How many more weeks of lockdown until...
Discussion
...taking your vehicle out for a decent length drive to ensure its battery is topped up, to avoid problems with fluids stagnating in fuel tanks, oil sumps, coolant systems etc, to minimise the risk of bearings seizing up from lack of use etc. etc. becomes essential in its own right if the vehicle hasn't needed to be used for an essential journey in the meantime, to
a) ensure that the vehicle remains in good condition in the event that it does become required for an essential journey
and
b) to prevent an unmanageable surge of calls to the AA etc. as soon as the lockdown is lifted and we all try starting up vehicles that haven't been used for however long it ends up being
I mean, I know the average modern vehicle is a hell of a lot more tolerant to this sort of treatment than vehicles of decades gone by, but there's still going to be a point at which even the most reliable (under normal circumstances) vehicles end up dead on the driveway through lack of use, and some problems (such as unused fuel degrading in the tank) will be common to all vehicles.
a) ensure that the vehicle remains in good condition in the event that it does become required for an essential journey
and
b) to prevent an unmanageable surge of calls to the AA etc. as soon as the lockdown is lifted and we all try starting up vehicles that haven't been used for however long it ends up being
I mean, I know the average modern vehicle is a hell of a lot more tolerant to this sort of treatment than vehicles of decades gone by, but there's still going to be a point at which even the most reliable (under normal circumstances) vehicles end up dead on the driveway through lack of use, and some problems (such as unused fuel degrading in the tank) will be common to all vehicles.
Not a significant issue I wouldn’t have thought for the foreseeable future. Fuel takes many, many months before it degrades to a point that a car wouldn’t run fine, batteries can be charged and other fluids don’t degrade that quickly. Most are fine for years, rather than months.
Many people, me included, have cars that are off the road for 4/5 months every year, rarely with any issue.
If they’re off the road long enough to give widespread problems as you suggest, we’ll have far worse things to worry about.
Many people, me included, have cars that are off the road for 4/5 months every year, rarely with any issue.
If they’re off the road long enough to give widespread problems as you suggest, we’ll have far worse things to worry about.
I left my E63S in a garage for five weeks while I skied (twice). Three tyres lost pressure and it struggled to start. I understand there's a lot of electronics running in the background while these cars are parked up. I had an Audi (S8) that also didn't like being left alone for long.
Both the TT and the S3 are now sat on CTEKs, the wife's Yeti gets a run to the shops once or twice a week (delivering to both mine and my wife's mother's as they are high risk and not leaving their houses).
I will shuffle both the TT and S3 around so as to not leave the tyres in one spot for too long, but other than that I'm sure they will be fine like this for 6+ months easily (barring the occasional wash and in the case of the TT a roof treatment perhaps).
It's really a non-issue. For a person who loves cars and driving it is a disappointment, but manageable mechanically nonetheless.
I will shuffle both the TT and S3 around so as to not leave the tyres in one spot for too long, but other than that I'm sure they will be fine like this for 6+ months easily (barring the occasional wash and in the case of the TT a roof treatment perhaps).
It's really a non-issue. For a person who loves cars and driving it is a disappointment, but manageable mechanically nonetheless.
twister said:
I mean, I know the average modern vehicle is a hell of a lot more tolerant to this sort of treatment than vehicles of decades gone by, but there's still going to be a point at which even the most reliable (under normal circumstances) vehicles end up dead on the driveway through lack of use, and some problems (such as unused fuel degrading in the tank) will be common to all vehicles.
You don't know, you really don't...I have a 1963 Riley that often sits in its garage from October to April. Sometimes it starts first time afterwards, sometimes it needs a battery boost but in every case it's started and driven as if it had been parked the previous night.
I also have an Audi A8 that's currently SORNed having not been used since last September. It too will be started and driven as if it had been parked the previous night.
There's far too much unsubstantiated nonsense written about the supposed ill effects of not driving a car for a period of time, please don't add to it.
popeyewhite said:
I left my E63S in a garage for five weeks while I skied (twice). Three tyres lost pressure and it struggled to start. I understand there's a lot of electronics running in the background while these cars are parked up. I had an Audi (S8) that also didn't like being left alone for long.
Really? The merc must be in a bit of a state for that to happen. A decent tyre on a sound rim won’t lose any significant pressure in 5 weeks. Our SLK was stood for 5 weeks recently. No loss of pressure and started normally.
Tuesday I put the summer wheels back on our XF. They’ve been stored since mid November. No loss of pressure.
eccles said:
I think you're clutching at straws here. Modern cars can be laid up for weeks or months and just start up and run fine.
Since when do fluids go off and bearings seize from lack of use?
As the driver of a diesel car, I'm thinking about all of the horror stories I've read over the years from operators of backup generators and other similarly low-usage kit who've learned the hard way that diesel can and does degrade to the point of uselesness if left sitting in a tank for extended periods, particularly due to microbial growth in biodiesel which clogs filters and pumps. And this is on industrial-spec systems, which I'd assume are more tolerant to poor fuel quality than the more refined diesel engines/fuel systems many of us now have in our vehicles. Since when do fluids go off and bearings seize from lack of use?
Problem is, the information available as to how long it might take for diesel to start degrading is wildly inconsistent as it depends to a large extent on the storage conditions - the fuel industry tends to quote figures of 6+ months for storage in controlled conditions, whereas some people involved in the backup generator industry suggest even 1 month of storage can start to become problematic, and for some of us, we may now be getting close to that lower figure with the unused fuel sat around in our vehicle tanks. But then, none of the information I've found is specific to motor vehicles, presumably because it's far less of an everyday concern for drivers than for operators of other diesel powered kit where fuel is routinely left sitting around unused, so I'm left genuinely unsure whether this is only an issue for certain types of diesel powered kit, or if it is something all of us with diesel powered vehicles ought to be wary of.
Seized bearings might have been off the mark, but seized brakes are certainly a potential problem, as are aircon system leaks due to lack of use.
Please note that this was a genuine question and not just an attempt to stir up yet another Covid-related non-issue. For many drivers, like me, this will be the first time they've ever left their vehicles unused for more than a week or so at a time. And whilst I know that doing so can cause problems, I also know that I don't really know *exactly* what these problems can be (as my comment about bearings indicates), so any information on how to reduce the risk of problems occurring, from people with first-hand experience of keeping vehicles in running order after being unused for extended periods of time, is going to be genuinely useful for a lot of us if movement restrictions aren't relaxed soon.
Think with modern fuel injection it just all comes down to the battery.
I had an old Suzuki box/wagon that was in the barn for a decade. The scrap dealer come down with some massive and ugly supersize jump start thing about as big as a door, wired it up.....I ran away and presto....the car started within seconds!
I had an old Suzuki box/wagon that was in the barn for a decade. The scrap dealer come down with some massive and ugly supersize jump start thing about as big as a door, wired it up.....I ran away and presto....the car started within seconds!
In the past few years my green V8 M series TVR has spent up to 18 months sat in a garage without moving or being started or having any other attention at all. The only thing I have done is a quick battery charge, it usually takes a few seconds to start as its on carbs and it takes time for the fuel to get through. The fuel in it is probably three years old now and it started fine a few weeks ago.
Never has it failed to start on the first turn of the key and it has never had any problems during use.
However my modern vehicles left outside do require movement every couple of weeks to stop the pads sticking to the discs. I now have a routine of starting them all, allowing them to run up to temperature, during which time I sit in each car and exercise all the electrics, such as windows, windscreen squirter & wipers,electric mirrors, electric sunroof, lights etc. I then drive them forwards and backwards for a few feet and park them in a slightly different position so that the pads are on a different part of the disc.
While its nice to drive them you can still do plenty of stuff in the drive.
Never has it failed to start on the first turn of the key and it has never had any problems during use.
However my modern vehicles left outside do require movement every couple of weeks to stop the pads sticking to the discs. I now have a routine of starting them all, allowing them to run up to temperature, during which time I sit in each car and exercise all the electrics, such as windows, windscreen squirter & wipers,electric mirrors, electric sunroof, lights etc. I then drive them forwards and backwards for a few feet and park them in a slightly different position so that the pads are on a different part of the disc.
While its nice to drive them you can still do plenty of stuff in the drive.
The only components I would expect to cause any immediate problems are batteries. Modern car electronics, even when ‘sleeping’ do cause a constant drain on the battery which is insignificant over a period of days or weeks, but can take enough out to prevent starting if the lay up runs into months. Especially if the battery isn’t exactly in its first flush of youth.
When I was selling used cars on a large forecourt, a jump pack was an essential tool of the trade. Generally, a flat battery was the only thing that would prevent a car from starting after a period of disuse. Once given enough juice to crank the engine at a decent speed, the car would then be pretty much guaranteed to fire up and run as normal.
I would expect a car where the battery has been maintained during even a long layup connected to fire up instantly.
When I was selling used cars on a large forecourt, a jump pack was an essential tool of the trade. Generally, a flat battery was the only thing that would prevent a car from starting after a period of disuse. Once given enough juice to crank the engine at a decent speed, the car would then be pretty much guaranteed to fire up and run as normal.
I would expect a car where the battery has been maintained during even a long layup connected to fire up instantly.
Edited by Limpet on Sunday 29th March 15:27
Elatino1 said:
I have left loads of cars undriven for 6-12 months+
The tyres don't get flat spots, the fuel doesn't go off and once the battery is charged they all startup and run absolutely fine.
It's a non-issue. Maybe a problem after 18months+ if left outside.
I think this bit is pertinent. Some modern cars are worse than others for running services that deplete the battery when the car is parked, and some drivers do just short journeys that rarely get the battery back to a fully-charged state. There will be a lot of people calling out recovery services or traipsing down to Halfords for a new battery when the time comes... Who knows, some might panic-buy 10 each, just in case! The tyres don't get flat spots, the fuel doesn't go off and once the battery is charged they all startup and run absolutely fine.
It's a non-issue. Maybe a problem after 18months+ if left outside.
My particular model seems to be a pretty bad offender from anecdotal comments on internet fora, but I know that if I leave it unused for 2 weeks in cold weather it takes a fraction of a second longer to fire up and then locks out things like heated seats until the battery is a bit healthier. Mrs D's Honda S2000 is similar, and these are both cars that have healthy alternators and aren't used for short journeys.
As it looks like we'll be in this situation for a few months more then I have invested in a CTEK charger and some leave-in-place cables so that every couple of weeks I can charge the batteries... I've paid £110 for that lot, which compares favourably with 4 new batteries. Over 12 weeks it is comparable with a tank of petrol to do "topping up journeys", and definitely compares favourably with both the shame of being fined by the police as well as the potential of £960 fines if I keep doing it.
I think the fear of diesel degradation will be the least of your worries after several months in quarantine.
Provided the battery is disconnected my old Golf will happily sit outside for many months and start up straight away.
I leave the handbrake off as it has a tendency to stick - but even so will just free up when setting off with a thump.
Spend your time worrying about staying healthy IMO.
Provided the battery is disconnected my old Golf will happily sit outside for many months and start up straight away.
I leave the handbrake off as it has a tendency to stick - but even so will just free up when setting off with a thump.
Spend your time worrying about staying healthy IMO.
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