UK owners What are your plans for the winter for your z3?

Dreamofz

Dreamofz

Regular Member
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Jul 7, 2026
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Winter is coming, what preparation do you do to get your car ready?

For those of you who don’t do anything you do not need to reply. Only interested in what people do rather than don’t do.


Under seal
Winter screen wash
Winter wheels and tyres etc
Or just tuck it away in a cozy garage
 
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SORNed at the end of September, then kept under an indoor cover in the (heated) garage with the roof up until Spring. I put a big bag of silica gel (which can be dried in the microwave) inside the car. Weekly connection to a trickle charger from a trailing lead under the car. Monthly start and warmed up to full oil temp. I leave the handbrake off and don't lock the car. Every few weeks I rotate the wheels so they are not sitting on the same patch all winter. My car sits on four pieces of carpet under each wheel aswell.

Yes, I am quite anal!
 
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e89 - Fresh coat of Lanoguard and keep using it.
 
I use mine all year around. Regular washing and normal maintenance only. Its just as much fun in the winter and the car was designed to be so used. Really don't understand the "garage queen" mentality: life's too short for that. :)
 
Gatsoburner said:
How much do you buy, does a ' kit ' suffice i assume. I'm thinking I'll need portable ramps and be climbing underneath which should be easy enough?
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For me, the 2l container did my Z3 and my kid’s Mini. There’s enough left for another application.
Getting underneath is best to ensure you’ve covered all but I also found taking a wheel off does a corner well enough.
 
Problem with road water and salt is that it gets right into all the crooks and nannies where whatever protection spray-on stuff you decided to spray on just doesn't reach. Behind plastic wheel arch covers and between the inner and outer sills etc.

If you SORN your car and lock it away in the garage in the middle of the summer heatwave when it's bone dry then it'll sit happily till next year. But nobody does that. People want to get every last nice day so tend to drive into the autumn and get moisture in those places and then they park it in the cool garage where it never dries out. Moisture sits there in the dark burrowing away. Some' garaged' cars are actually worse than cars that are used all year round. No science behind it. Just a theory. But I wonder if using the car in all weathers keeps the moisture flowing. Salt gets into the nooks when it freezes and then washed out of the crannies when it rains and the breeze helps keep things flowing so things just don't sit festering.🤷‍♂️ er.. maybe.
 
Use mine all year, we do get some bright, sunny but cold days in winter. Great for a Zed trip out.
 
Duncodin said:
Problem with road water and salt is that it gets right into all the crooks and nannies where whatever protection spray-on stuff you decided to spray on just doesn't reach. Behind plastic wheel arch covers and between the inner and outer sills etc.

If you SORN your car and lock it away in the garage in the middle of the summer heatwave when it's bone dry then it'll sit happily till next year. But nobody does that. People want to get every last nice day so tend to drive into the autumn and get moisture in those places and then they park it in the cool garage where it never dries out. Moisture sits there in the dark burrowing away. Some' garaged' cars are actually worse than cars that are used all year round. No science behind it. Just a theory. But I wonder if using the car in all weathers keeps the moisture flowing. Salt gets into the nooks when it freezes and then washed out of the crannies when it rains and the breeze helps keep things flowing so things just don't sit festering.🤷‍♂️ er.. maybe.
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I like your thinking :thumbsup:
 
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