A. Firstly our premises are purpose built to store valuable vehicles over long periods of time. The premises have a high level of security & are also highly insulated & sealed, fitted with equipment to maintain optimum climatic conditions. It would be extremely unlikely that a domestic garage would meet this specification. In addition we have a superb workshop facility & offer maintenance programmes run by our skilled professionals to ensure your vehicle is routinely monitored & maintained. We confidently believe that by storing your vehicle with us, we can in the long term save you from the nightmare of unexpected expense. We can also prevent the stress & ill feeling resulting from a possible family dispute!

A. Climate controlled storage is the only effective method of storing vehicles over long periods of time. There is no other practical, efficient process of removing moisture from the atmosphere. Without moisture the chemical reactions which lead to rust and corrosion cannot occur. Also climate controlled storage will remove excess moisture from the vehicle’s interior / upholstery so preventing the growth of mould spores which could severely damage the vehicle‘s interior. It is desirable to keep the relative humidity between 50% & 60%. If it drops significantly below this level, natural materials will dry out & damage. Much above this ideal level & moisture will start to cause corrosion & mould problems.

A. Airflow chambers keep vehicles in pristine condition inside their own shielded, filtered environment by providing a highly protective, non contact cover around the vehicle inside. They enhance any storage environment relative to the conditions in which the vehicle is stored. However there are some misconceptions about airflow chambers. They are not dehumidifiers as some people believe as they cannot control & stabilise the relative humidity.

A. The continuous standing weight on the tyres & wheel bearings if left in the same position, will cause the tyres to deform, creating flat spots, this could cause wheel vibrations & possible tyre failure (blow outs). Wheel bearings can be marked / damaged caused by load being placed continually in the same position which will lead to excessive wear & premature bearing failure.

A. The tyre pressures are usually over inflated by up to 50%, depending on the type of tyre/manufacturers guidelines. This is to help with & alleviate the problems as mentioned above ie tyre deformation/flat spots.

A. Firstly, we disconnect batteries for safety reasons should there be a short circuit fault which could lead to expensive component damage or worse still, a risk of fire from defective wiring or components. This is particularly applicable to older vehicles where there are no safety fusible links at the main battery source. Secondly, with batteries connected, there will always be a small drain of power & therefore the battery will require more maintenance.

A. Most modern vehicles that have memory systems within the vehicle’s ECU / management systems etc need a continuous battery live feed to support the memory so if the battery is disconnected, the memory can be lost. At best on reconnection, it may only require a radio code resetting and the vehicle will probably have to relearn its engine and transmission drive programme which it will do automatically with mileage use when driven. At worst it may require on some vehicles the ECU / management system reprogramming with special equipment / software. For these reasons it is advisable not to disconnect the vehicle’s battery & to connect a suitable battery conditioner to the vehicle’s battery whilst in storage to reduce the risk of additional costs for recodes &/or reprogramming. Also modern vehicles with this type of management system will usually be fitted with safety fusible links at battery source.

A. Yes, you do hear stories like this & if you are extremely lucky you may get away with very little more than this BUT all that has actually been achieved is that the vehicle is running & possibly drives. However problems will more than likely materialise as the vehicle is driven with mileage use. What can happen to a vehicle if it is not suitably stored & maintained? Here are just some of the common damaging consequences (apart from the obvious eg battery / bodywork etc). The clutch & / or brakes may have seized. The petrol may have deteriorated to such a degree that it may have gummed up and varnished all the fuel components. This necessitates that the entire fuel system be stripped & cleaned, possibly requiring some very expensive fuel component (s) replacement eg fuel pump & injectors etc. The auto gearbox & / or air conditioning system may be severely damaged. There will also be a number of hidden problems that may not become apparent until relative mileage use. The timing belt & its ancillaries may be damaged, leading to possible major engine failure/damage. Engines & transmission require running & exercising as, over a period of time if they are not run, the lubrication oil will drain away from bearings & frictional areas, leaving them unprotected. Also the used engine oil will have collected a cocktail of corrosive chemicals & if left idle these chemicals will escape from the oil structure & begin to attack the unprotected surfaces to further exacerbate the problem. Oil seals will also become dry & brittle. The first signs of problems will possibly be oil &/or coolant leaks, &/or puffs of smoke from the exhaust. Oil pressure may prematurely fall over a period of time with mileage use, leading to premature engine wear & failure. There will be a similar story with the transmission & other vehicle components etc. The list can just go on & on.

A. Yes, you do hear stories like this & if you are extremely lucky you may get away with very little more than this BUT all that has actually been achieved is that the vehicle is running & possibly drives. However problems will more than likely materialise as the vehicle is driven with mileage use. What can happen to a vehicle if it is not suitably stored & maintained? Here are just some of the common damaging consequences (apart from the obvious eg battery / bodywork etc). The clutch & / or brakes may have seized. The petrol may have deteriorated to such a degree that it may have gummed up and varnished all the fuel components. This necessitates that the entire fuel system be stripped & cleaned, possibly requiring some very expensive fuel component (s) replacement eg fuel pump & injectors etc. The auto gearbox & / or air conditioning system may be severely damaged. There will also be a number of hidden problems that may not become apparent until relative mileage use. The timing belt & its ancillaries may be damaged, leading to possible major engine failure/damage. Engines & transmission require running & exercising as, over a period of time if they are not run, the lubrication oil will drain away from bearings & frictional areas, leaving them unprotected. Also the used engine oil will have collected a cocktail of corrosive chemicals & if left idle these chemicals will escape from the oil structure & begin to attack the unprotected surfaces to further exacerbate the problem. Oil seals will also become dry & brittle. The first signs of problems will possibly be oil &/or coolant leaks, &/or puffs of smoke from the exhaust. Oil pressure may prematurely fall over a period of time with mileage use, leading to premature engine wear & failure. There will be a similar story with the transmission & other vehicle components etc. The list can just go on & on.

A. Manufacturers do protect all the vehicles & components with special coatings etc in their production process. Some of the coatings & protective measures will be removed by the supplying dealer before the vehicle is handed over to the customer. Some protective coatings applied to internal engine components for example will just disperse within the engine oil, over the first 500 miles or so. Also supplying dealers are instructed to carry out ongoing maintenance programmes set out by the manufacturer whilst vehicles (or components) remain in stock.

A. Manufacturers do protect all the vehicles & components with special coatings etc in their production process. Some of the coatings & protective measures will be removed by the supplying dealer before the vehicle is handed over to the customer. Some protective coatings applied to internal engine components for example will just disperse within the engine oil, over the first 500 miles or so. Also supplying dealers are instructed to carry out ongoing maintenance programmes set out by the manufacturer whilst vehicles (or components) remain in stock.

A. This depends on a number of factors including the type / age of vehicle that you own, the type of storage & maintenance programme it is on, & the mileage that you are likely to cover between services. With regard to the first point, ie type / age of vehicle for example, it is advisable that prestige vehicles have comprehensive service & maintenance records & / or a history record showing the amount of time in storage & detail of maintenance programme (from a reputable company) to maintain a good value. If a vehicle is covered by a warranty then it will require strict adherence to manufacturers service intervals. This will more than likely be following the time rather than the mileage guidelines if the vehicle is stored or has had little use. Regardless, even if out of warranty, dependent on the storage condition & programme, it will still need to follow the manufacturer’s minimum maintenance programme, although the vehicle may not require the majority of the service maintenance procedures if the vehicle is doing very little mileage & / or stored in optimum conditions. Nevertheless there will be certain service parts & fluids that will degrade over time, regardless of the vehicle doing little or no mileage. These could include such things as lubricants /engine oil, coolant /anti-freeze, brake fluid, drive belts /timing belts, which require changing on a time basis if they have not reached their mileage limit first, depending on the vehicle make/model. For example some items may require changing every 12 months eg engine oil, & others could be up to 8 years eg some timing belts (please note that all individual vehicle manufacturer’s maintenance & service guides must be adhered to. Also the storage maintenance programme will have a significant effect on the time intervals of replacement components as mentioned above). We will always be pleased to advise our clients on such issues.

A. The correct name for this is a chassis dynamometer, but commonly known as a rolling road dyno.
It is the only way to simulate vehicle road / track, load conditions in a workshop environment. This is achieved by driving the vehicle’s drive wheels on to a set of rollers. The vehicle’s wheels drive the rollers which are braked by an air cooled eddy – current brake. The braking torque is set by the current in the induction coils, controlled by electronics. There are various sensors that are used to sense speed, torque, rpm, pressure, temperature, etc. Information is taken in by the electronic control unit. Functions / programmes can be activated by a remote handset & all the information values taken in by the control unit are evaluated & processed to give the information required & displayed on a screen. Here are some of the practical applications:-

Testing engine power over the entire rpm range.
Fuel consumption measurements at any constant speed or when simulating urban driving.
Vehicle speed checks, gearing & speedo accuracy.
Setting carburettors or injection systems to maximum engine power or to most economical fuel consumption.
Remapping ECU engine management systems.
Checking exhaust emissions under load conditions.
Optimum adjustment of the ignition point for older vehicles to enable use of lower octane fuels currently in use (to overcome pre-ignition & knocking etc).
Checking ignition system for misfires under load conditions.
Checking & testing fuel flow under load conditions.
Checking manual & auto transmissions for operation of gears / bearings / clutch & brake bands for slippage & also for checking shift patterns.
Checking & testing transmissions, including differential & drive shaft / axle joints under load.
Checking of tyre power loss (wrong tyres cause increase fuel consumption).
Simulation of vehicle mass & gradients.
The dyno will also simulate the behaviour of the vehicle on the road taking into account the following factors:- rolling resistance due to flexing of tyres, air resistance of vehicle body, mass acceleration forces, climbing resistance in uphill driving & vehicle specific friction losses.

As part of our enhanced storage maintenance programme we use the rolling road dyno to fully exercise vehicles in a safe & fully controlled environment. It enables us to monitor & check the vehicle’s components whilst under dynamic load conditions which would not be possible by any other means. We run all vehicles under a light to medium load programme which is adjusted to suit the vehicle’s type / age / condition. This is all carried out under fully monitored conditions. Engine & under bonnet temperatures are all controlled by a powerful cooling fan. The programme is designed to ensure that all lubricating oils are up to normal operating temperatures / viscosity. This ensures all vital components are correctly lubricated, including oil seals to prevent drying out & corrosion on vital high load precision surfaces within the engine & transmission. This also includes all the drive shafts plus drive joints & bearings. A chassis dyno / rolling road dyno is the only way of replicating road conditions. A rolling road dyno must not be confused with wheel rollers which use the name “rolling road”. These are free running rollers & are not able to place any type of load through the vehicle’s engine & transmission.

A. A brake roller tester (sometimes confusingly called a rolling road) is commonly used for testing brakes as part of the annual MOT / safety road worthiness test. We use a micro processor based system with a analogue & digital read out display. The front & rear wheels are driven into a pair of rollers & are driven by two powerful electric motors. The rollers drive each wheel of the vehicle, as the brakes are applied, the braking force affects the rotation. A measure of braking efficiency can be calculated by the micro processor & results are clearly displayed on a screen. Here are some of the practical applications :-

Measurement of braking effort ( foot brake & parking brake efficiency )
Measurement of brake balance.
Checking for brake binding.
Checking for brake disc run out.
Checking for brake drum ovality.
As part of our enhanced storage maintenance programme we use the brake roller tester to exercise the brakes to avoid sticking brake cylinders & brake callipers etc, & also to keep all brake friction surface areas smooth, clean & free from any corrosion. This equipment removes the need for a road test for this particular exercise. At the same time we also check the overall braking efficiency as mentioned above.