How to Store for 4-6 months?

[RobPatt]

Going to mid-east for 4-6 months.
Car's in great shape. Not sure how to store.

My wife could drive weekly, but that entails car seat swaps, etc and I'm not thrilled about her driving it....

So, can it just sit in the garage and she can start it up (yes, open the garage door), let it idle up to op temp, rev a little bit, run the gear selector through P-R-N-D a few times and shut it off?

I'm thinking that's fine, 'cept to maybe roll it a bit, tires are Mich Pilots so I don't know if they'd get a flat spot... or if they did would it go away once I started driving again? (think I'd put them up to maybe 50psi while they sit... )

Pls advise, thanks.
Cheers, Rob sends....

[Fetch]

So, can it just sit in the garage and she can start it up (yes, open the garage door), let it idle up to op temp, rev a little bit, run the gear selector through P-R-N-D a few times and shut it off?

PLEASE do not do this to your car!!

[Traian]

http://www.bimmer.info/forum/showthread.php?t=20005

[WillDV]

Going to mid-east for 4-6 months.
Car's in great shape. Not sure how to store.

My wife could drive weekly, but that entails car seat swaps, etc and I'm not thrilled about her driving it....

So, can it just sit in the garage and she can start it up (yes, open the garage door), let it idle up to op temp, rev a little bit, run the gear selector through P-R-N-D a few times and shut it off?

I'm thinking that's fine, 'cept to maybe roll it a bit, tires are Mich Pilots so I don't know if they'd get a flat spot... or if they did would it go away once I started driving again? (think I'd put them up to maybe 50psi while they sit... )

Pls advise, thanks.
Cheers, Rob sends....

check BMWE34.net, they've got a list of instructions to follow

[BillionPa]

get some stabil gas stabilizer, put it in the tank at the appropriate dosage, and run the car for 5 mins to get through the system

put battery on trickle charger to keep it 100%

inflate tires to 40psi (assuming 44 max)

throw a cover over it.

when you get back, do an oil change and coolant flush, good to go.

[genphreak]

Get her to push it (great exercise) a foot or so to move it off the flat spots. Make sure you leave it with a really full tank of gas to stop rust from natural condensation inside the tank (if you have a metal tank (only a few of us have plastic ones)) and also use fuel conditioner (be sure its ultra premium fuel too). When you come back, before starting, dump a litre of oil real fast down into the head to lube the cam/s a bit. Yea, leave the battery trickling on a big (100-200mA) solar cell. Probably some stuff I've missed, like closing the flaps, cleaning the leather and polishing it before you go... and finding a way to make sure the wife will push it instead of forget... about that fancy rubber. :) Nick

[BillionPa]

oh, try to have it filled full with ethanol free gas, as the ethanol tends to corrode the tank and pump.

[RobPatt]

PLEASE do not do this to your car!!

Please don't do what, and why, and what's a better alternative....?

Thanks.

Thanks also to everyone else...great ideas I'm sure I'll wind up w/a combo of all of them...

Maybe I can test drive an Iraqi E34, one that's not already blown to crap... ha ha...

[BillionPa]

revving an E34 with an auto transmission in park or neutral will damage it.

[Fetch]

Please don't do what, and why, and what's a better alternative....?

Please don't do what I quoted in my reply, which would be warming the engine up to operating temp just from idling and/or revving, it will put tons of wear on the engine.
It would be better to not start it for the whole period than to idle it up to temp once a week, at least IMHO...

What everyone else is posting are very good ideas.