Plenty of people have multiple vehicles. You may use your truck to haul camping gear to go on some summertime adventures. However, when winter comes, you need to put your truck away for a while. You need to invest in the best truck covers, including custom dash covers if necessary, to make sure your truck will be safe while it is in storage. Luckily, there are some other tips you can follow to make sure your vehicle will still be usable once spring arrives.

Winter Storage Tactics for Your Truck

Clean the Exterior and Interior

Before you put your vehicle away for the season, you want to make sure it is thoroughly washed. You do not want to take it through a drive-through car wash. Instead, you need to wash it by hand, ensuring it is spotless before putting it away. You also want to apply a solid wax to protect it over the months. After you do all of that, then you can apply the best outdoor car cover over it. You also need to check the interior to ensure there is no food or anything else you do not want to rot for months. You may want to place some desiccant packs in there to keep it smelling fresh.

Add Gasoline to the Tank 

Some people will tell you that you need to empty the gas tank before putting your vehicle away for winter. However, this has a tendency to create moisture that could ultimately lead to rust. Many professionals recommend you fill up your tank and add a fuel stabilizer. These stabilizers prevent the gasoline from deteriorating, which can cause the formation of deposits. After you add the stabilizer, you should drive your car around for 10 minutes so that it mixes into the solution properly.

Disconnect the Battery

Unless you plan on driving your truck every so often in the winter, you should disconnect the battery. In the event the battery loses a charge, then it could freeze over. At this point, the battery will become useless, and you will need to throw it away. You should store the battery in a heated space so that you can hook it back up with ease in the spring. You could also hook the battery up to a battery maintainer or trickle charger.

Change the Oil and Filter 

Before you store your truck for the winter, you need to change the oil as well as the oil filter. Even if your vehicle normally would not need this work done for several more months, you should do it before storing it for an extended period of time. An oil change helps provide corrosion protection. After you get the oil change, you should run your truck for several minutes so that it has time to circulate and lubricate everything.

It is a lot of work to store your truck for the winter. However, all of these steps are essential to ensure your truck continues to work next year. Buy all of the storage supplies you need well in advance so that you know your truck is ready for the oncoming winter weather.