Winter storage and lay-up

An E-Type stored badly for five months emerges with flat-spotted or aged tyres, a dead battery, stale fuel and fresh corrosion in the brake hydraulics. The same car stored well needs an hour's recommissioning and nothing more. The difference is a short list of jobs done before the cover goes on.

The four things that matter

• Fuel. Fill the tank to reduce the air space where condensation forms, and either drain the carburettor float chambers or run the engine periodically to use the fuel while it is fresh. Modern ethanol-blended fuel stored for months is harder on a system than fuel being used weekly.
• Moisture. Store the car dry, and keep it dry: a breathable cover, ventilation and a garage that does not sweat. Moisture, not cold, is what corrodes brake cylinders, brightwork and the insides of sills.
• Tyres. Keep them at pressure and either move the car occasionally or take the weight off them. Modern radials tolerate storage better than crossplies, but months on one contact patch helps neither.
• The battery. Remove it or connect an intelligent maintenance charger. A battery left to self-discharge through winter will be sulphated and diminished by spring.

What not to do

Starting the engine for a few minutes every fortnight and switching it off cold does more harm than good: it fills the exhaust and oil with condensation and never reaches the temperature that would boil it off again. Either run the car properly, up to full temperature, or leave it alone.

The rest of the list

Clean the car before covering it, since dirt holds moisture against paint. Leave the handbrake off with the wheels chocked so the rear mechanism cannot stick. Note anything the car was telling you in the autumn, because spring recommissioning is the cheapest time to deal with it.