Suspending a warranty?

[Woelf]

I have been looking around for a better job the past year or so, and one of the most promising (also one of the most interesting) possibilities would involve moving to a small village in Alaska. The problem is that it's a location with little to no road access, so bringing along my Magnum is completely out of the question.

It would likely be for only a couple years at most, so if it happens I would probably put my car into some sort of long-term storage.

So, what I'm wondering is...
Would be possible to suspend the 7/7 factory warranty during the time the car was in storage?



Also related to that, what would actually be required to put a car like this into long-term storage? Are there any special measures that would be required concerning the fuel systems, transmission, computers, etc.?

[ASU_Magnum]

Probably not. That is why its seven years or 70k miles. After 7 years, the possibility that something could go wrong just because it has only 2000 miles on it becomes greater. Just because the car isnt moving around doesnt mean stuff wont go wrong with it. Cars tend to rot if they sit also.

[DawsonMagnum]

Also related to that, what would actually be required to put a car like this into long-term storage? Are there any special measures that would be required concerning the fuel systems, transmission, computers, etc.?

Several years ago I inquired about doing something like this and I was told you would definitely need to do at least this much:

1. disconnect & remove the battery
2. drain ALL fluids (gas, oil, coolant, trans, brake, etc...)
3. remove the wheels & deflate the tires
4. store in a climate controlled facility (or just somewhere in southern California :grin: )

I can't vouch for the accuracy or completeness of this list but the guy that gave that info to me claimed to have stored many cars over the years.

[quarky42]

If you have a close friend or relative that you trust completely, you could leave it with them and ask them to drive it once a week, no more, no less for 10-20 miles. They'll still need to change the oil at some sort of interval, keep the tires aired up, but that should be pretty good for keeping it happy till you return.

[Cam]

Just drop it at my house, I'll take very good care of it. I'll make sure it's driven on a weekly basis and maintained properly.

[Lburou]

With orders to Elmendorf AFB, AK (near Anchorage), I bought a 4X4 GMC in San Antonio. By the time I got it to AK, it had taken 8 weeks and $8100 (repaint, tires, tranny, and engine failure while driven by Auto Drive Away). During the delay, I purchased an equivalent Blazer for $3100 in a small town near Aanchorage.

AK uses a lot of salt....Also, people don't want to drive the ALKAN highway back home, so, they sell their cars (cheaply) in AK and fly back to the lower 48. You can probably buy a car cheaper than you can bring one with you. Check the Anchorage autotrader and newspapers to see what is available. Contact future co-workers to test the car market.

Good Luck

[Woelf]

Probably not. That is why its seven years or 70k miles.

Thanks - that's pretty much what I expected to hear, but it was still worth asking.

With orders to Elmendorf AFB, AK (near Anchorage), I bought a 4X4 GMC in San Antonio. By the time I got it to AK, it had taken 8 weeks and $8100 (repaint, tires, tranny, and engine failure while driven by Auto Drive Away). During the delay, I purchased an equivalent Blazer for $3100 in a small town near Aanchorage.

AK uses a lot of salt....Also, people don't want to drive the ALKAN highway back home, so, they sell their cars (cheaply) in AK and fly back to the lower 48. You can probably buy a car cheaper than you can bring one with you

That's disappointing, to say the least. I had considered bringing my car along, but I don't think I could stand the thought of it being ferried up over the course of several weeks and/or getting beat on and potentially damaged in transit by people I've never met (and who likely don't give a rat's ass what happens to it.)



If I do get this job, it looks like I'll have to go the storage/relatives route...


Thanks for that list Dawson!