Car parked for long time: Tips to maintain your car.

Last updated on October 3rd, 2022 at 01:22 pm

Car parked for long time don’t worry here are some Tips to maintain your car During Corona(COVID-19) Lockdown. While everyone locked in their homes from couple of weeks, it is important not to forget about our vehicles. If your simply washing your car to keep it virus-free, it will not work because there are more important steps to ensure that your car is ready to drive when the lockdown ends.

While government-mandated lockdowns enforced to slow the spread of the coronavirus(COVID-19), You are not using your cars and they are parked in your parking from long time as it is. Your car whether it’s electric, V8-powered, bargain-priced, or ultra-expensive didn’t factor. The best way to keep your car in good condition is to keep it moving.

WHAT CAN HAPPEN WHEN YOU STORE YOUR CAR LONG-TERM

Leaving a car parked and unused for extended periods is more complicated than it seems. From a logistics standpoint, you’ve got to figure out where to park it, how much your storage solution will cost, and if the cost of storage works with your monthly budget! From a mechanical standpoint, you have to consider the effects that long-term storage can have on your car’s components.

There is absolutely no need to panic if you are not able to drive your car outside on roads. Here are some quick steps to help you ensure that your car is ready for a spin again:

Clean your car when possible

Clean your car regularly from outside as well inside. When it is parked from long time chances are more that it will remove your car shining. Dust will also effect to your ac and other things in car.

Parked in a safe covered area

After wash you car, its good to park your vehicle in covered area. If you don’t have covered area use can use car cover to covered it. If you don’t have car cover you can park your car bellow tree. Ensure your car is not in sun’s direct contact. It will harm your car’s color and many more other things.

Inflate the tyres properly

The worst damage you could do to your car during this period is by not moving it enough. The tyres could potentially deflate and develop cracks under the constant pressure of your vehicle if you leave it in the same position for weeks. There are a couple of easy ways to tackle this.

One option is check the pressure in each of your tyres. It’s quite possible that tyres could have gone down if your car hasn’t been used. You can check them yourself at home with a tyre pressure gauge or at your nearest filling station. You can use your own tyre pump or use those available at petrol and service stations.

If a car is left for a long period of time this can lead to flat spots. Your tyres can losing their round shape, especially on older tyres. Second option is to move your car a bit every alternate day to ease pressure on the tyres. If you have a drive-way at your home, try moving the car on it for a few minutes to give the tyres the much needed roll to stay in shape.

It’s crucial you check both the condition and the pressure of your tires before any journey. Look for any cracking in the sidewalls of all your tires – any visible damage might mean you need to change your tyre.If you have a spare in the boot, you can make use of this.

Do not engage the parking brakes

There are chances that the brakes on your car can be damaged if you leave the hand brakes on. To avoid that use a stone or a tyre stopper to stop any movement of wheels.

There’s a big chance that handbrake or parking brake on your car could be stuck. It make pain for you if not used for long periods. You can reduce the chances of this happening by occasionally doing the handbrake on and off – but make sure you only do this when the car is parked on a completely flat surface and chock two wheels if possible.

If you keep your car securely in a garage, you could choose to engage first gear (or use P for an automatic) and place chocks around the wheels to prevent any movement.

Take down the battery and store in a safe place

If you try to start your car after a long time, the chances are that the battery will die down. It is now necessary to turn the ignition and check the battery at least once every week to keep it running for you. Just turn on the car, turn on AC and any other features that run on your car-battery to make sure everything is fine and working properly. Check the battery indicator for any hint that your battery needs attention. In case of electric or mild hybrid vehicles, it is important to turn the ignition and let engine idle for about 15-30 minutes once every week.

An older battery may not last as long, and a small drain can completely sap it over time and you can find in trouble. I suggest using a multi meter to check whether the voltage is dropping. It’s easy to do, takes just a few minutes, and requires no car-specific knowledge.

If the multi-meter shows about 12.6 volts after the car has been sitting for at least an hour, your battery is healthy. Check again after two or three days later. If the voltage has dropped significantly, you’re now in trouble.

If you’re not driving your car for long periods at a time, it will be the battery that starts to complain first. You might notice your car is slower to start when you get back after couple of weeks to your car, and that’s because your battery has been slowly discharging since the car was last driven.

Fill up your fuel tank

woman-in-yellow-shirt-while-filling-up-her-car-with-gasoline

While you may not be taking your car out daily, keep the fuel tank sufficiently filled for any emergency if possible. This is just to avoid situation where you are left high and dry on the road during a lockdown. If the fuel in your car is less, then the air above the fuel might condense and store moisture inside the tank over a period of time which could cause rusting in your car’s fuel tank.

In case you do not have your tanks filled up, no need to go out now. Make sure your fuel tank is checked and cleaned when you head out after the lockdown ends.

Oil, coolant, washer fluid and lights

Whenever you drive your car anywhere, you should only need to check things like oil, coolant, washer fluid, and whether all your lights are working properly, once before you start driving a regular amount again. But make a point of doing this to reduce the chances of an unnecessary breakdown.

Top up your:

Top up oil if required, but only after safely draining used oil and its corrosive elements. Take your car on one last essential journey so that the fresh oil can circulate around the engine.
fuel, to prevent moisture from accumulating in the tank and rust developing. Adding fuel stabiliser will extend its lifespan too.
coolant, to ensure you’re ready to drive once essential travel restrictions are lifted.
window wash, to make sure your car is prepared for its next outing on the road.

It’s also a good idea to use your air conditioning for a few minutes on your essential journeys and other things which are working on battery to avoid expensive component damage from long periods of inactivity.

Wipers off the screen

Do not forget to off the wipers from windshield of your car. Because hot windshield can damage your wipers and you will need to change it.

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Gireesh

Gireesh has been reporting on cars for over 10 years. He might have a keen eye for all type of fuel cars but he has a soft corner for electric cars. Gireesh also enjoys a good drive or ride after a hectic day at work and like to watch movies.