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alexbeatle
Samba Member
Joined: July 06, 2020
Posts: 231
Location: NorCal
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 Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2025 4:52 pm Post subject: Storing bus for long time |
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Hi folks.
Curious what are the rules of storing the bus for 1+ years without driving?
It’ll be covered with a cover, handbrake off, debating on the “tire ramps” or stoppers to prevent tire flats, disconnect the 12v battery.
Thanks in advance. |
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Glenn 
Mr. 010
Joined: December 25, 2001
Posts: 80424
Location: Sneaking up behind you
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| Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2025 5:00 pm Post subject: Re: Storing bus for long time |
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Drain the fuel tank and run the engine dry.
Change the oil
Remove the rocker arms so that all the valves are closed
Close off the exhaust so rodents don't go inside. A ball of tin foil works.
Hand dryer sheets inside to keep rodents out
_________________
Glenn
74 Beetle Specs | 74 Beetle Restoration | 2180cc Engine
"You may not get what you pay for, but you always pay for what you get"
Member #1009
#BlueSquare
עַם יִשְׂרָאֵל חַי |
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alexbeatle
Samba Member
Joined: July 06, 2020
Posts: 231
Location: NorCal
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| Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2025 5:30 pm Post subject: Re: Storing bus for long time |
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| Glenn wrote: |
Drain the fuel tank and run the engine dry.
Change the oil
Remove the rocker arms so that all the valves are closed
Close off the exhaust so rodents don't go inside. A ball of tin foil works.
Hand dryer sheets inside to keep rodents out |
Oh? Dryer sheets? How does that keep rodents out?
Also any advise on the tires? Inflate to max 65psi or put on the tire ramps? (hankook vatra 195r14c) |
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Glenn
Mr. 010
Joined: December 25, 2001
Posts: 80424
Location: Sneaking up behind you
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| Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2025 5:33 pm Post subject: Re: Storing bus for long time |
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| alexbeatle wrote: |
Oh? Dryer sheets? How does that keep rodents out?
Also any advise on the tires? Inflate to max 65psi or put on the tire ramps? (hankook vatra 195r14c) |
The smell keeps them away.
10-15psi over normal and check them every 6 months.
_________________
Glenn
74 Beetle Specs | 74 Beetle Restoration | 2180cc Engine
"You may not get what you pay for, but you always pay for what you get"
Member #1009
#BlueSquare
עַם יִשְׂרָאֵל חַי |
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alexbeatle
Samba Member
Joined: July 06, 2020
Posts: 231
Location: NorCal
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| Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2025 6:08 pm Post subject: Re: Storing bus for long time |
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| Glenn wrote: |
10-15psi over normal and check them every 6 months. |
Yeah. Don’t have anybody to check on them.. |
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rottenkid
Samba Member
Joined: June 19, 2015
Posts: 240
Location: Warkworth, ontario
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| Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2025 6:25 pm Post subject: Re: Storing bus for long time |
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| I put my bus up on Jack stands for the winter. I leave a trickle charger on the battery. |
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Wildthings
Samba Member
Joined: March 13, 2005
Posts: 52718
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| Posted: Mon Nov 17, 2025 12:20 am Post subject: Re: Storing bus for long time |
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| Take the battery out so that as 1 year becomes 5 years the battery box will not have dissolved into rust. As others mentioned draining the tank is not a bad idea, as ethanol fuel will turn to gum in year's time. Shutting your heaters off will lessen the chance of getting mice into your cab. |
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alexbeatle
Samba Member
Joined: July 06, 2020
Posts: 231
Location: NorCal
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| Posted: Mon Nov 17, 2025 1:02 am Post subject: Re: Storing bus for long time |
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| Thanks. All good advise. I’m most concerned about tires, to be honest. |
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Abscate
Samba Member
Joined: October 05, 2014
Posts: 24419
Location: NYC/Upstate/ROW
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| Posted: Mon Nov 17, 2025 3:21 am Post subject: Re: Storing bus for long time |
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The flat spots will go away after some driving unless you bought cheap crap at Walmart, in which case just throw them away.
I had 3-4 cars sitting during Covid with ethanol fuel with no problems. In dry CA don’t worry about it. Drain carb(s) if applicable
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Bobs67vwagen
Samba Member
Joined: March 27, 2005
Posts: 895
Location: Eastern north carolina
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| Posted: Mon Nov 17, 2025 5:17 am Post subject: Re: Storing bus for long time |
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| For the battery, take it out, Charge it fully and store it inside. For the tires, if you have 4 jack stands, put one at each wheel with the tires just off the ground. All the other suggestions are good advice. |
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lil-jinx
Samba Member
Joined: August 14, 2013
Posts: 1793
Location: New Brunswick,Canada
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| Posted: Mon Nov 17, 2025 6:04 am Post subject: Re: Storing bus for long time |
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maybe block the air vents at the rear,to keep birds and bees out,jack stands is probably the best for the tires,also it’s not a bad idea to protect them from the sun.dont leave it in a area with vegetation under it ,it will promote rust.
_________________
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=620186
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=668799
1974 Bay Westfalia. she likes to be called Ethel.
1968 Dune Buggy sold dec 2024
1974 parts bus
A smart man learns from his mistakes,a very smart man learns from other's mistakes. |
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alexbeatle
Samba Member
Joined: July 06, 2020
Posts: 231
Location: NorCal
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| Posted: Mon Nov 17, 2025 9:16 am Post subject: Re: Storing bus for long time |
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| Bobs67vwagen wrote: |
| For the battery, take it out, Charge it fully and store it inside. For the tires, if you have 4 jack stands, put one at each wheel with the tires just off the ground. All the other suggestions are good advice. |
I have a kill switch on the negative wire. Would shutting it off suffice?
I only have 2jacks.  I bought “tire ramps” with the plan to overinflate the tires to 55psi to keep them from bulging. Never done this before, so curious if it’s merely a gimmick.
https://a.co/d/d9s44ez
| Abscate wrote: |
The flat spots will go away after some driving unless you bought cheap crap at Walmart, in which case just throw them away.
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I have hankook vatra 195r14c |
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airschooled
Air-Schooled
Joined: April 04, 2012
Posts: 13627
Location: West Coast, USA
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| Posted: Mon Nov 17, 2025 9:43 am Post subject: Re: Storing bus for long time |
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The best storage accessory is a friend to drive your car every so often.
_________________
One-on-one tech help for your vintage Volkswagen:
www.airschooled.com
Road trip reports and tech blog:
https://www.patreon.com/airschooled |
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Abscate
Samba Member
Joined: October 05, 2014
Posts: 24419
Location: NYC/Upstate/ROW
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| Posted: Mon Nov 17, 2025 9:57 am Post subject: Re: Storing bus for long time |
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| alexbeatle wrote: |
| Bobs67vwagen wrote: |
| For the battery, take it out, Charge it fully and store it inside. For the tires, if you have 4 jack stands, put one at each wheel with the tires just off the ground. All the other suggestions are good advice. |
I have a kill switch on the negative wire. Would shutting it off suffice?
I only have 2jacks. I bought “tire ramps” with the plan to overinflate the tires to 55psi to keep them from bulging. Never done this before, so curious if it’s merely a gimmick.
https://a.co/d/d9s44ez
| Abscate wrote: |
The flat spots will go away after some driving unless you bought cheap crap at Walmart, in which case just throw them away.
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I have hankook vatra 195r14c |
Batteries self-discharge at a rate of 1% a day or so, so in two months your battery is dead. It needs a trickle charger for a year long furlough.
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jjvincent
Samba Member
Joined: January 11, 2016
Posts: 1484
Location: Bethlehem, PA
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| Posted: Mon Nov 17, 2025 11:35 am Post subject: Re: Storing bus for long time |
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My bus sat in the same spot for 12 years. Only thing done was remove the battery and use wheel chalks to keep it from moving instead of the parking brake. Thus, I put in a battery, put 3 gallons of gas in it. Fired it up. The tires needed some air (yes they were too old) and the fuel lines needed to be changed (they were dry rotted out).|
Yes, the gas left garbage in the tank. Thus, took the fuel filter out a few times to take out the garbage the tank delivered to it. Now, it is clean.
This was sitting for 12 years and most of everything on it was really old to begin with. Yet I have worked on lots of cars that have sat a year and to be honest with you, they all come back to life really easy. If you have a junker to start with, then that's what you deal with no matter what.
No need to go overboard. Removing a battery is usually good because if it decides to leak, it doesn't take other things out with it. |
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Abscate
Samba Member
Joined: October 05, 2014
Posts: 24419
Location: NYC/Upstate/ROW
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| Posted: Mon Nov 17, 2025 12:31 pm Post subject: Re: Storing bus for long time |
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Loosen and lube the lug bolts before laying up. Skills will come and loosen them for you if they get stuck.
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HarryFD
Samba Member
Joined: February 24, 2012
Posts: 836
Location: Portland, OR
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Wildthings
Samba Member
Joined: March 13, 2005
Posts: 52718
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| Posted: Tue Nov 18, 2025 1:48 am Post subject: Re: Storing bus for long time |
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Nothing I have ever owned is anywhere near that tender and needy. I typically fill the tank with ethanol free gas, turn the heat off, set several mouse traps, and remove the negative cable from the battery. On startup I will likely add some Carb/FI cleaner and a bit of upper cylinder wall lube. |
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airschooled
Air-Schooled
Joined: April 04, 2012
Posts: 13627
Location: West Coast, USA
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| Posted: Tue Nov 18, 2025 10:23 am Post subject: Re: Storing bus for long time |
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I can't be bothered to deal with some anxious old white man's list that takes longer to do than the planned storage period.
Some people make so much money they forget to make friends.
Robbie
_________________
One-on-one tech help for your vintage Volkswagen:
www.airschooled.com
Road trip reports and tech blog:
https://www.patreon.com/airschooled |
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Glenn
Mr. 010
Joined: December 25, 2001
Posts: 80424
Location: Sneaking up behind you
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| Posted: Tue Nov 18, 2025 10:54 am Post subject: Re: Storing bus for long time |
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Years ago I was contacted by a woman that was selling her mom's house and there was a rusted Super Beetle in the garage and it had to go. The car was sitting for 20 years and was full of shit. We dragged it out and I took the engine and transmission and my friend took the car and parted it out.
The engine sat in my garage for another 5 years when my 1904cc engine threw a rod and was done.
I pulled the 1904 out and after staring and the empty engine bay I realized that the spare engine would drop right in. Same alternator, same pressure plate so, in it went.
After an oil change and valve adjustment it fired right up and ran great. I didn't even have to change the tune up parts.
I ran that engine for a year until I finished my new 2180.
My point is, don't over think things.
_________________
Glenn
74 Beetle Specs | 74 Beetle Restoration | 2180cc Engine
"You may not get what you pay for, but you always pay for what you get"
Member #1009
#BlueSquare
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