Why car storage is not straightforward.

Apart from your house, it is more than likely that the next most expensive asset you own is your car.

For some people a car is just a vehicle that gets them from A to B, and sometimes it will be cleaned at their local supermarket and even be treated to a service now and again.

But for us petrolheads our cars are much more than just a car, they are our pride and joy, we love driving them, detailing them, going on road trips, attending shows and coffee meets, our cars provide the utmost satisfaction and can even help with one’s mental health as recently told by Vint-tro member Alex Eddy, which can be read on our blog "Cars & My Mental Health". 

This car addiction, and let’s face it, it is exactly that ‘an addiction’, does cause us many problems when we have two or more cars. Space and keeping them secure often becomes an issue so this is where car storage companies play their part. 

Like any service or products, car storage companies tend to differ somewhat and we recommend that you undertake quite an extensive research when considering storing your pride and joy, so we have listed below what we feel is vital questions and research you should consider when appointing your storage provider.

In priority order;

The first question to ask is; whether your car is insured whilst in storage because we know of many storage facilities that are promoting storage when they have no actual cover in place, relying on you to provide cover under your everyday policy.

But did you know your Insurer more often than not will not cover your car when in a storage facility?. Please do check with your Insurer first before committing to any storage facility who does not have their own Insurance cover because in the event of theft, fire, flood or any damage to your car, you will have no claim against your storage provider should the worst happen. 

It is also worth noting that any vehicle which is supposedly insured under your own policy whilst in storage, and the storage provider does not have edequate cover to store cars, the cars Insurance company will subrogate should anything happen where a claim is made.

At Vint-tro our storage starts at just over £100 per month which includes fully comprehensive Insurance, 24/7 CCTV, steel reinforced doors, alarm, floor rising bollards, security gates and sensor activated points. 

We know storage is being offered for less but has no Insurance and not the security that we offer. Remember it may be a little bit cheaper, but for as less as £1 per day more, is it really worth the risk? 

Simply make sure your storage provider has adequate Insurance cover and ask for a copy of their certificate, we suggest if this can not be proven, think about the risk of losing everything!

Storage facilities need to be discreet, away from main roads and only accessible by the occupants of the premises. If a storage facility provides you their address to bring the car over, who else have they provided this information too?

We always meet the owner and their car prior to committing to storing their vehicle for them.

Our storage is on a private estate, gated and can only be accessed by the business operatives and landlord. Our clients have to make a request within 48 hours to remove or view their vehicle. We do not allow ad hoc turn ups.

It’s also worth thinking about, are the surfaces and road that leads to the storage facility in good and even condition, the last thing is for your pride and joy is to be driven on muddy or uneven uncared for road surfaces, because damage could be caused to the underneath of your vehicle or worse, your front carbon splitter!

Upon storing your car, at Vint-tro we always carry out a precheck, walking around the vehicle with you and checking off the condition and storing digital images on file. We suggest you make sure this happens when storing your vehicle, the last thing you need when collecting your car, is to find there is a ding, scratch or dent that was not there before. If no signed checking in sheet is provided, the damage simply could be “it has always been there” 

We also know that many storage companies upsell a detail or full valet when going into storage, simply why? What we recommend is that your car be expressed washed removing all dirt and road salt. Our Express wash includes a two bucket wash, snow foam, interior vacuumed and dried using air dryers and soft drying towels. It is vital to air dry the brakes too.

When it comes to car covers, we only recommend our super soft 180gsm lycra covers, which are only £110.00 but of course this is your choice and we’re happy for you to supply your own.

When you wish to remove your car from storage, this is when we will offer our detailing services. Our Exclusive Valet priced at £99.00 or our Full Valet & Sealant which is £130.00 is the most popular.

Our Collection and Delivery services are not branded, we don’t want our customers vehicles being followed now do we! We offer fully enclosed and open top transport and collection can be arranged anywhere around the UK and Europe.

Newer tyres don’t really suffer from flat spots, contrary to what many believe, so it’s not really a major issue, however for your peace of mind we offer soft floor matts for your car to sit on should you store a car long term with us (over 12 months)

It is worth noting whilst the above is true, it does not apply to vintage cars or those using non-belted tyres. We believe the best practice is to deflate your tyres by approxiamtley 10 psi less to what the manufacturer recommends and put your vehicle on axles stands if storing for long term (over 12 months)

Your vehicle electrics can quickly drain the power from your battery so it’s best practise to charge it to full capacity prior to storage. You will also need to think about conditioning your battery whilst your vehicle is in storage, we only use Ctek and these are available to purchase from us or rent. Again we are happy for you to supply your own, but it must be a UK specicified Ctek.

While we offer car, bike and boat storage among others. We have worked hard at providing premier storage facilities to our members at affordable rates, plus we don’t tie you to any long-term contracts.

So finally, we hope this blog provides you with some insight to what you should be looking out for when selecting your car storage provider.

Peace & Love