Laying up for the Winter
So its November. Time to lay up the MG for winter. The garage is clear, dehumidifier serviced, you roll in your beloved MG, jack it up and put axle stands under each corner with the weight taken off the wheels so as not to flat spot the tyres. You remove the front wheels and ease back the disc pads so that, should by some mischance the dehumidifier packs in and you get condensation on the disc pads causing spot rust on the disc, the first sign of which will be the thumpety, thump as you apply the brakes for the first couple of times until it wears off. You have slackened off the rear brake adjusters so as not to get similar problem at the rear and finally you have drained off the fuel tank and carb’s so that when that nasty unleaded fuel goes off, it won’t leave a coating on everything and cause poor running and check valve sticking, Then you will go out to your garage every two weeks and turn the engine over, take out the plugs and squirt a drop of oil down the bores. Mmm! I don’t think you do, do you?
But, if you did intend not to use your car at all during winter, those are some of the things you should do.
Now to reality, and these are only my suggestions;
You have paid for a years road risk insurance so make the best of it.
The car is taxed, as in the majority of cases it’s free and even if it isn’t its only another £90-00.
Use it!
There are many bright fresh Sundays during the winter months and plenty of back roads with no salt so get it out and have a thrash.
Here are a few tips for winter motoring;
Remember what I said about unleaded fuel? It does go off quickly so keep your tank low and top up with some fresh regularly.
Run your tyres a couple of pounds lower than normal; this will help them warm up quicker and displace any flat spots faster.
Run the car for at least 20 to 30 miles, this will dry out most of the condensation in the exhaust system and fully warm the engine through and bring your batteries back to full charge. What better excuse could you wish for?
ENJOY!
Happy MG motoring until next time.
Steve Hall