My car is now SORNed tucked up in a garage. Seems it needs a new battery with current one losing charge unless than 10 days.

Just wondering how people care for their car over the winter. Do you start and let run every few weeks? Disconnect the battery? Put on trickle charge?

Would be interested to know.

Thanks Andrew

In the past I've just left it on trickle charge but on a timer as I don't like the idea of constantly charging. So it would trickle charge it overnight once a week.

I did find slight mould growth on the interior surfaces even when parked in garage. So probably a good idea to leave a window ajar to get ventilation.

I just disconnect the battery and put the car on axle stands. Never bothered staring the car, but first start of the year I crank it over until full oil pressure is reached.

I will probably still take the car out on nice days; actually even if it gets wet it won't be a problem as once back in the 'garage' it can get dried off. No problem with damp as there's a fairly constant temperature and plenty of air.

I do tend to start it up and let it run for a bit if I don't use it for more than a week, just to keep the battery topped up. If the weather gets too bad than I will disconnect battery and trickle charge once a month.

Weather has been poor and roads filled with filed mud and run off already- so its gone in to early hybernation.

Intelligent trickle charger in place- which has been a god send in terms of fit and forget at winter.

Will run mine once a week, run the a/c. And on nice dry sunny cold days if no surface water- will take it out.

I try and do any small jobs on her over this period. Ready for her full service at Joes in spring next year!

Regards

MM

My Coop is washed,waxed and tucked away in my garage. Just as well, woke up this morning to heavy snow and it hadn’t let up all day. We haven’t had snow in quantity like this for a lot of years up here.

On occasions like this it's good to have a cover, whether material or bricks-and-mortar

What is that strange, goldy thing in the sky...?

Hoping to get her out for a gentle shakedown run this weekend if the rain stays off....

Come on springtime!

MM

At this time of year here, usually a street lamp

lol Edinburgh!,

Shakedown cruise has gone well. Fired right up, and nice easy cruising, shifting up early while cold. Slowly allowing everything to settle, engine, gearbox and brakes all brought up to temp. A stop for fresh fuel in the tank.

And then back to a gentle cruise- opening up the throttle a little bit after 30 mins or so. The only issue-which I thought I had solved was no screen washers. Checked and swapped out the relay and fuse that control it-nothing. No other electrical issues.

Today removed the washer pump (had no option but to let the screen wash glug out)The washer pump when pulled felt very warm and when wired up to another battery -would not spin.

With an MOT due this week - I've bought a replacement pump that seems to match. And its just about it arriving before the MOT.

Hopefully - she will sail through again as usual.

A few things to get resolved on her this year though.

Regards

MM

Just a thought MM, are you certain that the non-return valves are functional?

Normally you'll have to remove the wipers and scuttle panel to access them, split them open carefully and check the gauzes aren't clogged up, it could be that the motor got warm trying to force water through a blockage.

Before splitting the valves just pull off the feed (pump-side) then work the column lever, you'll soon see if the pump has gone.

Hi Edinburgh,

small update -I did check them previously and they were fine last year, when I though I had "resolved" the issue by widdling the wires and getting the squirters back on line. This was until I found them dead again last week just before the mot.

When I could not even get a pip out of the pump when jumping it across the battery- I kind of made my mind up it was the pump.

New pump fitted- and water is squirting freely and it passed the MOT so that's good news.

It wasn't a straight forward pass though - it struggled past the Co2 test in a way she has never struggled before. I put this down to her being still in winter hibernation - with only 2 runs in the last week or 2 under her belt. In the end, and Italian tune up- and the tester going to extreme lengths to give her loads and loads of mot time saw her pass.

The brakes were also touch and go - but this was not so unexpected. She has had poor feeling brakes for a little while. Previous drilled and grooved discs were quite good- but they were binned when they had reached min measurement. The new Brembo discs -which I had high hopes in, have never felt up to the task. I've had several goes at trying to improve the system. So has my local Garage. And also Joe has had a couple of goes. Nothing has helped. Then last year on an early summer trip around the UK the brakes became even worse.

A longer then expected trip to the US, meant I did not get her to Joe in for a minor service that she is due. And if I am honest with myself - I'm actually tired of the braking issue, which has had a lot of time and effort thrown at it- with no improvements.

She is in my local garage tomorrow to see if an hour or so of work can improve things. And then I need to set a date with Jo for an overdue interim service, and to address some other issues. I'd really like to spend some money on a few other areas- not the least a custom fitting of Mr Barnacle's Star Trek 2 to be done...rather then yet more money on a brake system I am at the edge of wanting to bin.

I did get the chance to take her out over the last weekend with the aim of opening her up -getting her nice and warm. A good italian tune up to clear her pipes and some real brake action -I forget just how fast she is sometimes after all the work by Mr Flea. It was fun to be on the road with her again.

Sadly the brakes-remain poor. Roll on an hour of attention tomorrow. For me, tyres and brakes are two areas i won't accept any Italian semantics about. They are all that hold me to the road.

So I need to get them half improved, before she can get to the safety of FCSS HQ!

Regards

MM

Co2 fail is common after winter hibernation, fuel goes bad quite quickly so the Italian tune up and £40 of fresh normally does the trick.

Thanks Joe-once i et the brakes a bit more dependable I'll book her in to yours. A few things on the list already!

My own story has also involved brakes and unfortunately an expensive one.

All discs and pads have needed replacement due to corrosion, stuck sliders and anything the tartan climate has been able to throw at them. I also think the deterioration has been helped by my keeping a cover on most of the winter, especially after assiduously washing the wheels "right-the-way-through" as is possible with the Momo's fitted.

Yes I do dry them off after hosing the shampoo away but I guess the lingering moisture on the discs didn't have enough air circulating around them with the car cover stretching almost over the entire wheel.

Also not improved by one or two periods of 3 or 4 weeks not taking it for a drive (using Mrs Ed's Seat Mii instead) and allowing the mechanics to become seized

I was lucky to have been gifted a new set of Pagid front discs and a set of OE Fiat pads so I only had to pay for the rears (which my chap decided to get more Pagids for). He commented that the rears basically hadn't been working at all

A lesson hard-learned; but it's reassuring to be safe again. I also learned that the Pagids are "coated", not something I had come across previously...I guess this means they might be less liable to corrosion?

I had a weird issue with my coupe's brakes at one time.

For some reason if I disconnected the wires to the ABS warning light at the socket under the dashboard the brakes worked better.
I only discovered this when the MOT was changed so that the ABS warning light had to go through the correct sequence on start up..

On investigation the leads were disconnected when I bought the car, it was only after reconnecting them ready for an MOT test that the problem showed up.

It wasn't subjective, the brake testing meter verified the lesser performance.

No logical reason that I can think of, but a change of all brake pads (similar grade but different make) and the problem went away. I even had a replacement ABS unit ready to plug in but it was not needed.

I've printed the list off and put it somewhere safe......... too safe because I can't find it