Salt on the road heralds the end of the season for Valentina

So, spent most of the weekend cleaning, detailing and polishing madam prior to hibernation. God I love this car :slayer:

Over the course of the bad weather period, I will periodically start her and get the engine and oil nice and hot. She’ll be on a battery charger and moved up and down the drive a bit too under her own power, So bearings, brakes used etc.

What do others do? The best option is of course to drive your 500 but in the salty south east, won’t happen.

Roll on spring 2019!

Rob

I'm the same, good clean polish and wash then under a cover in the garage and then start and warm up one a fortnight or so and if it is very very very dry, drive her around the block for an occasional treat.

Stu.

I have a small winterising procedure:
- Change oil
- Add fuel stabilizer to non-ethanol gasoline
- Let her heat-up and then put in storage
- Top op fuel as much as possible
- Clean and wax, conserve rubbers and chrome polish
- Clean inside, use plastic conditioner for chairs and dash (L)
- Put car on blocks and remove battery for storage and occasional charging at home

- No starting until spring, dry and salt free

And yes, it's a long wait!

When springs comes, do you change the oil again or use it for the year?

Cheers
Rob

Murf doesn't get a proper winter slumber; he just power-naps a bit more than in the summer.
Nowadays I do avoid the salty days but I like to go out occasionally on a very wet day because I figure that helps to rinse out any mud and salt that has collected underneath.
I like to keep the car going as much as possible because with a bit of help Murf can theoretically go on forever. Whilst I'm planning and hoping for the same for my own bodywork, I'm hedging my bets and figure that using the car in the winter months will almost double the amount of driving I get to do in the possibly finite number of years ahead of me.

You are an inspiration to us all Peter. And I'm sure Murf has many many years ahead of him


Like Wouteriolio I too treat the rubbers, chrome and a darn good clean on the old vinyl. Use of a detailing spray and a good wax and job done. I leave the battery in-situ and it sits on a battery conditioner. Although I do disconnect the neg wire so there is no "circuit" so to speak.

Here she is, all tucked up and looking pretty. At least I can nip out into the garage and say hi on occassion whilst waiting for the magical days of spring next year. Sigh!

R

I only change the oil once per year since I figure that it should not have degraded significantly whilst just sitting in the sump during winter. According to the very reliable internet spent oil contains acids that can damage the engine during storage hence the exchange before storing. The fuel stabilizer might be a bit overdone but it became a habit during my tinkering period with small (50cc) Vespa engines. These were very sensitive to carb-gumming and I figure that if it does not help at least it does not hurt.

If you guys really, really want to prepare you car for over-wintering you could always follow the detailed procedures laid down by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, among others.


By the time you've carried out all these actions, the winter will be half over, so you can spend the remaining half, re-commissioning (this takes nearly as long) your car.


Or do as I do, not a lot, and Fix It After T'winter

AL.

Hi F123C,
That Rolls procedure sounds wonderful. I imagine it contains steps like gently washing the sump with lukewarm oil, massaging the tires and weekly changing the inside atmosphere with fresh Swiss Meadow Air

My 69 500L was tucked away with my motorcycles for the winter, until my wife decided it would be a nice Christmas display for a women's clothing store in Avon CT, where she is the buyer. Apparently it's been a grand slam home run for them! From there it will be converted into a Valentine's Day prop, and I guess I just lost my car until spring! By the way, the heat stinks in the cold Northeast - I froze driving it there!

Great looking prop for the store. And, a warm spot for your wee 500. Win win!

I don’t think the Italians had winter driving in mind when they designed the line

The Fiat 500 is no problem in the cold and snowy weather. I used to live in North Kent, a county that seems to get more than its fair share of snow. I found that the combination of thin tyres and engine over the wheels (sort of) gave great traction---I have driven a 500 in snow deep enough for the underside to leave a pattern in the snow. As for the heater---other than for a short time after a really cold start, I have never been cold in a 500. The air coming over the engine, and then into the cabin is normally hot enough that I have to partially shut off the flap in the central tunnel (just behind the seats) after about 10 mins of running. In my current car I normally have the drivers direction vent putting the air onto the windscreen and the passenger side has the air directed into the foot-well. We must remember that parts of Italy are alpine,and therefore has that horrible stuff called snow for a few months of the year---it would not have been wise (or financially sound) to design a car that could only be used in warm, snow-free areas.