Tips to keep in mind when storing your car

Here are some tips to keep in mind when storing your vehicle, so that it will run smoothly when the time comes to drive it again.

If you have the luxury of owning two cars, from time to time, you will tend to use one more than the other. The car that is driven the least is usually stored some place until the need arises to use it again. Many won’t think twice when storing a vehicle away for a considerable length of time. But, an automobile isn’t like a t-shirt that you can keep in a corner, taking it out a year later and it’s as good as the day it was stored.

Often times than not, if a car isn’t used for a long time, it will be worse off the day you bring it out of storage than the day it went in. Cars have thousands of moving parts and a number of different fluids, to make sure that everything remains in perfect working order after storage, here are some tips to keep in mind.

If the vehicle is going to be stored for a while, disconnect the battery from its terminals. If you are storing it for a day or two, this isn’t needed. But if you require the vehicle to be stored for many weeks at a time, then it would be prudent to remove it.

Take it to the car wash and get it cleaned thoroughly. This is so that the food and other particles are washed away. If left unclean they can attract small insects, which is like an open invitation for the little critters to move in and setup shop. Also remove any carpets you might have in the car. Leaving them trapped inside for a prolonged duration can leave them smelling a little musty later on.

Inflate the tyres according to recommended storage levels. Even if the tyres aren’t punctured, if left for a prolonged duration, air will, ever slowly, escape from the tyres and if left long enough, leave you with four flat tyres.

It’s also good practice to cover the exhaust and intake pipe with a cloth or a rag to prevent insects and other small animals from entering, living and breeding there. Trust us, its one of the smarter things to do. Rodents can be a menace especially for a parked car â€" it’s prime real estate for them.

Wrap or remove wiper blades from their place. Leaving them on your windshield will eventually cause them to stick you windshield and that’s a problem you don’t want to have.

Lastly, replace all the fluids with a fresh batch to prevent them from destroying components or even the engine. Fill your fuel tank till its full and make sure to include a fuel stabiliser to prevent breakdown of fuel composition. The reason you need to fill the tank till its full is so that there is very little air in the tank. Air has moisture, which can cause rust to occur inside the tank.

There are several other tips you need to consider but many of them require knowledge of handling mechanical components and if you don’t know what your doing, you can cause your car more harm than good. These tips should help you somewhat but make sure you make a list of what you’ve done. Once you’ve taken the car out of storage you know what to remove.

For more news, reviews and features visit the Motor Trader website at www.motortrader.com.my.

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