Lincoln Nautilus: Storing Your Vehicle / Preparing Your Vehicle for Storage

If you plan on storing your vehicle for 30 days or more, the following maintenance recommendations ensures your vehicle stays in good operating condition.

Under various conditions, long-term storage may lead to degraded engine performance or failure unless you use specific precautions to preserve your vehicle.

General

• Store all vehicles in a dry, ventilated place.
• If vehicles are stored outside, they require regular maintenance to protect against rust and weather damage.
• Make sure all linkages, cables, levers and pins under your vehicle are covered with grease to prevent rust.
• Move vehicles at least 25 ft (7.5 m) every 15 days to lubricate working parts and prevent corrosion.
• Fill the fuel tank with high-quality fuel until the first automatic shutoff of the fuel pump nozzle.

Engine

• Change the engine oil and filter prior to storage because used engine oil contains contaminants which may cause engine damage.
• Start the engine every 15 days for a minimum of 15 minutes. Run at fast idle with the climate controls set to defrost until the engine reaches normal operating temperature.
• With your foot on the brake, shift through all the gears while the engine is running.

Body

• Wash your vehicle thoroughly to remove dirt, grease, oil, tar or mud from exterior surfaces, rear-wheel housings and the underside of front fenders.
• Periodically wash your vehicle if it is stored in exposed locations.
• Touch-up exposed or primed metal to prevent rust.
• Cover chrome and stainless steel parts with a thick coat of auto wax to prevent discoloration. Re-wax as necessary when you wash your vehicle.
• Lubricate all hood, door and luggage compartment hinges and latches with a light grade oil.
• Cover interior trim to prevent fading.
• Keep all rubber parts free from oil and solvents.

Hybrid Battery Systems

We recommend the following actions for your vehicle:

• When storing your vehicle for greater than 30 days the state of charge should be approximately 50%. Additionally we recommend disconnecting the 12V battery which will reduce system loads on the HV battery.

12 Volt Battery

• Check and recharge as necessary. Keep connections clean.

Note: It is necessary to reset memory features if you disconnect the battery cables.

Brakes

Make sure the brakes and parking brake release fully.

Note: If you intend on parking your vehicle for an extended period after cleaning the wheels with a wheel cleaner, drive your vehicle for a few minutes before doing so to reduce the risk of increased corrosion of the brake discs, brake pads and linings.

Tires

• Maintain recommended air pressure.

Note: If you intend on parking your vehicle for an extended period after cleaning the wheels with a wheel cleaner, drive your vehicle for a few minutes before doing so. This reduces the risk of corrosion of the brake discs, brake pads and linings.