Hi all,

I've been offered (and accepted today) a seven month contract to work in Singapore. (I'm a dentist for my sins!)

Anyway, question is can I leave my FL2 in the garage for the 7 months I'm away and expect it to start upon my return in approx' May '11 or would you recommend that I disconnect the battery or somthing else etc ?

Car won't be driven or started whilst I'm away as wife and two bin lids will be accompanying me and car will be at the very back of the garage blocked in by several large storage boxes containing our personal effects whilst our house is rented (under duress!) to my sister-in law!

Many thanks guys

Mike.

G'day Mike77, I left my F2 for 6 weeks, followed Land Rover instructions by locking the car with the remote and, as Land Rover said it would, after 3 weeks the car shut itself down completely and needed to be opened with the metal emergency key. Putting the plastic remote into the key slot brought all back to life again with no problems. This would indicate that you don't need to disconnect the battery, but someone on here may well know more about this. One thing you might consider, if it's possible for you, is putting the car on blocks to prevent the tyres developing 'flats' through standing for such a period. Apart from putting a dust sheet over it, I think that would do it. Cars spend 6 weeks shipping time to here and can spend some months in dealers/shippers compounds so oils etc. would, I guess, be OK. One further point is that, if it's a petrol model (I don't know about diesel) the fuel will lose a fair amount of volatility during that time, which could lead to starting problems when you get back. Can you claim a rebate on road tax and insurance, keeping just fire and theft cover?
Incidentally, I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy Singapore despite the humidity.
Good luck anyway.

Hi Mike. Not too sure about the battery issue, I left mine for 3 months in an outside airport carpark and it started first time - but later I learned that it had logged a low battery fault in the fault diagnostic system. Another issue is that of tyres. 7 months standing is likely to cause some distortion which could be noticeable when driving upon your return. The answer would be to acquire 4 axle stands to raise the vehicle - or sturdy blocks of wood to place under chassis/suspension hard points. If the garage is going to be accessible to people whilst you are away, you would need to ensure that the vehicle is absolutely stable. On the other hand, if your current tyres are getting towards the end of their useful life you might consider taking the risk and replacing them if it transpires to become a problem.

Regards
Dave

Maybe a trickle charger will help, and regarding the tyres I have seen plastic wedges that you park on these are supposed to prevent flat spots Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

inflate tyres higher than normal, dont bother with charger for battery they arnt good for the battery. either it will start on your return or it will need a quick charge up. no big issue At work
At home

"I can't always believe facts I read on the web" - Charles Dickens

winner by default of the tractor vs caravan race

Mike77 wrote:

Hi all,

I've been offered (and accepted today) a seven month contract to work in Singapore. (I'm a dentist for my sins!)

Drop it off at mine and we will look after it Won't even make a charge for the service

I realise you don't know me from 'Adam' but the offer is there - no worrries then about flat batteries, tyres etc. If you can leave a fuel card in the little slot in the glovebox then that would be great

Hope to hear from you soon

An optimiser style trickle charger (they 'optimise' the battery not just constantly charge which is bad for them) is best for prolonged storage. Our motorbikes have been put away for the winter now and won't be touched til probably April and in the past the optimiser hasn't done any damage.

Tyres as mentioned are the other point...When i was working at BMW some of those cars had been stood for months brand new and the tyres were fine, probably because they all had higher pressure in them than recommended. ust don't forget and drive off with them pumped right up!

Other than that it'll be fine when you get back  Mine: 2012 Golf GTI Edition 35
Family's: 2009 Freelander 2 HSE TD4 Auto, Stornoway

Yorkshire - God's County

Battery should be disconnected but might well be alright. From an insurance perspective it might be better to disconnect it.

The tyres should be inflated to around 56psi which is as I understand it the shipping presure. A proper way to store would also be to lift the car off the ground so the hard points are supported and additional jacks placed under the lower suspension arms so that suspension system is not under full rebound for such a long long time.This gets over tyre flat spotting and suspension bush degredation over time.

Over the years my family have laid up a few cars for months on end, problems have never been worse than a flat battery and slightly stuck handbrake.

I used to lay an MG TF up all winter and it started fine after a few months. I never did anything with the tyres and they didn't flat spot. Never had any problems working in a dealership either where new cars were left parked in a muddy field for up to 6 months before being sold.

I'm no expert, but based on my experience of laying up cars my advice would be to leave it with the handbrake off, consider over-inflating the tyres a little, lock it and forget about it until you need it again. The worse that you should experience is a flat battery but from what some have said the Freel goes into total shutdown after 3 weeks so even this may not be a problem.

No need to disconnect the battery, I can't possibly imagine any insurance implications from leaving the battery connected, nobody could be expected to disconnect the battery when they leave the car and if anything it's more likely to cause a problem if it IS disconnected as your alarm won't be working... Blue

It would also be sensible to fill the fuel tank before you leave it. Not a huge issue, but would minimise the build up of condesation if the tank is only partially filled. Nobody wants water in their high pressure common rail fuel system! Fuel filter should remove any water if it does build up, but why take the chance?

SIMPLE SOLUTION - let your sister-in-law use it!!!!!!!




.....and claim off her insurance when she has wrote if off in tesco's carpark!

Turn off the AC and then run the heater on max heat for 15min or so before you put the car in to the garage so that water wont be in the AC to make the whole car smells mouldy when you return.
Remove any rubber carparts if any (to prevent any moisture building under the carpets).
Use single lock rather then double lock or you may not be able to use the emergency key to unlock it.

Enjoy sun and streets free from gum and leftover food. Freelander 2 TD4 HSE Auto
Zermatt Silver
Side Steps & Mud flaps

having done the Singapore thing on and off for 7 years, buy a battery saver device from halfrauds and connect it. forget about tyres etc.
enjoy Sunday brunch in the Fullerton, or Equinox or Meritus Mandarin.
Seafood on East coast park (head for the "NO Sign Board" seafood resturant) (although the best one is in Geylang)
If you are taking the wife stay clear of Orchard road, it's full of very nice shops as is the whole of Singapore.
For an interesting boys night out, head for Orchard Towers but beware of the trannies.
If you want to go shooting head for the Singapore Gun Club at Old Choo Cho Kang Rd.
If you play golf do not forget to take your clubs some very good courses both in Singapore, KL, Bintan and Batam.
Visit the Night Safari at least once.
I could go on for ages.

but best of all enjoy , oh how I wish I was back there
M.

Hi all,

Thanks so much for all your advice and comments, really appreciated it, the FL2 is now safely tucked away in the garage!!

We fly out tonight at 10pm...........

Thanks again

Mike.