By Nelson Xavier Ssenyange
Question: Many of us have turned to parking our cars in order to balance off the expense of living due to increased fuel prices. How can we keep the cars in excellent condition while they are parked?
Answer: Hello, thank you for your question, here are a few simple tips on how to maintain your car in top condition and ready to use when you need it again.
- Fuel – To avoid condensation before leaving your car for an extended period of time, try to fill it up to the top of the tank. This will help with additional precautions that may become problematic if left to accumulate over time.
- Battery maintenance – Start your car at least once a week. This ought to be a trip that lasts 15 minutes or longer, and you should keep starting the car once a week. The battery will be recharged as a result, helping to maintain the engine's health.
- Brakes – It is a good practice to release the parking brake and move the vehicle a short distance back and forth to prevent the brakes from seizing.
- Garages – Don’t run a car engine inside a household garage as the exhaust fumes can be toxic. If you keep your car in a garage, pull it out onto the drive to run the engine to charge the battery.
- Tyres – Before driving the car after a long period parked up, check all of the tyre pressure and inflate if needed.
Other tips include:
- Clean and polish the car.
- Make sure the car is dry if you’re storing it in a garage.
- If the car's in a garage, make sure there's plenty of ventilation.
- Check your engine oil level and change if needed
- Arrange for an oil and filter service
- Lubricate locks
Getting back on the road
Before you start a car you haven’t used for a long time:
- Check that the car service is still current.
- Check tyre pressures.
- Check nothing’s nesting under the bonnet or has chewed through the pipes/hoses.
- Check all fluid levels before starting the engine.
- Check the brakes as they may have seized up if the car was left with the handbrake on and try putting into gear and driving gently.
- Arrange a full service once it’s running again if your car has been standing for a long time
The mechanic is Nelson Xavier Ssenyange, Team Leader at Germax Auto Spares & Garage. Naalya - Uganda. Find him on Twitter @NelsonSsenyange
Every Tuesday, get answers to your questions about cars and auto maintenance. Send us an email at editorial@nilepost.co.ug or use the hashtag #NPAskTheMechanic to submit your question.