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onevone

New member
Joined
Jul 21, 2011
Messages
102
Location
Bingley,West Yorkshire
Hi all i have just had my arches replaced and what a spot on job it was costing me £450 quid all in which i thought was very reasonable. my next job is to have a full re-spray and aquire leather interior but of course this takes time to save my pennies so in the meantime my puma is sitting in the garage doing nothing, would it be wise to dis-connect the battery and or anything else i should be careful of. Any input would be grateful thanks.If i knew how to show photos on the site i would be able to share pics but dont know how to do it lol.
 
Possibly even put it up on stands so that the tyres dont get miss shapen sat in the same position

http://www.projectpuma.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=5496" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

for uploading photos^
 
I would run the car every so often and allow it to warm up if it's going to be standing for a long period of time to make sure the oil keeps a nice film on all the internals, also put it on axle stands like quest says but put the stands under the jacking points on the sills to take the pressure off all the bushes.

Operate the clutch to stop it from sticking and when you run it, while its up on stands, select first to circulate the oil in the gearbox but don't rev it, just let the engine tick over or you may get exploding tyre syndrome, which isn't good
 
If your disconnecting the battery (to save it going flat), make sure the car is unlocked (if you garage is secure) and that you have the code for the radio. Nothing more infuriating then finding out you don't have the code! There are threads on here which I think you can find out the code for your radio, if you don't have it or lose it! If you don't want to disconnect and reconnect your battery all the time and have power going to your garage, you can buy an Optimate trickle charger (approx £40 -£50) which you leave connected to your battery. It continually checks the condition of your battery and keeps it topped up!

Personally, unless your Puma is going to be off the road for years, I wouldn't bother putting it up on axle stands. It's not worth the hassle and not of any real benefit for short time storage. When you take your car out of storage, check the tyre pressures as your tyres will lose pressure with standing. Starting your car periodically is a good idea. Let it run up to normal working temperature and dip the clutch a few times to prevent it from sticking. Depending on where your garage is and what the weather is like on the days you do this, I would drive it out the garage and let it tick over outside. This way, you allow your oil to circulate the gearbox (as you've driven it out the garage) and won't have a garage full of fumes! As long as your garage is level, leave the handbrake off to prevent your rear brakes sticking on. If its not, this is the wheel chocking idea, already mentioned.

As you've just had your rear arches done, I would remove the rear arch liners and give your rear arches a good underseal to try and prevent rust attacking your new metal! If your Puma is going to be stored through our next winter, I would either check the strength of the anti freeze or make sure you've got enough antifreeze in!

Most of the things I've mentioned above is what I used to do for every winter storage for my Lotus Elise. I used to give it a dam good wash and polish as well prior to storing it away for the winter - but that was mainly for my benefit when I looked at in the garage! Much more satisfying looking at a gleaming car than a dirty one!

Hope this helps!
 
My RX8 is off the road for fairly long periods so I have it permanently connected to a trickle charger which means all I have to do is inclip it from a simple connector and off I go whenever I get the urge to take it out.....like now which I will hopefully be doing once I check the weather report :lol:
 
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