Hi everyone! I am still driving my 2005 Prius. I replaced the hybrid battery with a refurbished battery in the summer of 2023. It is running fine. Now I want to be a snowbird and store my Prius near the Tucson airport, preferably in a RV/Boat storage facility. Ideally the facility would help me "summerize" the Prius. My questions: 1. Do you know of the best places in Tucson to store a Prius? 2. I have seen suggestions on how to prepare the vehicle for outdoor storage: fill tires extra full with air, disconnect battery, put some stuff in the fuel tank to prevent water accumulation. What wisdom do you have, both general and specific to hot weather outdoor Prius storage? 3. If you have stored cars outside in Arizona or other hot climates, any cautionary tales? Thanks to all. And I have less than 150,000 on the vehicle.
You don't mention how long this storage is for The vehicle's going to be sitting in the direct Tucson sunlight during this time God sakes I hope it's going to be well covered something maybe under a carport or an awning I can't even imagine that sounds like a baking proposition to me. I've got a car from Florida that spent most of its life in the Florida Sun you know parked out front of the Michelin tire plan or home Depot or wherever the people worked The inside of the car is mint condition they had the windows tinted The outside of the car is silver and everything that faces up is peeling not fading not clear coat failing the stuff is baked It has gotten so hot it is literally flaking off I mean the whole body panel anything that's facing up the roof the tops of the fenders all of that The top of the spoiler everything The pain is cracked and little tiny like squares say half a millimeter by a half a millimeter or maybe smaller even It's unbelievable and if I was going to be my car going stored similar I would put it on jack stands take the load right off the rubber and then drape something over the whole car including the rubber so from the roof to the jack stands is covered and then you can tie that with the cable or what have you other than that I imagine you're going to have the 12 volt disconnected take the orange safety plug out That's about all you can do If it's at a storage place maybe you can put your battery on a tender at the storage place or you just bring a 12 volt when you come to get the car.
Breathable car cover and 0.25 inch gap in all windows to keep the internal cabin temperature down. Rather than pump up the tires; put the car up on jack stands and cover the tires. Prevents UV tire deterioration. Store with near empty tank of gas and treat that last tank of gas with fuel stabilizer. Put 3-5 gallons of fresh gas in when you take it out of storage. The old and new fuel will mix and the motor should be able to run. Good Luck....
See if you can find a place that is inside and climate controlled then it should be OK. But as Tombuk2 points out, parking directly in the hot sun is going to trash the paint and will also be very hard on both the 12V battery and the HV pack. If the rest of the car must be baked, consider removing and storing the 12V and HV pack in a separate climate controlled area.
Why not drive it up north so it can get some relief as well? It is not just the batteries, paint and tires that are at risk although those are the obvious problems. Driving the car lubricates everything from the engine to the wheel bearings. Driving it ensures the batteries and tires have the best chance. Driving it may encourage you to clean it at least monthly. Storing it makes it more likely to attract wire chewing rodents. Their problems can be vehicle killers for a twenty year old car. The refurb hv battery is most at risk when not used. Just starting the vehicle regularly helps to keep it functional. If you were going to jail I would say sell it. If storage for six months or longer is the only answer, I would have someone drive it every three or four weeks.
