While it’s best to drive a car at least every couple weeks, I’ve gone a month or longer between driving a wheelchair adapted van to help family members. The van is used infrequently, only for medical transportation.
While it’s best to drive a car at least every couple weeks, I’ve gone a month or longer between driving a wheelchair adapted van to help family members. The van is used infrequently, only for medical transportation.
Good advice.
I remember listening to the old "Click and Clack" radio show when they said it is best to drive the car every 2-3 weeks until it reaches operating temperature. That way the tires don't get flat spots, all the internal parts and seals of the drive train get lubricated and the battery gets recharged. They said that just starting the car and letting it idle instead of driving it wasn't a good alternative.
If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything.
Thank you, everyone, for the suggestions. Ideal it would be best to leave it with someone to watch over it and start it up from time to time. My experience has been you really have to trust the people to leave your vehicle with because it does not always happen. Right now, I don't see that as an option.I have left it behind for shorter hikes, such as the Colorado Trail, without any issues. A few weeks is different than a few months. I figure I could blow up the tires and get my oil changed after I return, but the rest of the car is a different story.
4eyedbuzzard had some great points about:
I had not even considered some of the issues he mentioned. It sounds like even if I did get someone to watch my vehicle, I should still add in some type of treatment to evaporate the water and have the car professional serviced before any major driving.
Wolf
Is it covered or out in the open? Obviously covered and on a dry floor (reduces condensation under the body/chassis from ground water vapor) is the best option. If you can't have somebody start and move it periodically, it would be better for the tires if you could put it up on jack stands, and add some fuel stabilizer and disconnect the battery (prevents the battery from discharging due to parasitic drain from the car's electronics). Also, leave the parking brake OFF so if it does freeze up, it won't be stuck on. The good thing is that you'll be doing this in summer - leaving vehicles sitting in winter (especially outside) is far worse. I think you'll likely be okay, just expect some brake rust and maybe a little squealing when you get back and be prepared to jump start it if necessary and change the oil.
"That's the thing about possum innards - they's just as good the second day." - Jed Clampett
I forgot to mention one step I took to address condensation under the car when I stored my '65 Mustang for winters. I put a large tarp on the concrete garage floor to act as a moisture barrier before putting the car up on blocks. This is something a lot of people with older cars did for storage. It also prevented the occasional fluid leak from hitting the concrete floor. One problem I did have during the 4-5 months of winter storage for the mustang was that the gasket/seal for the oil pan would sometimes fail resulting in oil leaking on the floor. That's probably not an issue for modern cars.
Lots of good ideas,but some are overkill. Not today,but pre Covid it was not unusual for new cars to sit in lots for 6 months or more waiting for the right buyer. You can be sure they were not on jackstands. Permanent tire damage was a problem for bias ply tires 40 years ago. Not so much for modern radial tires. To be sure,modern cars have lots of modules and one or more computers always drawing voltage,so a battery tender is a good idea. You can disconnect the battery,but you can lose radio presets and some parameters the computer has stored. Better to just use a battery tender. Mice are likely the biggest hazard,have fixed lots of wiring that they chew off. Mothballs spread on the floor around the car seems to help repel them. Have a good hike!
Good advice. But also, large dealerships (Ford, Mazda, Toyota, GM etc) all also rotate the cars around. People are test driving them but they also get the sales people out to flip cars around every few weeks. So when someone drives by, "Hey! They got NEW (car model name) in!" Well, maybe. Maybe they just moved the trucks over to the north side of the lot, the X model to the south, the used cars are still on that lot but the used sedans are up front with the trucks in the back, except for that custom truck which they just put up on some elevated ramp, which used to have that high dollar luxury sedan on it.....
For a couple of bucks, get a weird haircut and waste your life away Bryan Adams....
Hammock hangs are where you go into the woods to meet men you've only known on the internet so you can sit around a campfire to swap sewing tips and recipes. - sargevining on HF
You won't have any problems with tires. Do disconnect the battery and add fuel stabilizer (easy). The prius battery is a main concern, but sounds like nothing you can do about that. I wouldn't worry much for would I do anything special upon return. No need for major service. We left our mazda for 9 months with just those 2 precautions and it worked right away upon return and ran for many more years (it was already an old car when left).