If you’re not a big fan of off-roading in the snow, you may be considering letting your Jeep hibernate for the winter. Before doing so, however, there are a few important things you should do. After all, storing your Jeep properly requires a bit more effort than just parking it in your garage for a few months until spring rolls around. That is, if you want to keep your Jeep in good condition. These tips on storing your Jeep for the winter will help ensure that it looks and operates just as well after you take it out of storage as it did when you put it in.
If chemicals such as salt from the road collect on the surface of your vehicle, they can cause it to rust and corrode over time. Such rust doesn’t just downgrade the appearance of your Jeep—it can also compromise its structural integrity or damage important components. As such, it’s imperative to clean your Jeep thoroughly to remove any corrosion-causing chemicals before you store it. When doing so, make sure to get into all the little nooks and crannies as well as the undercarriage where dirt and grime frequently accumulate.
Another tip on storing your Jeep for the winter is to take measures to protect your tires. Parking your Jeep on concrete for a long period of time isn’t great for its pneumatic tires. In addition to pulling oil out of the body of your tire, the hard concrete could cause your tires to get a flat spot.
To protect your tires, consider laying something down on the floor of your garage that can provide a buffer between your tires and the concrete. A garage floor mat, parking pads, or even some old scraps of carpet should do the trick. Whatever you use, just make sure that it is large enough to support the entire footprint of each tire.
To avoid opening the doors of your Jeep come spring and seeing that your upholstery has been ravaged by pests, it’s important to take some preventative measures. During the winter, hungry rodents will take whatever food they can get.
As such, you should thoroughly clean out the inside of your Jeep to ensure there aren’t any small scraps, old wrappers, or crumbs that may draw them inside. In addition to cleaning your Jeep’s interior, you may also want to consider installing a few catch-and-release traps and checking them regularly to further help prevent potential damage.