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MG MGF Technical - tips on storage

I am looking for tips on storage as I intend to put the mgf in the garage for 4-6 months (sacrilige i know!). i've heard several odd tales of disasters that could befall the car when it emerges in the spring - advice gratefully accepted
neil wilson

I do the same. No sacrilige if it keeps the dreaded 'self lightening disease' at bay.

I just stick mine in the garage and cover it with a protective cover. I bought one from Halfords 35GBP. V soft and does the job. Only problem I found was a flat battery after 2 months.

ER
T515 MLS (75LE)
Ewan Ramage

You can buy a battery minder for about £35.00, but it does need a power point to plug into, They work very well and keep your battery up to scratch.

Ted
Ted Newman

Disconnect your battery, should get a few more months out of it, though after 6 months the chances are you will need to charge it.
Steven

Hi,

Neil, probably the best protection is provided by a Carcoon, or one of its competitors. If you haven't heard of these (I'd be surprised - Carcoon have been going for some years) they're a large rectangular box made out of flexible plastic film. You drive the car onto the separate 'groundsheet', fit the cover over the top, zip it up and then switch on two small fans. The box inflates in five minutes or so. The constant gentle airflow dries out all of the car, underneath as well as on top, and the inside too if the windows are half-open. It doesn't rub against the car, the car stays as polished and dust-free as it was put in, there's no bird droppings or cat meanderings, there's no musty smell inside, and you can wander into the garage and look at it every day if you like.

There's no prizes for guessing that I have one, and they really work. My F lives in a large wooden building, and sudden temp changes in the winter used to leave it ringing wet with condensation. The Carcoon stops all that. I can put the F away wet through and it will be dried throughout within a day or two. The power transformer also includes a long-term battery charger, and the battery then powers the fans if the mains power fails.

The drawbacks (there have to be some!) are that it costs around £380, you need two or three feet around the sides to get to the zip, and it can be a bother to put on and take off. Using the car more frequently than once a week in winter would start to be a pain unless you're really dedicated: for several months it's ideal.

Regards, Kes.
Kes

Have just come back to my F after (only) 3 months in storage to find the battery v.dead and beyond help.

Finally fitted new battery after various kiss of life charges and jump starts...all's now well on start-up but on cold/damp mornings when the revs. are low the radiator fan kicks-in until the revs pick up.

Help! Have I done something bad to my electrics

Simon

HI 2 VVC

PS Battery minder sounds like a very good idea Neil.
Simon

Completely flattening the battery charge can cause irreversible damage to it and thus necessitating replacement (or so an AA man once told me). Seems rather hit and miss affair though, as one can often get away with flattening the battery... Done it a few times myself- although not with the MG!

Sounds as though you haven't Simon. Time to invest in a new battery. May be an idea to get your local mechanic just to quickly confirm the diagnosis for though...

Rob
Rob Bell

Kes, Carcoons can be so much easier to live with if they are strung from the roof of the garage like a curtain. This makes more regular use of the car less of a pain. A pal round the corner with an Escort Cosworth does just this.

I would also like to emphasise the advantages of the Carcoon as pointed out.

On really long term storage there is some advantage of removing the weight from the tyres.

Rog

Roger Parker

Hi,

Roger, That's exactly what I do! It's still a fiddle lifting and tying it up so I was toying with the idea of fitting cords and pulleys so I could majestically raise the lot up into the air, but as usual I haven't quite found the time to do it. I use the Carcoon from about Oct to May, by the way, and try to use the car weekly during that time, depending on the weather. Whatever the effort and cost the Carcoon's the best storage device by miles!

Regards, Kes.
Kes

thanks for your comments so far. the carcoon sounds a little excssive as i have a sturdy garage.
Battery problems seem common to many, perhaps just charging it up once a month should suffice ?

In addition i wondered if leaving it in the same posistion for several months put any undue stress on the car - one person told me it was an idea to slightly deflate the tyres for its time in storage.
thanks
neil wilson

This thread was discussed between 08/09/2000 and 12/09/2000

MG MGF Technical index

This thread is from the archive. The Live MG MGF Technical BBS is active now.