Sometimes you just aren’t able to drive your car as much as you want to, but there are some things you need to be aware of if you’re letting your car sit. Follow these tips from Keeton Auto Repair if you’re not driving your car as often.
The Battery Is Likely to Die
Car batteries are a bit like Tinkerbell: they need attention in order to continue to thrive. The best way to do that is to continue to drive the car. When you let the car sit, the battery slowly discharges and eventually can go completely flat. If the battery remains without a charge for long enough, cells in the battery start to die off and can’t be recharged at all.
Rubber Parts Are in Danger of Failing
The rubber parts of your car, including tires, hoses, and belts, can become weaker more quickly when the car spends a lot of time sitting. This can lead to some really big issues, like belts failing when you do turn the car on again. If the car does need to sit, make sure that you check over the rubber parts for damage before you start the car up again.
Tires Lose a Lot of Air
Another issue that tires can face is that as the car sits, the tires lose air. It isn’t unusual that this happens but if the car is sitting for a really long time this can affect the rims and even permanently change the shape of the tires. Checking the air in the tires every couple of months can help you to stay on top of what’s happening with the air pressure.
Fluids Can Have Trouble, Too
The fluids in your car’s engine and gas tank have expiration dates, believe it or not. After a few months, gasoline can go bad and shouldn’t go through the car’s engine. Oil and coolant that have sat for months are not able to do the job that they need to do, even if it seems that they’re okay. You’ll need to change out those fluids before starting the car up in order to keep the car in the best possible condition.
Keeton Auto Repair in Overland Park, KS can help you to get your car ready to run again if it’s been sitting. Contact us today about what we recommend and how we can get you back on the road safely.
