car I've owned painted flat black to avoid caring for shiny paint. The effort and money put into keeping your paint shiny can be much more useful elsewhere. Not that I dont like shiny paint....

[Green Sub]

Originally Posted by redshirt1957

I have a 93 ZR1 that has only been washed once and I have only put 1,000 miles on it in the last five years.

Bubba,

Please share with us how your tires and electronics have held up over the last 15 years.

[redshirt1957]

Originally Posted by Green Sub

Bubba,

Please share with us how your tires and electronics have held up over the last 15 years.

Tires are off the car and kept at 40 psi. When I buy a garage queen I buy another set of original wheels and tires for driving and store the ones that came with the car and put them on for shows. I do keep special cars in a controlled environment, but the '93 is not that lucky. So how do I keep all in working order and the body, engine, drvietrain and such as new as possible? Only one word.....money. Keeping cars original is not for the faint-hearted. It is very expensive and not worth the money from an investment point of view. Now why do I keep certain cars and rarely drive them. It is a hobby for me and I like to tinker.. I do have cars that I drvie hard and they look like hell, but they fill the need for speed.

[East Bay Rider]

ZR-1 is VERY nice. I remember drooling over them in magazines. At the time it was the fastest American production car ever. Saw one once in the flesh. Guy had bought it for his girlfriend. She must have been something REALLY special.

[Tombstone]

Mark
What is your view on Chevron fuels? for me it is Chevron Techron Fuel System Cleaner or nothing. It is that good and the numbers seem to support it as well.

[Marrk]

Ditto. Chevron all the way. I'm the kind of kook who actually called up Chevron and talked to one of the guys in the lab. I asked him about Techron as an additive, how much is too much, blah blah blah. The guy said you don't even need to use their additive because there is enough Techron in the fuel blend. He works for the company and he's telling me _not_ to buy their extra Techron!

Whatever octane rating the mfr. recommends is what I put in it, too. No higher.


BTW, in the '80s, I was using Shell. Also a fine fuel. You could get along with Chevron, Shell or Mobil, but I believe that Chevron is the best. Buy a major brand like these from a station that does a lot of business. Busy station = lots of new fuel coming in each week = fresh fuel for you.

Originally Posted by Tombstone

Mark
What is your view on Chevron fuels? for me it is Chevron Techron Fuel System Cleaner or nothing. It is that good and the numbers seem to support it as well.

[pwrslider]

I have a 1972 Mercedes 350SL ( A German mistake...in that there are no TRUE 350SL's in the US.. The 350SL...the first of the 107 body styles debuted in Germany in late 1971 as a 350 with a 6 cyl. engine... When they decided to import to the US..the height of the muscle car era...they threw a 4.5 liter V8 in ..hence the 450 SL......short story...) But it's still a badged 350 from the factory...

I'm the 2nd owner...came from Tampa Fl....and got it at 105k mile ( almost broke in...)..and now it has 113k on it...and I've had it for 10 yrs. It's my golf cart.....only travels to Pebble Beach and back!

[Art161]

Chevron is the only gasoline I use. A couple of professional auto techs told me that Techron is the real deal, not just a marketing ploy.

Before I go on a trip, I go to the Chevron website so that I know where the stations are located in towns where I will need to be filling up.

The only thing I add to the gasoline is an occasional bottle of Iso-Heet to absorb any water that may be in the tank. Make sure you use something that contains ISOPROPYL alcohol.

[Marrk]

Toyota used to make good cars, especially their little ones. I had my 1994 Tercel until December '07. It was going strong until a lady in an SUV turned left into me at an intersection.

Maybe Toyota still make good cars . . . but I've heard whisperings about a drop in quality since they decided that being bigger than GM was more important.

Originally Posted by Terry Newton

Our Toyota Corolla, that we purchased in 2002 but was a 2003, has 22,000 original miles on it. It is Elizabeth's car and she goes to work and home with it. My Lexus is our traveling vehicle that I bought at Christmas time and it already has 10,000 miles on it. Your car looks nice and should last a long time though some things will have to be replace just because of age and non-use just like if it was used.

Terry Newton

[DSJ]

This is assuming one can buy Chevron in their part of the country/world.

[Art161]

Originally Posted by DSJ

This is assuming one can buy Chevron in their part of the country/world.

Good point. I sometimes forget that while the San Francisco Bay Area is the center of the universe, it is not the entire universe.

Texaco also contains Techron. If you can't find either brand, then I guess the periodic Techron additive is the way to go.

Chevron and Texaco contain Techron in the United States. I don't know whether that is true in other countries, or even if the additive is available worldwide.

[rainman_16]

Originally Posted by Marrk

Whatever octane rating the mfr. recommends is what I put in it, too. No higher.

That's important to note because there are many people that will fill their tanks with "premium" gasoline, not realising that the higher octane in no way means higher quality. If that were the case, diesel would be considered "ultra premium" by virtue of its very high octane rating. Higher octane only means a greater resistance to detonation, important in higher compression engines.

[rpryan55]

Well, Barry, I can't tell you a thing about how to care for a low-mileage car - I drive mine as much as I can as I figure that's what they're made for and that's what I bought them for. So, much as I admire what guys like you do with cars, I could never do that myself.

But the reason I'm posting is because it just hasn't been said enough - that 'stang is one b#tchin' car!

[Green Sub]

Originally Posted by rpryan55

But the reason I'm posting is because it just hasn't been said enough - that 'stang is one b#tchin' car!

Thank you! And thanks to all that have replied. I've gotten far better info from this forum than from the 2 Mustang forums that I have tried.

And I will start putting more miles on her

[Marrk]

I'd like to amend one of my statements above.

On consideration, I think it may have less impact on the clear coat to use a car soap (any one you like, they can be had at an auto shop, like Pep Boys, or on line) and water on really dirty body work, or body work that has insects splattered on it and baked on in the sun. While I would not point a garden hose at the car and go crazy with it, I think a hand wash with a bucket of (car) soapy water, followed by a hand dry with a microfibre or a diaper may, indeed, be easier, quicker and better than my above idea about using only Plexus on the car surfaces.

[East Bay Rider]

FWIW I'm loving the new "Turtle Wax Ice" car polish.

[DSJ]

I find the Mothers California Gold carwash to be very effective and gentle on the finish. an open hose (no spray nozzle) works well, and I'm still a fan of a natural chamois to dry the car.

[East Bay Rider]

This is what the funeral homes use to keep their cars looking great at all times. They swear by them.
Kozak cloth

[scottschoe]

Use an electric leaf blower to dry your car - I hate drying with any type of cloth. CA duster if it's been sitting around in the garage for a while.

[Art161]

I have been using the KozaK cloths, mentioned above, for over forty years. I even visited their factory in Batavia, New York (before KozaK became part of Lexol/Summit Industries). Never a problem. I still use them. But I wonder whether they are the best. Microfiber is considered to be the best fabric now, and I don't think the KozaK cloths are made of microfiber.

There are now dusters that are made of microfiber. Griot's Garage sells one, but I have not tried it. I use the KozaK cloth to dust the car, and the car looks fine. It takes me maybe ten minutes. If I want to spend another thirty minutes, I use a spray detailer and microfiber cloth. My preference is Meguiar's Mirror Glaze Professional Synthetic Spray Detailer 135, and Meguiar's Ultimate Wipe M9910. The new Meguiar's cloth has a stitchless edge. They sold one with a stitched edge at one time with the same product number. No comparison--the new one is light years ahead of the old one.

[Marrk]

As long as we keep in mind that whatever we use, it has to be clean. Reusing even a microfibre after it is dirty will do no more than grind dirt particles into the clear coat.

Can one wash these so-called dusters after each use?

Originally Posted by Art161

I have been using the KozaK cloths, mentioned above, for over forty years. I even visited their factory in Batavia, New York (before KozaK became part of Lexol/Summit Industries). Never a problem. I still use them. But I wonder whether they are the best. Microfiber is considered to be the best fabric now, and I don't think the KozaK cloths are made of microfiber.

There are now dusters that are made of microfiber. Griot's Garage sells one, but I have not tried it. I use the KozaK cloth to dust the car, and the car looks fine. It takes me maybe ten minutes. If I want to spend another thirty minutes, I use a spray detailer and microfiber cloth. My preference is Meguiar's Mirror Glaze Professional Synthetic Spray Detailer 135, and Meguiar's Ultimate Wipe M9910. The new Meguiar's cloth has a stitchless edge. They sold one with a stitched edge at one time with the same product number. No comparison--the new one is light years ahead of the old one.

[Art161]

Originally Posted by Marrk

As long as we keep in mind that whatever we use, it has to be clean. Reusing even a microfibre after it is dirty will do no more than grind dirt particles into the clear coat.

Can one wash these so-called dusters after each use?

The KozaK cloth must be used only on a completely dry car, and washing the cloth would render it useless for its intended purpose. KozaK claims you can use the cloth 50 times before discarding it. I don't count the number of times I use a particular cloth before discarding it, but I think KozaK is being conservative in its statement. They last a long time!

The Griot's Garage catalog information for the microfiber duster that I have not used, says it can be washed, but says to do it when it gets "real dirty."

The dusters, whether KozaK or any other, need to be checked frequently to be sure that there are not any large particles that need to be removed promptly. Other than that, these dusters retain a lot of dust in such a manner that the car is not damaged if the dusters are a bit dirty.

When I switched from terry cloth towels to microfiber towels for removing excess wax from my car, I was amazed. I had been using two or three terry cloth towels, but I used only one microfiber towel. And the microfiber towel looked good enough to do several more cars.

There are plenty of warnings out there not to wash microfiber items with any other type of material. If you wash cotton and microfiber together, the cotton will shed, and the microfiber will pick up the cotton lint.

[Marrk]

That's okey-dokey with me, but why not just use a microfibre once, then throw it in the wash? Or even a cotton diaper?

I have a couple of dozen microfibres and a couple of dozen diapers. When they all get dirty, I wash them (together) at the laundromat. No problems so far (but, you are correct, the microfibres tends to gather a lot of static electricity and, thus, things will cling to them).

Originally Posted by Art161

The KozaK cloth must be used only on a completely dry car, and washing the cloth would render it useless for its intended purpose. KozaK claims you can use the cloth 50 times before discarding it. I don't count the number of times I use a particular cloth before discarding it, but I think KozaK is being conservative in its statement. They last a long time!

The Griot's Garage catalog information for the microfiber duster that I have not used, says it can be washed, but says to do it when it gets "real dirty."

The dusters, whether KozaK or any other, need to be checked frequently to be sure that there are not any large particles that need to be removed promptly. Other than that, these dusters retain a lot of dust in such a manner that the car is not damaged if the dusters are a bit dirty.

When I switched from terry cloth towels to microfiber towels for removing excess wax from my car, I was amazed. I had been using two or three terry cloth towels, but I used only one microfiber towel. And the microfiber towel looked good enough to do several more cars.

There are plenty of warnings out there not to wash microfiber items with any other type of material. If you wash cotton and microfiber together, the cotton will shed, and the microfiber will pick up the cotton lint.

[Art161]

Mark, even though microfiber is soft and absorbent, I don't know whether the cloths are designed to be used as dusters on a dry surface. You could email Meguiar's and ask them. If you pass the info along, then we would both know.

As to cotton diapers, cotton is considered to be OUT for use on painted car surfaces--even terry cloth towels. In addition, cotton diapers often have stitching of polyester.

[Marrk]

Art, apparently you are more up on things than I am.

I don't know what the right answer is. Generally, I do no dry dust my cars. I use Plexus ( http://www.plexusplasticcleaner.com/plexus.html ) and a microfibre. That's as deep into as I want to go. I'm trying to mend my ways and not go "total neurotic" about these things anymore.

Originally Posted by Art161

Mark, even though microfiber is soft and absorbent, I don't know whether the cloths are designed to be used as dusters on a dry surface. You could email Meguiar's and ask them. If you pass the info along, then we would both know.

As to cotton diapers, cotton is considered to be OUT for use on painted car surfaces--even terry cloth towels. In addition, cotton diapers often have stitching of polyester.

[Art161]

Originally Posted by Marrk

I'm trying to mend my ways and not go "total neurotic" about these things anymore.

You mean as compared to me, who buys the spray detailer in the gallon jug?