Preparation for the wintertime with your MX-5
Every year we receive numerous questions about how to properly prepare
an MX-5 for winter storage in the garage at home or whether the MX-5
can also be used in winter without causing major damage to the car. In
today's MotorBlog we go into what you have to pay attention to if you want to
use the MX-5 in winter and what is important when storing it during
the cold season.
Using your MX-5 in winter time:
Basically, the use over winter is not recommended. The salt
used to avoid icy roads promotes the already rust-prone MX-5 to rust in all
cavities and sheet metal parts. As a result, areas that are naturally prone to
rust, such as side members, sills and wheel arches, are only further motivated
to rust from the attacking salt. So if you value a nice body for your MX-5, you
should leave it in the garage when it is snowing, as repairs to the
body work can quickly become expensive.
What is good for the MX-5 anyway and keeps the rust problem under control is
a cavity seal. When using it in winter (even if it is only in an
emergency because the other car is in the workshop) it is essential to seal the
car in order to keep the road salt away from the sheet metal parts in the
cavities. But even if you do not use your MX-5 in winter, you should (have) a
complete cavity sealing of your car every 3-4 years so that
the rust does not stand a chance.
How do I prepare my MX-5 for the winter storage?
We'll start by giving the car a complete wash to remove
any stuck dirt from the car. The car can also be polished and the softtop
treated with softtop care. It is extremely important to drive the
car one last time afterwards. The reason for this is that on the one
hand the water from washing is blown out of the cavities by
the airflow, on the other hand the freshly washed brake discs are heated so
that even the last drop of water evaporates from the brake disc so
that rust cannot form here. On the last trip, you can stop by the gas
station and fill up the car again so that no rust can form in the
tank, which could clog the fuel filter in the new season.
After the last drive for the season, you ideally put the car on
stationary tires to avoid flat tires on the tires that are actually
used.
When parking in the garage, only
shift into gear and do not apply the handbrake. The applied handbrake can
easily rust over the long parking time, which in the worst case can no longer
be released at the beginning of the next season and the brake on the rear axle
has to be replaced. Before leaving the car, it is advisable to open
the windows about 10cm so that air can still circulate through the
car. This effectively helps against mold formation in the interior.
Then the battery of the MX-5 is disconnected and completely
removed in order to connect it to a battery maintenance device.
With the MX-5 NC and ND it should be noted that the car goes into a
self-learning cycle at the start of the new season. As a result, the
idle can be increased a little at first and the throttle response can be
delayed a little. After about 200km, however, the control unit should have
automatically moved all parameters back to where they actually belong. There is
absolutely no need to worry about the data on the ECU (regardless
of whether they are OEM or standalone), they are retained on the ECU even
without battery voltage.
Finally, a fabric hood can be pulled over the car to protect
the car from dust and possible solar radiation through windows in the
garage. Plastic hoods are not recommended because the plastic
cannot circulate air and the car can get mold or mildew in the interior.
Do you want to winter
store your MX-5 soon and still have questions about the process? Please write a
comment under this post or send us an email, we will be happy to answer your
questions!
Your SPS Motorsport Team
