During the few months of warm weather that we as Canadians get to enjoy, we usually end up spending as much time as we can outside. Let it be up at the cottage cruising around the Muskoka Lakes in a 30ft Chris Craft, or even taking some back road corners in a brand new Aston Martin. At the end of the day, we all have our different hobbies and different past times, though I think it’s safe to say that we all enjoy the thrill of our summer toys.
With that said, there comes a point every year that forces us to put away the sandals and bust out the heavy jackets. Old man winter does open up the opportunity for some fun on the slopes, though at the same time, we’ve got to put away our summer toys that bring us so much joy – and that is where many of us start to think “Where am I going put everything?”. There are a few possible answers to that particular question, many of which include asking a friend to borrow some garage space or contacting the first storage facility that Google musters up.
Now even though those answers are plausible and seem like a quick, simple solution… chances are they won’t satisfy your expectations. Queue Elite Custom Car Storage, the ultimate storage solution that offers a number of different services for all your motoring storage needs, varying from personalized watercraft storage, to seasonal automotive storage in a climate controlled environment.
Jack in 2010, Sean Hugh and Anissa Lotus founded ECCS in a modest 9,700sq ft. building, with an understanding of the challenges that come with storing various kinds of vehicles. Back then, Sean ran a small Security business in the office and the warehouse sat relatively empty.
The concept to store cars came about one day while contractors were onsite renovating the bathrooms, and saw Sean and Anissa’s Seadoos, a 1997 Dodge Avenger ES, and a tow-behind trailer in a corner – he then asked if he could store his Corvette alongside their vehicles. That idea led to a small add on Kijiji offering storage, and within weeks that small space was filled with a variety of vehicles ranging from luxury cars, to small boats, and even a food catering truck.
Once the demand outgrew the space and customers had to be turned away, Sean & Anissa came to the realization that there was a need for individuals to store their toys just as much as they had – earlier on, they simply had a small single car garage that was mainly being used as storage for one of the Seadoos, which had to be crammed in the corner, with no room for the other, nor for the pending purchase of a tow-behind trailer for family camping vacations – ‘Our storage problems were no different than our customers’.
Using Sean’s experience, his background with RV’s and motorboats, combined their mutual passion for cars, it was a natural progression to move to a bigger building offering 14,000 sq. ft. in Oakville, Ontario to store more customer vehicles and look after them as they would their own. Today, the business has grown based on that simple philosophy.
Parking, safety and security of a boat, luxury/exotic car or RV is increasingly becoming a challenge in the GTA. Most RV and boat storage is outdoors, which makes Elite’s indoor solution so unique. “A lot of our clients are restricted by municipal by-laws that prohibit keeping large vehicles in their driveways, so we are the best and, in many cases, the only alternative”, adds Chris Bailey, VP Business Development.
In addition to cars, ECCS allows their clients to store RVs and watercrafts that range in a variety of sizes. Here you can park pretty much whatever you have, from boats to large RVs that could be from 20 to 100 feet. You name it – they’ve got a spot for it.
To further protect their client’s privacy and security needs Elite’s address is not publicized. “Our Elite Custom Transport division can be accessed by phone or e-mail and we provide a personal response often in minutes during regular business hours or next day if in the evening or on weekends. Clients can schedule a pick up or drop off of their vehicle in one of our heated, enclosed and unmarked trailers to any location they desire: home, office, dealership, restaurant, or airport. It’s the ultimate in discreet automobile delivery.” For clients who find it more convenient to pick up their vehicle themselves, ECCS offers a VIP package where clients are provided the physical location and direct phone numbers for contact.
There are some things to keep in mind when you are leaving your car in storage for a considerable amount of time. ECCS gives an important checklist of what to do to the car to insure that it meets all the necessary requirements for the parking facility.
(1) Get an oil and filter change prior to parking the car. “It’s important to put fresh oil and a new filter in the car. Otherwise contaminants in the old oil will have a field day corroding the insides of your engine,” explains Hugh.
(2) Make sure to gas up. The tank should be filled to the brim, Hugh suggests also adding a gasoline stabilizer called STABIL. “Put this in before fueling up and run the engine to make sure that it fills the system with the stabilized gas.”
(3) The tires should be over-inflated to about 40-50 psi (pressure per square inch). This will help avoid any issues, as there is a natural pressure loss per month. Wash the car the day before dropping it off, as it is not recommended for cars to be put away wet, “unless you want to encourage rust to form everywhere the water collects,” says Hugh.
(4) Next is cleaning the wheels. “Brake dust is very corrosive and you do not want that sitting on your wheels all winter,” explains Hugh. The car’s insurance can be adjusted while in storage too. “Most people cancel their liability and collision while the car is not in use, and just carry fire, theft and vandalism coverage,” he says.
These are just a few suggestions on how to ensure your car comes out well maintained, and ready to go.
ECCS strives to deliver the ultimate stress free storage experience for not only returning clients, but to those who are thinking of storage solutions for any of their personal, and recreational vehicles. Because of the increasing number of people interested in utilizing the services that ECCS has to offer, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to start making arrangements to reserve your spot sooner, rather than later.
Give them a call today at 905.595.2581, and if you have any questions or concerns, by all means contact Chris Bailey at 905.595.2581 ext. 287. For more details, visit www.elitecustomcarstorage.com, or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Elitecustomcarstorage.