Why You Still Need to Drive a Little If You Are in Quarantine
With so many people working from home and physically distancing themselves – until May, by order of the Fed, and possibly longer – your poor car was probably parked outside or stuck in your garage. And this is especially true if you’ve been trying to deliver all of your groceries and other essentials instead of going out.
While I’m not saying this is a great time for a car trip – it definitely isn’t – you’ll still want to set a calendar reminder to take your car on a short trip. If you don’t, and you let it just sit there, unused, you might be in for a surprise the next time you need to go somewhere.
But here’s a fun gamble: you can let your car sit for months without driving, and that might be okay. You can leave it on for a week without driving, and it might have a serious problem (or something annoying like a dead battery) the next time you try to go to the store. There is really no way to predict this ahead of time, but don’t let it get lazy.
As Rick Popeley wrote for Cars.com back in 2016:
… you better ride it a couple of times a month and at least 10 miles, over 50 miles an hour if possible. You want not only to get your engine fully warmed up, but also to get the whole car to exercise.
If the machine is left idling for 10 minutes, the engine will warm up to normal operating temperature, but little will change. Driving the car for several kilometers awakens the transmission, brakes, suspension, power steering, climate system (including air conditioning) and all fluids, seals and gaskets for those components that have been on a long nap.
While I can’t help but agree with the assumption that your car needs “exercise,” it’s also important to let the car move a little to reduce wear on the part of your tires that rest on the ground, especially in cold weather. and your tires are losing a little more air than usual.
In a later article, Cars.com senior editor Mike Hanley noted that the main problem you are likely to face when leaving your car in the pasture is a bad battery. This is thanks to all the different components that slowly but surely drain your battery’s energy – and if you are not driving, your battery will not be able to recharge.
To avoid draining the battery, you can start the car once a week and let it run for about 5-10 minutes. (If your car is parked in the garage, be sure to do this with the garage door open to ensure proper ventilation for the exhaust fumes.) Alternatively, a battery tender will help maintain the proper voltage for your battery – just be sure to unplug it. before you go somewhere. And if you go out to your car and it won’t start, AAA and other insurance companies still offer roadside assistance.
I always thought I could jump start at times like these, but for the past many years, I’ve packed one of these beasts into my trunk. Not only did this save my bacon from jerking when no one was around, but it is incredibly useful if you need to give your tires a little air. And yes, you should check that out too, even if you don’t drive much at the moment. Get your tire pressure gauge and make sure you’re still at the factory preferred PSI, at a minimum, before heading into your quarantine vehicle for some sunshine.
Don’t forget to wash your car too, if you can. Not only is it therapeutic, it also helps keep debris out of the car, which can damage the varnish if left on for too long. Mostly I think of birds that like to poop in my car when it’s parked for more than two hours at a time. Bird droppings are the enemy, and even the slightest hint of it should be a great reminder that, hey, maybe it’s time to take a dip (that’s the smart name for your car) .
Rather than setting aside time on my calendar to wash cars, I prefer the simpler advice that Dennis Taljan of paint company PPG told Consumer Reports in 2018: “When you see some garbage on it, wash it.”