Date:         Wed, 1 Dec 2004 16:46:00 +0100
Reply-To:     Calle <vw.vanagon@TELIA.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Calle <vw.vanagon@TELIA.COM>
Subject:      Re: Humidity and storage
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
              reply-type=original

I havenīt followed this thread all that good but if I remember correctly the
original question was where to store the Vanagon over a short period ( the
winter ? ) cold indoors or outdoors and what to deal with
Itīs a good idea to clean and wax, fill it up with gas, check coolant level
and battery level ( and make sure the battery is fully loaded ) .
If itīs going to be parked in a public space I would put some hidden switch
in to protect it from being stolen, might be enough to disconnect battery
ground or some cable to the distributor since thievs often donīt have the
time to start looking for reasons why the car theyīre going to steal donīt
start !
I would also put some mousetraps in and maybe some dehydrating gadget, at
least here in Sweden there is a little "ball in a cup" available that
campers and people with boats often use thatīs really effective !
This because the biggest and worst danger in parking a car or bus in damp
conditions is mould which will show itself on seatbelts and upholstery after
a while and getting rid of that with the smell that follows is much worse
than fixing a little surface rust !
Another way to prevent that is to have good ventilation ( if under a roof )
and running the engine every now and then until the heatīs good enough to
dry the Vanagon out .
The indoor alternative is better than outdoor if the later is on a lawn
since there is acid comming up from the grass but other than that I think
that a tarp on top of some boards on a roof rack is just as good as an
unheated garage - it works for me anyway

Calle