ppashley

So, I am moving overseas for 2 years+. Moving to Hong Kong (I'm in London today).

The 993 is a keeper, so the intention is to store the car in a garage, which I know will be warm/secure/dry (Garage is at family place in Portugal, I don't have a garage locally I can use).

My concern is that the car is going to sit for a long period. Since I won't be registering the car in Portugal ($$$$$$), it won't get road exercise runs.

My dilemma is that the car will therefore sit.

I've read all the advice - and it says drive, don't just start the car.

Can i not just get the oil up to warm temperature to get the moisture out or can I not achieve this. Is it possible to do this w/o taking it for a spin?

Appreciate if Steve or someone technical can chime in here, or give advice.

I am thinking I'll just get the local garage to flat bed it for an oil change every year.



Whats the worst case I am going to face in repair bills engine-wise?

Appreciate the input. (Taking it with my would require significant import taxes... so not worthwhile).

Phil

johnsjmc

I,ve seen cars sit for years and survive just fine.. I would change the oil and run the gas tank almost empty. Flush your brake fluid if it hasn,t been done within the last year.(this reduces the chance of sticking brake calipers during storage) Some will recomend a full tank with stabilizer but stabil is only good for 6-9 months.Add a healthy dose of fuel stabilizer to the remaining fuel and run for a couple minutes to get it into the injectors and pump.Disconnect the battery and expect to buy a new one if it sits a couple years. (remove it if the car will be subject to freezing temps. A discharged battery can freeze and burst.Pump up the tires to about 45 psi to prevent flat spots,perhaps better to sit it on blocks to allow the tires and suspension to hang. Wash the car and cover it with a breathable cover. Leave the windows rolled up to reduce the chance of mice etc from getting in. I had an interior ruined by a racoon once when I forgot to roll up the window in a car stored for only a few weeks in a barn.Upon return put in some fresh gas and a charged battery and starting should be easy . Drive carefully to a gas station and fill with fresh fuel. During the drive take note of anything safety related which might have changed. Things like stuck brakes and stiff clutch pedals come to mind but probably won,t happen.

No HTwo O

I'd sell it, and rebuy a 993 in 2 years.

Is this a "corporate move"? If it is, negotiate the storage fees, or ship it to your temp location, and have the company pay.

If you store it, the suspension should not be stored unsprung (on blocks). FYI. Also, buy several pounds of desiccator for the cabin, to protect against free moisture (odors, mold, mildew, leather, wood, electronics.....just to name a few concerns).

ppashley

Yes, it's a corporate move but there is no scope for them paying for storage. I wish.

My greater concern, is really if I can have the car sit for an extended period will this cause some engine out bills etc.

I've had the car 6 years, since 27k miles (42k now), and its in fabulous condition. So prefer not to sell it.

I've heard 911s - in particular - do not do well when left.

Am I better just not running it, rather than turning it over every 6 months.

I expect I will get back to the car annually, and I expect I can take the car out to get everything hot.

bb993tt

As you remember Phil, this is how I ended up taking my TT to London. My (very good) mechanic's advice was to either sell it or ship it, but not to store it.

ppashley

Hi Brian. Yes I remember. Hope alls well.

Shipping it to HK (or the importation duty) will be excessive, and I really want to keep it ...

No HTwo O

Why not? Did you ask? This is pretty common stuff. "You get NOT what you deserve, only what you negotiate". Go back to the table.

ShdwFx

I had to do the same thing a few years back where the car sat for 3 years while I was living in Ireland and Singapore. The car was garaged in California so I didn't have to worry about freezing temps, and the person who watched it for me started it up for 20 minutes or so every few weeks without driving it. I know that's not optimal, but figure getting it up to operating temps and then revving the engine a bit was better than just sitting there. Three years later I come back, change the oil/filters and brake fluid, and it's been problem free for the past 2 yrs. Things I did before leaving the country (some of which has already been mentioned):

- changed oil and both oil filters
- changed the brake fluid
- put it on a battery maintainer (the type that won't overcharge - my battery is still going after ~8 yrs, although I'll probably replace it soon)
- added in stabil to the gas tank approx once per year
- overinflated the tires to 45-50 psi
- keep the A/C on so that when the car is started, the seals are lubricated and don't dry out
- put some mouse traps around the garage just in case (I didn't catch anything, but I've of some folks who've had rodent problems during long-term storage)

Hope that helps and good luck. Driving the car is always something you'll look forward to doing when you return home and it really helps you appreciate the car!

bb993tt

Tough choice. At least I didn't have any import duty to worry about. I was just precluded from selling the car anywhere in the EU for either 18 or 24 months, otherwise the duty would have come due.

Canyon56

It's obviously ideal to have it stored in an ideal manner, i.e, somebody maybe driving it once a week and in a perfect environment, etc., etc..

But if you can't do it that way, then just think of all the cars that were "barn finds" and were still in great condition. With a few small fixes (fluid changes, etc.) they survived perfectly.

For some comfort, watch some of the Chasing Classic Cars episodes. He's had cars that weren't used for decades and had them running in top condition with only minor adjustments.

I wouldn't worry too much. Just do the best you can under your parameters. The car will be fine.

ppashley

efong - thats good to hear that someone has actual experience of this for a fews years and the car is none-the-worse for it.

Canyon56 - Agreed. Must be plenty of 356s out there that have sat idle for years.

EckFe1

For what it's worth, I stored my 73 super beetle convertible for almost 16 years in a regular single car garage. Had it on jack stands so the tires wouldn't go flat, filled up the gas tank all the way and disconnected the ground off the battery. No stabil or anything else in maintenance was done. I would come back on vacation every once in a while and drive the car maybe for a week and put it back up on the stands.
I didn't drive it every year. Sometimes there were 2 or so years in between. The battery that was in there lasted for 10 years w/o maintenance, just reconnect ground to the battery and the car would crank and fire. Eventually, the brake caliper pistons rusted. I had to change out the master and slave brake cylinders. Never had an engine or gearbox problem. The seals around the cylinder head covers would leak after some years w/o action. I wiped off excess oil and it stopped leaking after I drove the car for a couple of hours. The old seals expanded again and all was good.
What I want to say is that the 2 little years you put the car in storage won't have any impact whatsoever. Just buy some 3" styro foam to park the tires on, disconnect the battery and come back 2 years later.
It'll be just fine. You have a plastic tank so it doesn't matter if it's full or half empty. I made sure I had the engine up to full operating temp. before I would park the car for a year or longer so no moisture is in the exhaust or crank case.
Don't worry and have fun on your trip.
Ed

ppashley

Thanks for the feedback Ed.

johnsjmc

I have a home inCanada and a home in Florida. I store my 993 in Canada during the winter and a Jeep Cherokee and a boat in Fl.during an 8 month summer absence each year. I have not made any effort to run them when I am not there and they are surviving just fine. I would keep the tank full and use stabil if leaving it up to a year. The directions say 6-8 months.I would drain it down if leaving it stored for years as the fuel will eventually go stale and an engine can be ruined by attempting to run it on very stale fuel. If it will even burn and allow starting the octane drops and resulting detonation can hole a piston , this is common in 2 strokes after prolonged storage.. The battery can be left installed but I would disconnect it and remove if subject to freezing as I said before. If you are able to return to the car annualy (perhaps Christmas) then by all means drive it then after you add some fresh gas and more stabil when you leave it again.That short yearly drive will lube the AC seals and the trans and engine will get some oil circulation. I am not convinced there is any benefit from running it a few minutes every few weeks except to accelerate cylinder wear. More/most wear occurs during warm up.than many miles of normal use. All running every few weeks will do is keep the battery charged.

Flying Finn

Are you sure about the import duty etc.?

Usually you can have a car for a certain period before you need to register it and pay import duties etc.
I'm no sure about Portugal but for example in Finland is 18 months.

If that doesn't work out and you need to garage it in Portugal, surely you can drive it for 15 mins in back roads every now and then. Just be a tourist, you know you can drive to Portugal from London and drive around legally as a tourist so as long as you don't tell Portugese police that your car is "living" there, you'll be fine with drivin it when you visit.