Many car owners assume that not using their cars for months on end would not cause any trouble. What could be the damage if it’s not even used after all, right? Well, the answer is unfortunately no. Car maintenance experts advise that you should use your vehicle at least several times a month for a total of 16 kilometers minimum in order to best protect your car.
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1. Damage of leaving your car unused for too long
If you leave your car unused for too long, it can lead to the risk that the car battery will not be recharged by the engine and gradually lose its power. When you need to use it again, jump starting the car will completely drain the battery of energy and it won’t be able to move.
If you leave your car unused for too long, it can lead to the risk that the car battery will not be recharged by the engine and gradually lose its power
On the contrary, driving a few kilometers once in a while allows the battery to recharge when the engine is running. For this reason, in the case that the car owner does not have too much use for the car, not only should they still occasionally start the engine but they also need to actually operate the car, i.e. leave the engine running for about 10 minutes after the initial jump start, which helps the engine to warm up to normal operating temperatures. Better yet, you should take the car out for a few kilometers to ensure that all other parts such as gearboxes, brakes, suspension system, temperature monitoring system, internal fluids, etc. of your car get their needed workout after days sitting in the garage.
Use your car at least twice a week to protect its critical parts
Getting A Car Running That's Been Sitting For Years
2. Reasons you should not leave your car unused for too long
If you leave your car in the garage for a considerable period without using it, even in the best storage conditions, the car tire will eventually go flat. The entire weight of the car compressing the tires will increase the number of wear points on your tires. Therefore your tires should be pumped as needed and your car used occasionally if you do not want the tires to go flat and retain permanent damage.
If you leave your car in the garage for a considerable period without using it, the car tire will eventually go flat
Furthermore, leaving your beloved car unused for too long makes it an ideal shelter for many kinds of rodents. Under proper conditions, they will make a nest under the car roof, in the exhaust pipe, among other places. As bad as that sounds, it actually can get even worse. If the rodents feel hungry, they might even chew on any part of the car, from the cables to all other parts made of organic material. You certainly don’t need us to tell you how harmful that can be to your car.
Leaving your beloved car unused for too long makes it an ideal shelter for many kinds of rodents
Finally, long-term inactivity of your car also creates opportunities for high humidity to develop in the fuel tank, causing leaks and permanent erosion especially to fuel tanks that are not full. You can check out our article on what happens if car is not used for long time?
