Long Term Car Storage

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Long-Term Car Storage

Secure, Monitored, and Maintained so you can stop worrying about it

Whether you’re spending time overseas, storing a seasonal vehicle, or simply want reassurance for a car you don’t use every day, Pitstop 66 offers long-term car storage in Manchester. We provide more than just a safe space – we deliver complete care and convenience for as long as you need.

Best Services

8-Stage pre-storage process

Whether it’s a classic, an exotic supercar, or a vehicle with deep sentimental value, we care for your car as if it were our own.

Safe, Secure and Climate-Controlled

Our facility is purpose-built for extended storage, with 24/7 monitored security, CCTV surveillance, and controlled access. Every car is stored in a stable, climate-controlled environment that protects paintwork, interiors, and mechanical components from moisture, temperature changes, and dust – keeping your vehicle in prime condition no matter how long it’s with us.

Regular Care, Ready to Drive

Long-term storage requires more than security – it demands thoughtful care. At Pitstop 66, we maintain battery health and tyre pressures as standard, while carefully managed engine run-ups are included in our Gold and Platinum packages and available as optional extras with any plan. If required, we can also coordinate servicing, detailing, and mechanical work, ensuring your car is in perfect condition when you’re ready to drive it again.

Tailored to Your Needs

From months to years, our flexible storage plans are designed to fit around your lifestyle. Whether you’re a private owner, collector, or storing a second home vehicle, we’ll create a package that suits your requirements. Covered transport and collection services are also available for complete convenience.

Our long term car storage in Manchester is perfectly placed to support clients throughout the North West, including Cheshire, Wilmslow, Hale, and Alderley Edge. Speak to our team today to talk through your storage needs or arrange a visit to our facility. You can also view our storage packages here to see what suits you best.

What changes when a car is stored for a year rather than a month

Short storage is mostly about keeping weather off the car. Long storage is about managing slow processes, and the list of things that matter changes completely.

Fuel goes off. Modern petrol containing ethanol begins to degrade within a few months, absorbing water and forming deposits in the fuel system. For anything staying beyond six months the tank should be close to full to reduce the air space above the fuel, and a stabiliser is worth adding.

Tyres take a set. A month at raised pressure is fine. Twelve months on the same contact patch will flat-spot most tyres permanently, particularly low-profile ones. Raised pressures help; time still wins eventually, which is why a car in for a long stay is worth moving occasionally.

Seals dry where oil no longer reaches. Crankshaft and gearbox seals rely on being wetted. Over a long stay the upper ones dry and shrink, which is why a car that has stood for two years often weeps oil in its first month back on the road.

Batteries die properly. A conventional lead-acid battery left disconnected for a year will usually be beyond recovery. On a conditioner, the same battery is generally fine.

Who uses long-term storage

The three most common reasons people call us, in order:

Working or living abroad. A posting, a contract, a second home. Selling the car and rebuying on return usually costs more than several years of storage, before you count the hassle
A car that is not being used. An inheritance, a project waiting for time, a second vehicle that has become a first vehicle’s spare
Seasonal cars. Convertibles, classics and bikes that come out in April and go away in October

All three want the same thing: to come back to a car in the condition they left it, rather than a restoration project. If you are storing while overseas, our guide to storing a car while you live or work abroad covers the tax, MOT and insurance admin as well as the car itself.

How a long stay works here

The eight-stage intake is the same regardless of how long the car is staying. What changes is what happens afterwards.

Humidity in the managed area held at 55% relative humidity, measured continuously
A visual check every day the car is with us, and a record kept
Automatic battery conditioning available, and included on the premium package
Tyre pressures raised on arrival and checked periodically
Cars on long stays moved occasionally rather than left on one contact patch for a year
Our workshop on site, so anything that emerges can be dealt with without the car leaving

You can visit the car with 24 hours’ notice, Monday to Friday, 8am to 4pm. Plenty of long-stay customers never do; some come every few months.

Cost over a longer period

£150 a month for the first three months, then £165 on the standard indoor tier. £200 then £225 with managed humidity. Both include VAT.

A year on the standard tier is therefore £450 for the first quarter and £1,485 for the year. For anything with leather, chrome, original paint or real value, the managed tier at £200 and then £225 is the better sum — a year is long enough for humidity to do measurable damage, and long enough for the difference to matter.

There is no long tie-in. The minimum is one month, and if plans change you give notice and collect the car. Collection and delivery within 65 miles is included at both ends.

Long Stays and Multi-Year Storage

Advice written for a six-month lay-up stops being accurate somewhere in the second year. Fluid degradation and hardening seals replace damp as the main risk.

What changes over a longer stay is covered in storing a car for two or three years. If the car cannot be driven here, covered transport and collection explains how it arrives.

The minimum stay is one month however long the car ends up staying. Enquire here or call 0161 464 7494.