Classic car owners often worry about how they'll keep the vehicle safe from damage. Knowing how to keep an antique car gives their owners greater peace of mind and keeps the vehicle running well. If you need tips for caring for a collector car, you've come to the right place. Volo lives and breathes classic cars, with a huge inventory of collector cars and an auto museum to prove it.

This article will teach you how to look after your classic car and incorporate these tips into your classic car maintenance.

Check on Important Areas of the Car

One of the first steps to maintaining your classic car is to keep an eye on some of the crucial areas. Checking fluids, watching out for rust and testing the brakes are all part of a complete maintenance package. To care for your car properly, you should routinely check these three main areas:

1. Check Fluids

One of the most important ways that you can protect your car is to monitor the levels of fluids in your car. Low fluids can cause damage to any type of car, but it can be especially damaging to older vehicles. The following tips will help you keep your fluids at the right level:

• Change your oil: Keeping your motor running should be your top priority. Low oil levels or old oil can cause irreparable damage to your motor in a short amount of time. To prevent the damage from occurring, you'll want to check oil regularly and change it out consistently.
• Change differential oil and transmission fluid: Though it's not as common as changing out your oil, you should still switch out your transmission fluid and differential oil regularly to keep your car running well. While newer cars only need the fluids changed out at the service interval, you'll want to switch the fluids out more often in a classic car. Ensure that you only use recommended gear oils or transmission fluids that have the right viscosity.
• Flushing the cooling system: Whether you have a classic car or a new one,  the car's cooling system should be flushed out at least once a year. Once you've flushed the old coolant from the car, replace it with half distilled water and half coolant. This mixture should prevent any deposits from building up that will stop the fluids from easily flowing through the cooling system and corrode it.

2. Look for Rust

Another problem that classic cars typically run into is rusting. To prevent this, you can apply lubricant to areas where the corrosion has occurred. Lubricants such as WD-40 are known to do a good job of stopping the spread of corrosive rust spots. As a preventative measure, you can also keep the car away from water.

3. Test the Brakes

Whenever you take your car out on the road, you'll want to know that it's safe to drive. Test your brakes regularly, listening for any noises that seem off and feeling if anything is different when you press down on them. 

To care for your brake system, you should bleed the brake system at least once a year. This process will purge any air bubbles that, if left unchecked, will reduce the hydraulic pressure significantly. Also, watch the brake pads since uneven wearing can harm the rotors. Brake pads are fairly inexpensive to replace, so it's often better to switch them out than to risk damaged rotors.

Keep the Car Clean

The best way to protect your classic car is to keep it at all times. Unlike a regular car that needs to be washed every two weeks, an older vehicle that's regularly driven needs to be washed once a week for superior protection. Collector cars will be more susceptible to damage from dirt and grime build-up, making it crucial to know how to clean them properly.

Below you can find an overview of what you should be cleaning:

1. Clean the Exterior

One of the most important tips for caring for a collector car is that you should only handwash your classic car. Taking it to a car wash can damage it and not effectively clean it. When you handwash your car, you'll want to use cotton chenille towels or sheepskin washing mitts, along with a soft-bristled toothbrush for hard to reach areas.

While you're washing it, you'll also want to use a soap that's specially designed for an older vehicle and that will not dull your paint job. After you've cleaned the car, rinse it off and dry it with a soft towel.

When you're done driving your classic car, another tip for proper classic car maintenance is to hose down the undercarriage. By hosing it down every time you finish driving the vehicle, you'll wash off the dirt and salt kicked up from the road that would otherwise corrode the untreated metal surfaces under your car. Another commonly forgotten area is the wheel wells. To keep your car running for as long as possible, you'll want to wash the wheel wells out consistently. 

2. Wax the Car

One of the best ways to keep your car clean and safe while you drive is to make sure it has wax applied. Before you take your car on the road, the car should be cleaned, polished and waxed. By waxing it, you'll ensure that the car is totally protected from anything the weather throws at it. 

If you don't drive your car regularly, you should reapply the wax every few months to keep the weather, dirt and grime from harming it over time. For those who drive their classic car all the time, it's best to apply the wax more regularly, with experts recommending that you do so every six to eight weeks. 

3. Clean the Interior

When you clean your car's interior, you'll want to make sure you're using the right cleaners for the material of the interior. For example, vacuum a vinyl or leather surface with an upholstery attachment to prevent any damage to the material. Check the interior for fabric, vinyl, leather and plastic surfaces, among others, to make sure that you have the appropriate cleaners for each of them. After all, you don't want to damage your vehicle while you try to clean it.

In your cleaning process, you should remember to dust off your classic car with a microfiber towel. Additionally, you should vacuum it to get rid of any dirt since a dirty floor is more likely to retain any dampness. If a damp carpet goes unchecked, the dampness can go under the floor and cause rusting. 

Another good way to protect the interior of your vehicle will be to use UV blocking creams designed for leather or vinyl treatments. The material used in the interior will determine which treatment or cream you should use. Whenever you look to clean your seats or remove a stain, always do your research on what foam or cleaner will work best on it.

Finding the Right Storage Space

Part of car maintenance is making sure that you have it parked in the right place. Classic car owners who know how to take care of their vehicles will make finding a good storage space a priority. A high-quality storage place will protect the vehicle from the weather and stop corrosion on key parts of the vehicle.

A good storage place will not have a gravel or dirt floor, as this kind of flooring will increase the chance that moisture gets into the car and damages it. Flooring should also have good drainage, with common surfaces including concrete or asphalt. Additionally, a good storage place will keep your vehicle out of the sun while also storing it at a consistent temperature that never reaches freezing. 

Tips for Storing Your Collector Car

Taking the right precautions is essential before parking a collector car for weeks, months or years at a time. Put your best foot forward before storing a vehicle by following the recommendations below.

1. Find a Storage Space out of Direct Sunlight

If the place that you store your car has a skylight or windows, you'll want to keep the vehicle away from direct sunlight, as it can fade the paint. To prevent light from hitting the vehicle, place shades over the facility's windows or use a car cover. The best car cover will be lined for superior protection and remain breathable.

Before driving your vehicle to the storage location, inspect areas where natural light can enter. Depending on the climate, you may find that windows with blinds and covers can still transfer heat to nearby surfaces. Keep this in mind when you choose the spot to park your collector car to prevent delicate surfaces from melting, warping or changing shape over time.

2. Ensure the Space Is Dry

Along with avoiding direct sunlight, your car should be stored in a garage that isn't damp at all. Moisture and humidity can cause mold in the interior of the car as well as corrosion. If your storage facility is prone to humidity, use a dehumidifier or heater to keep the garage dry.

If you plan on storing your car for an extended time, keeping the garage dry is a must. You should inspect the garage or storage space for any leaks before placing your vehicle inside. Doing this can potentially save you from a surprise when you return to the location to drive your collector car down the road. Cracks and openings near skylights, windows or entry doors should be repaired before leaving a vehicle in storage.

3. Leave Your Car's Windows Cracked

One way you can maintain your car is by leaving the vehicle's windows cracked open while it's in the garage. Having the front windows down slightly will reduce any must smell that can build up in an older car, as air will be able to circulate through the car freely.

Since you'll be placing your collector car in a controlled environment, you will not have to worry about rainwater, snow, dirt and other contaminants making their way inside the cabin. Some drivers choose to leave their windows down completely. However, leaving your windows cracked a few inches will do the trick.

4. Fill up at the Pump

When you store your vehicle, you won't want to bring it in with a tank that's half-empty. If a car isn't driven for a while, condensation can form in a fuel tank, resulting in mold. Keeping the fuel tank full will help you keep the condensation to a minimum. Topping off the fuel tank every time you bring it back to the garage is one of the easiest classic car storage tips you can follow to keep your car running correctly.

Refueling prior to putting your collector car in storage will also save time in the future. When it's time to take your vehicle out of storage, you can rest assured there's plenty of fuel to get your investment from point A to point B.

5. Remove the Windshield Wipers

Wipers can be moisture collectors and, in cold temperatures, freeze to the glass, which can potentially damage the vehicle. You can either put the wipers into an upright position or just take them off when you plan to store the car for a long time.

Removing or repositioning the windshield wipers is a classic car maintenance tip that helps to keep you safe behind the wheel. Put the keys in the ignition when you're ready to drive again knowing the wipers are in the same condition they were when you initially left your vehicle. Adjusting your wipers takes seconds and reduces the chance of damage and problems with visibility.

6. Disconnect the Battery

Normally, you have to start your vehicle routinely to maximize its life span. That's not always possible when your car is in storage for an extended period. Sometimes the best way to maintain a car battery in storage is to disconnect it.

If you leave the car in a garage for an extended period, the battery is likely to drain. To keep the battery charged, it's best practice to disconnect the battery when you're planning on leaving the car immobile for over a month. There is no need to remove the battery assembly from the engine compartment. Make sure the ignition is off and disconnect the negative terminal — the black wire — followed by the positive terminal, which is the red wire.

How to Maintain a Car While in Storage

After you've picked a garage to store it in, you'll still need to keep up with the car. Below you'll find some of the top storage tips to store your car correctly.

1. Disengage the Handbrake

Handbrake cables on older cars have a tendency to seize up. To prevent any damage to the vehicle, you should know that it's best not to use the handbrake, and instead, chock the wheels.

You can do this by placing dense materials like wooden or metal blocks in front and behind each car tire. Chocking the tires prevents your collector car from accidentally moving while in storage — no handbrake required.

2. Turn Your Tires

When your car is parked for an extended period, its tires can begin to warp or form flat spots. Turning your tires every couple of weeks by taking the car out on the road, or even just reversing it out of the garage and immediately back in, will help you keep the wheels maintained.

If you're not going to drive the car for longer than a month, you may want to remove the wheels, stacking them horizontally.

3. Complete Routine Oil Changes

Your vehicle's oil life depends on factors outside of the mileage, like driving conditions and your engine setup. Like fuel, oil can interfere with engine performance when it sits for too long. You can prioritize engine health by changing the oil right before, during and after storing a classic car.

Consider how long your vehicle will sit between trips to combat contaminants that come from used engine oil.

4. Plug Exhaust Tailpipes

Insects and other pests have ways of accessing garages and storage spaces. You can stop uninvited guests from making homes inside your car's exhaust connections and other areas by blocking off the openings with rags or aluminum foil. Be sure to remove anything you stuff into air intakes and exhaust tailpipes before driving again.

Tips for Driving Your Classic Car

If you've wondered about how often to start a classic car or drive a classic car, you should know that one of the best ways to keep your car running smoothly is to drive it regularly. 

Typically, you'll want to drive your car once a month, if not more. The main issue that harms older cars comes down to it not being used consistently. When a car sits in a garage, unused for months on end, the rubber and the seals of the vehicle will start to dry out. The longer they go unused, the more they will dry up. When these components become dry, you'll open your car up to a higher chance of leakage.

To prevent the vehicle from leaking, you'll just need to drive it around semi-regularly. As car collection maintenance goes, this is probably the most fun maintenance job you can do. Driving the car once or twice or a month will help you slow your car's aging process significantly. When you take the car out, it's best to keep it running for at least half an hour. By running it, you'll get rid of any condensation or dampness that will have built up. 

View Other Car Maintenance Tips:

• How Often to Change Car's Oils and Fluids
• How to Find an Oil Leak in a Classic Car?
• How to Clean A Classic Car

Find Your Dream Classic Car at Volo

If you're looking to purchase your first classic car or want to add a new one to your collection, Volo Museum Auto Sales is your go-to auto destination. With a large number of classic cars, we're confident that we have a car that you'll love. Browse our inventory today to find your dream car.

If you have any questions while browsing our selection, don't hesitate to contact us.