Leaving a car stationary on a permanent basis

St1mpMeister

My brother's van is on its last legs, but I was considering taking it off his hands for a couple of 100 and using it as a makeshift storage area in the driveway for garden tools etc (my house is too tiny to store all these bits n pieces).

It's handy as there are no side windows and rear window is tinted, so quite secure in that respect - I have CCTV as well, but sure who wants my crappy old garden equipment

Would I need to drain out the oil or anything before leaving it in place like that, to avoid any leaks?

biko

Yes, drain all fluids and put it on blocks instead of the wheels. You may want to remove the battery too (you use the key to open it yeah?)

St1mpMeister

biko wrote: »

put it on blocks instead of the wheels. You may want to remove the battery too (you use the key to open it yeah?)

Really? What are the issues leaving the wheels on? I don't want it to "look" like a permanent fixture. Is it possible to get an electric tire pump?

Erm, I think it's a key-press lock, but I could just charge the battery every 6 months or so if required.

Alanstrainor

Is a shed not a better idea? It'll look awful. Nothing illegal about it I don't think, but having an old rotting van in the drive purely for storing garden tools seems ridiculous to me. You can get lockable storage containers for garden tools, some are large enough for mowers etc if that's the plan... This van idea seems mental.

Isambard

Alanstrainor wrote: »

Is a shed not a better idea? It'll look awful. Nothing illegal about it I don't think, but having an old rotting van in the drive purely for storing garden tools seems ridiculous to me. You can get lockable storage containers for garden tools, some are large enough for mowers etc if that's the plan... This van idea seems mental.

yes, sheds are very cheap and won't cause the problems a derelict vehicle will

Glass fused light

St1mpMeister wrote: »

My brother's van is on its last legs, but I was considering taking it off his hands for a couple of 100 and using it as a makeshift storage area in the driveway for garden tools etc (my house is too tiny to store all these bits n pieces).

It's handy as there are no side windows and rear window is tinted, so quite secure in that respect - I have CCTV as well, but sure who wants my crappy old garden equipment

Would I need to drain out the oil or anything before leaving it in place like that, to avoid any leaks?

Do you own the house or rent it?
Either way the neighbour would probably be upset at the van is not visually maintained. If the van can be seen from the street, and looks neglected from being parked up, particularly if its on blocks, it brings down the tone of your street and devalues both your home and the other houses on the street.

If your renting you could expect a complaint to be made to the landlord. If your owner, and in a managed estate there could be a term in the contract prohibiting this. Or your neighbours could complain to the council but I would not expect a speedy response.

http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/1982/act/11/enacted/en/print

12.—(1) Where it appears to a local authority that it is in the interests of amenity or of the environment of an area that any vehicles or other articles (being disused articles) kept on any land in its area for the purpose of being dismantled, reconditioned, repaired, stored or sold, should be removed or that other steps should be taken in relation to them, it may serve a notice in the prescribed form or in a form to the like effect on the occupier (if any) of the land or the person so keeping the vehicles or articles requiring him to remove the vehicles or articles from the land or to take other specified steps in relation to them within a period specified in the notice that is not less than one month after—

(a) the date of the service of the notice, or

(b) if there is an appeal against the notice under subsection (2) of this section, the date of the determination of the appeal, or

(c) if there is such an appeal and it is withdrawn, the date of the withdrawal.

Isambard

St1mpMeister wrote: »

Really? What are the issues leaving the wheels on? I don't want it to "look" like a permanent fixture. Is it possible to get an electric tire pump?

Erm, I think it's a key-press lock, but I could just charge the battery every 6 months or so if required.

your battery will be dead inside the 6 months.

bazz26

Nothing says break into me and see what's inside like a van parked up on a driveway with moss gathering around it.

St1mpMeister

Own the house, but obviously I wouldn't let it rust up, just a temporary solution for a year or so. I wouldn't want it looking neglected hence why I wasn't planning on blocks

Can't put a shed out front as small garden and driveway at front.

Anyway I've probably got all info I need, but just out of curiosity what happens if you don't drain liquids out of it?

zilog_jones

They could eventually leak. Engine oil, diesel, brake fluid and coolant is all nasty stuff that you don't want leeching into your garden, or getting into the public drainage system.

cnocbui

St1mpMeister wrote: »

Really? What are the issues leaving the wheels on? I don't want it to "look" like a permanent fixture. Is it possible to get an electric tire pump?

Erm, I think it's a key-press lock, but I could just charge the battery every 6 months or so if required.

You could sort the battery with a solar panel trickle charger on the dashboard plugged into the cigarette lighter socket. There are such panels on the market.

If its only for a year or two, no point draining the fluids. Putting it on blocks will stop the tires flat-spotting.

Gregor Samsa

Depending on your house/garden, a van in the driveway all the time could block a lot of light in your front room. But that's not what you're asking about.

I had a non-running Focus in my drive for 2 years. I kept trying to scrap it, but my wife ended up storing unused household crap in it, and had this idea that it would make the house look occupied while we were away during the summer (it really didn't).

When I finally got someone to drag it away last year, I discovered it had leaked oil, which melted a hole in the tarmac driveway. I assume any other fluids leaking will cause similar harm/discolouration to your drive. The handbrake had totally seized up, so he did literally drag it off down the road on a rope behind his Transit (wheels weren't turning). How he managed to get it safely down the hill of out estate onto the main road is a mystery that I couldn't bear to bring myself to witness.

Incidentally the lad that took it away got it back up and running, and I still see it nearly every day driving around town.

Typing this up, I realise that I make it sound like I live in an shanty town

biko

Rubber wheels will lose pressure over time and deform.
When they do the car will slant, and also if you leave tyres deformed over time they cannot be saved.

St1mpMeister

biko wrote: »

Rubber wheels will lose pressure over time and deform.
When they do the car will slant, and also if you leave tyres deformed over time they cannot be saved.

Well the wheels need to stay on, so would blocks just behind the wheels work?

Can you not just pump up tyres yourself using an electric motor?

St1mpMeister

phutyle wrote: »

Depending on your house/garden, a van in the driveway all the time could block a lot of light in your front room. But that's not what you're asking about.

It's not a HiAce style van, more like a sedan style

e.g. something like this
http://www.lisassedanservice.com/application/files/5014/8484/3189/van_img.png


What's the best way to drain the vehicle? I imagine a garage could do this for me if they towed it over?

RustyNut

St1mpMeister wrote: »

Well the wheels need to stay on, so would blocks just behind the wheels work?

Can you not just pump up tyres yourself using an electric motor?

A set of these might help.

dr.fuzzenstein

You can't do that with a van, you'll need a station wagon.
I'll see myself out...