Oil change, I guess. Check the coolant antifreeze. Anything else to make sure it is safe during the worse of the weather? Windows - shut right down, or open a crack? Battery - disconnected? Removed? Charged every month or so? What about the tyres - do you lift the car off the tyres, or just pump them up hard and keep an eye on them? What do you do?
I install winter tyres, treat the rubber with silicone (Gummipflege), charge the battery before winter starts so it does not give out midway. Then continue to drive as usual
store? I just keep driving it as usual. If it can cope with Japanese winters it can cope with ours. If roads have been salted recently then hose it down to wash it off.
Keep it in the garage, battery on trickle charger. Drive it when the sun shines! Just the same as summer!
It's a car - it doesn't need to be stored. Aircon, heated seats, front wheel drive - what's the problem?
Fair enough. Just me, I guess. Personally, I'm not a keen fan of having to deal with rampant rust caused by winter salt. I'd quite like to keep the car for longer than a few years - so that means keeping it off the road for the winter.
I bought mine used 5 years ago and drive it daily. Still no signs of rampant rust if you prepare it well. I have no choice, its my only car
Salieri, any tips on keeping the copen in top condition when using it daily and anything to be aware of? I know the cars bodywork is not the strongest especially the paint and I will be using my copen daily in all weathers so any advice appreciated. Thanks
Do all the maintenance, use high quality oil, drive long distances once in a while to warm everything up, avoid taking the car out for distances less than 1-2 miles. If possible, keep it under a car port or similar to protect it from weather. Garages might even make rust worse as there is no ventilation of excess water. Use silicone rubber treatment ("Gummipflege") and keep the undercarriage intact (cavity oil/wax, "Unterbodenschutz"). Especially look for rust at the seams and in hidden places (behind plastic covers etc). As for the paint, clean/polish/wax it from time to time and remove bird droppings as fast as you can (no rubbing with a dry cloth please) If you do it right, it should be fine
