The Coronavirus lockdown can be a fairly long time for a vehicle to stay idle in a parking spot. So, here are some tips to maintain your car and have it ready for when the need arises.
With the surge in Coronavirus cases across the country, there have been several lockdowns and unlocks happening in different parts of India. So while we social distance ourselves from people and places with a lot of people as much as we can, one of the many things that are not being used right now is our cars. There are a few things that you can do to make sure that while your car is parked for so many days in a row, it is ready to go once the need arises.
– Tyre Pressure
When the tyres are kept idle, they tend to lose air pressure over time. This might lead to the tyres developing cracks in the sidewalls. It is best to have them inflated properly. Even if your tyres are not losing pressure, just move the car around a bit so that it does not rest on the same patch of tyre for so long as it may lead to a flat spot. Also, if you do happen to go for filling the air in your tyres then do not forget to fill up the spare wheel too as it could come in handy in emergency situations.
– Disconnect the Car Battery
If you are not using your car, then you might want to disconnect the battery as it could get discharged. The other way would be to start the car and let it run at idle for a bit once every week.
– Cover Your Ride
Speaking of being idle, your car will be gathering dust, bird droppings, leaves, flowers and bearing direct sunlight which might damage the paint for days at end. Best to clean the car once and don’t forget to do it on the inside too in order to remove chances of surprising yourself with a bad smell when you get into it. If you like it (your car) then you should put a cover on it!
– Fill Her Up!
It is best to have a full tank of fuel in your car because you don’t really know when you will be able to visit the fuel pump next or whether it will be open at that time and whether the prices would soar. Also, the air above the fuel in your tank could condensate which is something you don’t want.
– ‘Park’ it
We would recommend letting go of your car from the clutches of your parking brake/handbrake when your car is standing idle, especially if you park your car on an incline or decline like on parking areas built outside flats, as it might end up getting jammed. You can put a wedge beneath the tyres to stop the car from rolling over or leave the car in ‘Park’ mode if you have an automatic transmission-equipped car.
So there you have it, some tips to take care of your car when it stays out of action for so long. Having said that, social distancing is important and don’t leave your house just for your car as it can be fixed later on as well.
