Not only has the pandemic affected people, but it is also doing a number on vehicles. With the stay-at-home rule in place, cars are left to sit idle in garages or parking spaces for an extended period.
But despite being stuck working at home because of the Covid19 situation, this doesn’t mean that you can’t protect your car’s state and maintain its good driving condition. In this article, I’m going to show you ways on how you can improve your car and protect it properly.
Drive Your Car At Least 30 minutes
Most people think that just starting the car and letting it idle will do the trick but unfortunately, your car needs more than that. It is recommended to have the car be driven for at least 30 minutes and be taken out for a drive at least once a week.
You need to drive the car long enough for the battery to get fully charged, and the fluids to get to a certain temperature. This is essential to keep your car in good driving condition. It would also do your car good to turn the air conditioning on to ensure that your car is working properly.
Inspect Your Battery Life
When you’re not regularly using your car, you risk draining the battery. There are two ways you can help keep your battery life healthy. One way is to drive your car at least once a week to get it fully charged. This way you reduce the risk of battery discharge. Another way for you to keep your battery life from being drained is to properly disconnect it.
Check Your Tires
What happens when your car is not used for an extended period is that the tires can get flat spots because of the weight of the vehicle. To ensure that this won’t happen, it’s good practice to give your car a good spin. In case you won’t be able to do this, you can also move your car forward and back especially when you’re not using it.
Another good practice for you to do is checking tire pressure and making sure that the tires are inflated to the manufacturer’s recommendation. Some people, especially the ones that expect their cars to be idle for an extended period, have their cars on stands to avoid flat spots.
Clean Your Car Regularly
Not only should you think about cleaning the exterior parts of your car, but you should also thoroughly clean the interior. Aside from this being hygienic, you’re preventing your car from getting unwanted visitors. Most pests and vermin like to feast on wires and belts, and take refuge in engine compartments so make sure that you inspect your car regularly.
For additional protection, have your car thoroughly disinfected, ask your local auto shop for this service.
Inspect Your Brakes For Corrosion
Depending on the type of car you’re using, some cars corrode quickly than others. Expensive cars have brake parts that are made of cast iron which corrode easily. If your car is part of the higher end, make sure that you regularly check your brake and brake rotors. Corrosion, if not taken care of, will cause major damages to your car and serious safety risk for you.
Get Your Free Quote With A-Protect Warranty
Even with regular maintenance, car issues and breakdowns are unavoidable, this is why we at A-Protect Warranty offer a comprehensive extended car warranty plan for your car needs. You can choose from over 10 different package options and about 25 different coverage choices. Get your free quote today!
Key Take-Away
Working from home has changed a lot of how we live our lives and how we take care of our possessions, one of which is our car. Back in the days, we didn’t have to worry about having flat spots on our tires or getting unwanted visitors living in our engine compartment. But because of the global pandemic, we’re forced to stay at our homes and have our cars unused for extended periods.
Nevertheless, although we’re stuck at home most of the time, you can still keep your car in good driving condition by simply following the ways on how you can protect your car. The least you can do is give your car a good spin at least once a week.