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Will Long-time Storage Cause Damage to Your Car?

Apr 7, 2020, 3:18 pm / Richard

As the year 2020 just started, the outbreak of the noval coronavirus raged a threat all across the globe. Certainly, it's sad but we have no other option in hand either. As more and more people are staying at home to ensure their own safety, the vehicles, too, are being unused for a long span of time. Nowhere to go, the vehicles are just there in the garage! Well, if you too are wondering if long term storage will damage your car, here's what you should do!


What damage will long-time storage do to your car?

In case a car remains parked for a long period of time (more than 3 months), it is more likely to lose the power of its battery. The next time you start your vehicle, it may either call for a jump start, or you may even need to charge the battery for the engine to start. In several cases, the tires may also lose the air, and this happens mostly during the cold weather conditions. Also, the tires may develop flat spots. Thus, car storage seems to be an essential attribute to see through!


Tips to store your car properly

1. Clean the interiors

A lot of people think that there's no use of cleaning the interiors of the vehicle when you are not using it, but that's where the complication starts! You ought to make sure that your vehicle is absolutely ready when you use it for the next time. Keep the interiors clean as it would otherwise get difficult to get the space clean and tidy for your next time usage.

2. Don't use the handbrake

People often use the handbrake but that's not to be done when you are leaving your car in the storage. This is because a continuous contact of the brake pads with that of the rotors will increase the chance of their fusion. As a result, it creates a damage to your car. Choose to opt for some other methods instead such as using a tyre stopper, commonly known as a "chock". It serves your purpose of preventing the car from moving as well as ensure a minimum damage to your vehicle at the same time.

3. Park indoors or use a car cover

There could be no greater place to store a vehicle than that of the garage. It ensures protecting the car from the environmental elements as well as help it stay at a temperature that's relatively stable. If you see that the garage car maintenance provision is extremely expensive at your place, you can also prefer to opt for storing it at some public storage facility, but that may cost a lost. If you find that you failed to find an accommodation for your car, and thus, you are compelled to keep it outdoors, make sure that you get a weatherproof car cover. This will keep your car clean as well as dry. Also, it will prevent the vehicle to get dirty due to bird droppings, dust or scratches which are quite common in the outdoors.

4. Disconnect the battery

An unattended battery will lose its charge eventually. Therefore, you need to ensure that your car's battery is charged at an interval of at least 2 weeks. However, with this quarantine mode on, you should ensure that you have disconnected the negative battery cable. If you are keeping it on, there could be chemical reactions taking place. You may even choose to use a trickle charger or a battery tender so that your battery starts right at the moment you return.

5. Keep the tires inflated

This is important to make sure that you are able to prevent the flat spots. Take care that the tires are inflated to the recommended tire pressure. When you are not using the car for such a prolonged period of time, it is quite obvious that the tires tend to develop flat spots as the entire weight of the car is targeted downwards to the tire footprints. In certain cases when you already know that the vehicle would rest for a span that's more than 3 months, the best thing you would possibly do is to take out the wheels and make it rest on a jack.





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