subie25

Hello everybody, I have a 2008 Legacy that is in great shape and less than 30,000 miles. I really like it and don't mind having an 'older' car relative to the miles when I return. The main reason I bought a new car was to have it from 'start to finish' and so it would be reliable. I have a garage to store it in, but it probably won't be started more than once every couple months. Where it will be stored, the temperatures will range throughout the year from 0-100*F. It's a relatively dry environment, but lots of rats. Here's a list of what I'm planning to do to preserve it, but know I'm missing some things. 1.) Wash, vacuum, clean interior, wax. 2.) Change oil, anti-freeze, power steering fluid, brake fluid. 3.) Put some sort of additive/preservative in the fuel, then top off tank. 4.) Remove spark plugs, spray some sort of oil in cylinders, put spark plugs back in (not sure what's best?) 5.) Heavy duty garbage bag over the intake. 6.) Rag in the tail pipe. 7.) Cover exposed metal (brakes, where else?) with WD40 8.) Remove battery and put on trickle charger 9.) Put car cover on 10.) Leave list of things to do before running the car (i.e. remove air intake cover, etc) 11.) Leave a ton of rat traps and poison around. My main questions: 1.) I'm having a hard time deciding what to do with the tires. I've heard that with modern radials you don't have to remove them and that it's better for the suspension to have the wheels still on. What would you recommend? 2.) It will be parked on a cement floor, should I try to put down kitty litter or a plastic sheet to prevent moisture? 3.) If I leave the tires on, should I park them on 2x4's or plywood? 4.) Should I leave windows partially cracked? 5.) Is there any sort of coating I should put on window/trunk seals to reduce the chance or rotting/cracking? 6.) Is it important to change all of the fluids now, or can some wait until I return? (The car has not had it's 30,000 mile checkup, it's at 28k right now) 7.) Any specifically recommended preservatives for the fuel or other fluids? 8.) What kind of oil to put in the cylinders? I have heard something about 'fogging' the engine through the air intake. Should that be done instead? 9.) Would it be worth it to try to put down 2x4's and plastic to form a seal around the car cover to keep rodents out? Am I forgetting any crucial steps? Thank you very much for any feedback.