Vehicle Storage 101: What You Need to Know

In a sense, owning a vehicle means freedom. It could take you to places far away from home, and bring you exciting adventures you wouldn’t have been able to take on foot or by bus. However, this freedom may take a toll on how you accumulate more of these adventure allies. We sometimes run out of garage space to keep them all in one place.

But you might be wondering, is vehicle storage too big of a deal?

Of course! Just like any prized possession, storing your cars, boats, and RV should be done most safely and securely possible. If you’re having a hard time finding a storage space for your vehicles, then it’s best to seek help from a self storage facility. Most facilities offer indoor or outdoor parking, as well as driveup storage for your property. You can even get climate-controlled units if you want your luxury cars to be kept as fresh as they can be.

Types of Vehicle Storage

As mentioned, there are different types of vehicle storage and each type has a specific level of security, size, protection, and cost. Your type of vehicle should also be factored into choosing your type of storage. Check out some of these popular storage types per vehicle.

• RV – Outdoor Parking & Covered Parking
• Car – Indoor & Driveup Storage
• Boat – Outdoor Parking & Covered Parking
• Small Vehicles – Indoor Storage

Driveup Storage
If you want your vehicle to be stored in an enclosed space, then an indoor with driveup access is the way to go. This is great for luxury cars, motorcycles, as well as recreational vehicles. It almost feels like an extended garage that provides optimal protection against earthly elements.

Outdoor Parking
If your vehicle is too large to fit in an enclosed space, then outdoor parking is your best choice. It usually is your best bet when it comes to storing campers, trailers, RV, large boats, and commercial vans and trucks. Most storage facilities have a dedicated open parking area for these vehicles. While it isn’t the most protected way to store your large vehicles, it often is the most affordable.

Covered Parking
If you want protection that goes halfway between a driveup unit and outdoor parking, then covered parking is a viable solution for you. It’s more similar to an open parking space, only that it’s covered with a protective roof. It may not protect your vehicle from all elements, but it sure does help minimize exposure to sun and precipitation. As for the price point, it’s commonly cheaper than a driveup storage unit, but not as cheap as outdoor parking.

Now, what are the things to consider for your vehicle storage?

Access
When comparing facilities, try to find out and determine whether their access hours fit your schedule. Being able to conveniently access your vehicles when you need them matters big time. Most facilities offer extended access hours so you might want to confirm that too.

Security
This is one of the most important features a self storage facility could offer for your possessions. After all, it’s the primary reason why we’re entrusting our vehicles to someplace else. Security measures like electronic gate access, surveillance cameras, 24/7 on-duty staff are just some of the things you can double-check with the facility you’re after.

Ready to get your vehicle stored? Make sure to follow these guidelines!

Perform a maintenance check
Do a basic maintenance check for your vehicle before you hand it over to your trusted facility. Remember, you’ll be leaving it in storage for a while so things like coolant levels, tire pressure, oil, and filter should be checked before storing.

Clean your vehicle
Try your best to clean out the interior and put out anything you don’t want to get into the storage area with your vehicle. Make sure you’ve removed important papers like insurance and forms.

Make use of a battery maintainer
Also called a float charger, this will help keep your vehicle’s battery from drying out while it’s being stored. What it does is that it continually monitors the battery level and sends power signals as needed to ensure the battery stays on top of its game.

Check us out at Arcos Storage so we can help you run the basics when it comes to giving your vehicle the best protection it deserves. Our facility managers will be glad to help you in the process.