Storing Your Aceca Over Winter

Why the Aceca especially wants dry storage

Two features of the Aceca's construction make where you store it matter more than for an ordinary steel car:

• The ash frame. The body is built on a frame of ash wood. Wood absorbs moisture, and a car left in a damp garage for months can see its frame take up damp, swell and move, which loosens joints and, over time, shows up as doors that no longer shut cleanly. Damp is not just a rust problem on this car; it is a structural one.
• The alloy body. Aluminium panels do not rust like steel, but left damp against the car's steel structure they can corrode at the joints.

The single most valuable thing you can do for an Aceca over winter is keep it dry and ventilated, a dry garage, ideally with a dehumidifier or plenty of moisture-absorbing bags, is worth more than any other precaution.

The salt question, lay up, or pick your days

Winter road salt attacks alloy, chrome and the underside. The safest course is to lay the car up for the salted months. If you cannot bear to, only venture out on genuinely dry, salt-free days when the gritters have stayed home, and wash the car, underside included, thoroughly afterwards. A single damp, salty run can undo a winter's care.

Putting it away, the checklist

Do this over an afternoon before the first frosts:

• Clean and dry it thoroughly first. Storing a dirty or damp car traps moisture under the cover. Wash, dry, and wax the paint and chrome.
• Change the oil and filter. Old oil holds combustion acids that corrode internals over months of standing, fresh oil is one of the most important storage jobs. Run the engine afterwards to circulate it.
• Sort the fuel. Modern petrol with ethanol (E10, and even E5) absorbs moisture and degrades over a few months, gumming carburettors, a particular worry for the Aceca's triple carburettors. Either fill the tank and add a storage/anti-ethanol stabiliser (running the engine so it reaches the carbs), or store with ethanol-free fuel; some owners drain the float chambers.
• Check the coolant/antifreeze is strong enough for the coldest nights, a weak mix risks frost damage. A hydrometer tells you the freezing point.
• Battery on a conditioner. Disconnect it, or better, put it on a trickle charger/conditioner so it does not discharge, sulphate or freeze.
• Handbrake OFF, chocks on. Left on, the handbrake can seize and fuse the shoes; leave it in gear with wheel chocks instead.
• Tyres. Inflate to the maximum recommended pressure to resist flat spots, or put the car on axle stands to take the weight off tyres and bearings.
• Damp control inside. Silica gel or dehumidifier bags in the cabin and boot, a window cracked for airflow, and a breathable cover. Never a plastic sheet, which traps condensation.
• Keep the critters out: a plug in the exhaust and over the air intake stops mice nesting.

During the winter

The debated question is whether to start a laid-up car periodically. The honest answer: a brief cold start that never reaches full temperature is arguably worse than leaving it alone, because it puts condensation and unburnt fuel into the oil without burning them off. So either leave the car properly prepared and untouched, or, better, on a dry, salt-free day take it out and warm it fully to temperature, exercising the brakes, clutch and steering, before putting it away again. Cars that sit stone-still for six months are usually the ones that need the most work in spring. Rolling the car a few inches occasionally also stops the brakes sticking.

Waking it up in spring

Reverse the process: check fluids and levels, look over the brakes and fuel lines (ethanol can perish old rubber over a winter), reconnect the battery, bring the tyres up to pressure, and, before the first start, consider cranking with the ignition disabled to build oil pressure before it fires. Then enjoy the first dry, salt-free drive of the year.

Common questions

Should I drive my AC Aceca in winter?

Best not on salted roads, salt attacks the alloy body, chrome and underside. Most owners lay the car up and only venture out on dry, salt-free days, washing it thoroughly afterwards.

How should I store an AC Aceca over winter?

Dry and ventilated above all, because of the ash frame. Clean and wax it, change the oil, stabilise or empty the fuel, check antifreeze, put the battery on a conditioner, leave the handbrake off with chocks, and control damp with a dehumidifier and breathable cover.

Why does dry storage matter so much for an Aceca?

Its body is built on an ash-wood frame, which absorbs moisture and can swell or move in a damp garage, loosening joints and door fit. Damp is a structural risk on this car, not just a rust one.

Should I start my stored Aceca now and then?

A brief cold start that never warms fully can do more harm than good, adding condensation to the oil. Either leave it properly prepared, or take it out on a dry day and warm it fully to temperature before storing again.