Hi guys, since my insurance is £3000 this year, i am going to be parking my Punto on the side of the drive. This would probably be around a full year. Any basics i should follow? (Disconnect the battery etc) I've heard that you should always fill the tank to the brim.

maybe lift it of the floor so the tyres dont get flat spotted

Disconnecting the battery won't help as the battery needs to be used in order for itselfs to charge.

You could buy a charger and charger when you plan to use it again or just jump start it.

Other things I would say is just the basics:

• Make sure all your lights are turned off
• Make sure you know what is and what is not currently working so when your return to your car you know what to expect (to an extent)

i dont know about filling the tank to the brim. Petrol has a shelf life. at work it only lasts 3 months tops when running it in generator
when not using car for 2 weeks or more i normally place battery inside in the warmth.

leaving a car unused for a year and outside is the worst thing you can do to it; better off selling it and buying another in a year's time; otherwise jack it up and support on blocks/axle stands, start it weekly and run up to temperature, press the brake hard repeatedly, go through all the gears and leave the handbrake off; why on earth is the insurance £3000?

Leave handbrake off and park in gear. But as said, better off selling then buying new.

Worst thing you can do to a car is not use it

Thanks for the ideas guys, most likely will be parked till i can afford to run it. I have no idea why these guys have picked on me this year lol. A 1.2 8V is 3000 of risk to them. I've checked around on quite a few sites, cheapest yet has been 2800 tpft...

Oh and that's not the worst qoute i've had.

you need to look a little harder try chriss knott and adrian flux

tinytim said:

leaving a car unused for a year and outside is the worst thing you can do to it; better off selling it and buying another in a year's time; otherwise jack it up and support on blocks/axle stands, start it weekly and run up to temperature, press the brake hard repeatedly, go through all the gears and leave the handbrake off; why on earth is the insurance £3000?

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Good advice there I've seen people recommending upping the tyre pressure to 50psi or so to avoid flatspots, and obviously rolling it backwards and forwards whenever you start the engine. Oh, and get a few of those de-humidifiers they sell in places like poundland and Wilkinsons (don't know how else to describe them, but they're a box full of crystals which absorb moisture from the air), it'll stop the interior stinking of mould.


Do you have convictions for drink driving or something? An £80k quote for car insurance is ludicrous! 60bhp isn't going to ever really get you in much trouble

Find someone to take it out for a drive every few weeks and it'll be fine, there's no easy way to store a car for a year.

I stored my Uno for about 2 months and it was a write-off by the time I came to move it again for its MOT. Same story with my brother's Clio. Unless you have an emotional attachment to this car, get rid and buy something similar or perhaps better in a year's time. Why is your insurance so ridiculous by the way?

Yeah the qoutes are crazy. I have 1 sp30 that i was fixed penalty in 2008, which makes a difference of £100. Expected that but without it's still 2800. I'll give the companies that you've mentioned a go on monday.