There are many tips and suggestions on how you should store your car circulating around the internet. The following are common suggestions that are often misunderstood by many car owners who assume that they should follow every bit of advice they can get before they place their car into storage.

Gasoline will go bad in 30 days

Adding fuel stabilizer to a car that will be in storage for 6 months or less certainly won't hurt, but it is unnecessary. Usually problems caused by fuel that is stored for under 6 months are a result of water contamination from condensation in the fuel tank. Storing you car with a full tank is a good way to prevent condentsation from occuring. For condensation to occur there must be some level of humidity in the air and a full tank leaves no room for air.

Keep your car raised on jack stands

This sounds like a great idea until your garage is on fire and you cannot roll the vehicle out in time to save it from fire damage. Keeping your car raised on jack stands was a way to prevent flat spots on bias-ply tires. Today's radials tires do not develop flat spots when a car is stored for less than a year. If you are concerned with flat spots on original or aftermarket bias-ply tires or racing slicks, there is a product available called flatstoppers designed to equally distribute the weight of a vehicle over a larger area of a tire to keep it from forming a flat spot. Secondly, if you like to occasionally take your car for a spin while it is in storage, you will have to first remove the car from the jack stands, then reposition the car back on the jack stands once your joyride is complete. This is not only inconvenient but is also dangerous.

Self storage facilities provide good car storage

Self storage facilities are always claiming that they offer great quality car storage for a low price. The only truth to this is the part about the low price. Self storage facilities are not a good idea for car owners. Some claim to have climate control, but are they controlling the humidity level where your car is being stored? Are they frequently checking on your car? Would you trust a self storage employee to start and drive your vehicle during storage? Self storage facilities are great for extra furniture, books, or kitchen appliances, but when it comes to storing a car they are not equipped to preserve your vehicle and prevent damage to it.

You need to start your vehicle once a month

Car mechanics are famous for telling their clients that they need to start their car once a month during storage. I do agree that no car should sit for a long period of time without a good run and drive, but if you are storing your car for 6 months or less, starting your car while it is parked is not necessary. If you do decide to start your car, make sure you take it for a short drive. Just starting a car, especially an older car, will only create more condensation in the exhaust system, load the cylinders up with unburned fuel, and, on newer vehicles, potentially load the catalytic converter with unburned fuel, creating a fire hazard