How to care for long term off road
 

With another car in the household I am planning to keep the Volvo (10v 850 96) off the road for a few months cancelling the road tax. It will be out in the open on the drive way, I am just wondering if I need to do anything while its not being driven. Should I idle it a few times a week? I do have a CTEK which I can use to trickle charge the battery.

Worst thing you could do is to start it up a few times a week and let it idle. Most engine wear happens when the engine is cold. The only thing you need to do is connect your CTEK every couple of weeks until the battery is full charged then disconnect it

I have 6 vehicles that are not used for lengthy periods, all have CTEK maintenance chargers, no need to disconnect it, leave it on permanently, that's how it's designed to be used. One car (my 1973 MG Midget) has a perfectly good battery that's been in it for over 20 years, due I'm sure to constant use of the maintenance charger when in storage.

It's worth changing the position of the car slightly every couple of weeks to avoid flat spots on the tyres, unless you want to put it up on stands.

As above, don't keep starting it, unless it's going to be run for a decent length of time under load (i.e. driven properly) it'll do more harm than good.

Some say to keep a full tank of fuel to avoid condensation in the tank, but unless it's going to be stored for many months and through a winter I'm not sure that this is all that important.

Check the interior for damp every now and again, and ventilate it if you can do so without the risk of rain water entering.

So can someone please explain why starting a car and letting it idle is more harmful than driving off with a cold engine. The engine may take longer to warm up when idling, but driving off with a cold engine when the oil hasn't thinned off properly and the pistons are slamming up and down under load hammering the main and big end bearings is surely doing more harm than a cold engine ticking over nicely, then revving it once warmed!!

It's about how quickly you warm it up, a diesel engine idling will take a long time to warm up, whereas if you drive it gently for a couple of miles it will warm up more quickly and allow the oil to do its job more effectively.

Who do you know sets off from cold gently this day and age. I've not come across anyone as yet!!

I do, and by gently I mean sub 3k revs [personally aim for under 2k for a couple of minutes]

I'd run it until up to temperature every few weeks. My 10v 850 has been laid up since September, and now has a ticking noise coming from the top of the engine, which I suspect is a stuck hydraulic tappet. I'm hoping that it will unstick itself once it's back on the road with fresh oil and a good thrashing, but I expect I'm going to have to get my hands dirty...

Also handbrakes tend to stick on these cars if they're left in the same place for too long, so make sure you move it a little every month or so.

Long Term Layup
 

When I am not using a car for a few months or more I do not engage the parking brake but either leave it in "P" if an auto or if a manual, engage either first or reverse gear to avoid the linings sticking.

The point about not occasionally running an engine on tick-over is that a cold engine generates a lot of moisture during warm-up and it is only by taking a run to get it hot and then running it hot will disperse the condensation from inside the engine (and the oil). I was told during my apprenticeship that the first gallon of fuel generated a gallon of water. This may be out of date now with modern (more efficient) engines with electronic controls to quickly get engines up to working temperature in order to improve fuel consumption, but I would presume that the basic premise is still valid.

Laying up
 

That is my understanding, too, 'turboboy'.

While there is little that I can add to the advice already given regarding laying up a modern(ish) car, I recall my late FIL recounting how he prepared his early '30s Standard for the duration in 1940.

He was fortunate in having a garage. From memory, he:
Put the car on axle stands.
Removed the road wheels, slightly over-inflated the tyres and placed them under cover in the shed.
Ran the engine warm, drained the sump and refilled it with fresh oil.
Drained the cooling system.
Drained what little fuel remained in the tank.
Removed the battery, put it on the bench and trickle charged it weekly.
Removed the plugs, put oil in the bores, and turned the engine over on the handle once a week, stuffing rags in the plugholes in between times.
Covered all external paintwork and chrome with grease.
Placed mothballs and mousetraps (regularly checked) in the interior.
Wedged the clutch pedal to the floor to stop the plates sticking with a plank jammed against the seat.
Left all doors on the latch and windows slightly open.
Covered the car with a dustsheet.

Six years later, he reversed the process and continued to run the car for a further nine years. At the time, his was one of only two cars in the street.

Regards, John.