What do I do with my car parked for a month? The 5 best tips

With the state of alarm extended by two more weeks, we bring you the 5 best tips to keep our car in the best possible condition.

The Government of Spain decreed yesterday an extension of the state of alarm by two more weeks. This means that, once the 15 extra days are over, we will have been confined to our homes for a month. Except in the express situations set out in the Royal Decree in which we may leave the house, we cannot lead a normal life outside our homes.

This has a very harsh impact on our vehicles. A car cannot be left stationary for so long without, at the very least, giving it a minimum of use to keep it running. For this reason, here we bring you the best tips for leaving the car parked for a long time without it directly leading to engine, battery, tyre… breakdowns. We have chosen 5 that we consider important. They are not ranked; no one is more important than another. We must do all of them if we want to guarantee keeping our car in the best condition.

Interior cleaning and care

Although it may seem a less obvious action than those that follow, keeping the interior of our car clean is ideal in situations like this one. In general we should keep the car clean both outside and inside. But particularly during the state of alarm, keeping the interior of the car clean will help prevent odours and damp.

We have used the word “care” because, in addition to cleaning, we must protect valuable things. We should not leave anything important inside the car, or at least not in sight. If we have an anti-theft device of any kind, we should use it and, if our car is old, remove easily removable items such as the radios.

Petrol tank well filled

The most advisable thing when we are going to leave our car parked for a long time is for the tank to remain at least half full. It is a mistake to think that, since we won’t be using it, there is no need to refuel and incur an unnecessary expense. But this advance spending can mean a saving from a future breakdown.

So if your car is low on fuel or on reserve, we advise you to go to the petrol station, which is one of the situations permitted by law during the state of alarm. When you go to the petrol station, another tip is to take the opportunity to check the condition of the tyres and raise the pressure slightly above what we usually run them at. With the car parked for a long time, the tyre tends to wear and deform, so it would be advisable to give it some extra inflation.

Fluid check

Before leaving our car parked for a long time, one more tip is to clean and check fluids, filters and oil. The coolant level must be optimal, we should change the oil before the parking period, and the filters must be up to date to avoid blockages and deterioration.

When we start the car after a while, if the previous levels of these elements were good, we will have no problems. What is more, the car will run perfectly without needing any recovery margin. It is also advisable to switch on the air conditioning once we are underway, so that the ducts work and do not clog. In short, it means making use of the car’s systems so that they stay active.

Disconnecting the battery

If we are among those who are not going to leave the house at all, or practically at all, during the month of quarantine, another tip is to disconnect the car battery. Disconnecting it means it will not discharge, since there will be no electrical consumption. Because even when the car is switched off and the engine is not started, the battery is still being drained.

We will need to disconnect the battery terminals so that the electrical circuit is completely cut off. In this way, the life of our battery is guaranteed once we want to resume driving.

https://www.highmotor.com/puedo-coger-coche-durante-estado-alarma.html

Starting it once a week or every 10 days

But if we cannot, do not know how, or simply do not want to disconnect the battery for whatever reason, we are obliged to start our car every so often. Occasional starts in which we will leave the car idling so that its systems and components work. By keeping it running, we will be keeping the battery alive and will prevent deposits from forming in the fuel, coolant or oil circuits.

If we could, it would be ideal to move it. Not just to have it idling, but once a few minutes have passed, to set off and take it for a drive to go and buy something or to fill up with petrol and check the tyres. In this way we will not only have started it, but also moved it, to avoid the tyre wear we anticipated earlier or the total drain of the battery.