We understand that many of us have parked our cars for so long and we are getting a bit worried if the car will work the way it used to after the whole global pandemic dubbed covid-19 is over. The truth is; if you do not follow some certain maintenance steps, you may have a very dead car on your hand when the virus is finally eliminated from the face of the earth. Here are things you should do to keep your car in perfect condition during this lockdown:
Disengage the handbrake
Engaging the handbrake for a long period of car can lead to brake pads getting stuck to the drums or discs. Consequently, it will cause you a lot of headache when you decide to take the car out after a long spell of covid-19 lockdown. The best thing to do is making use of brick or wood to keep it from rolling while leaving the car on first gear.
Use car cover or park indoor
If you have a garage in your home, try and park your car inside. If not, find a quality car cover to preserve it properly. One mistake you shouldn’t make is using the car cover while it is parked indoor. When you do this especially in humid weather, it will allow remaining moisture to evaporate faster.
Caring for spark plug
Amidst this coronavirus lockdown, it is best advisable to remove the spark plug if you intend to park it for long and spray little oil right into the plug sockets before returning the plug back. This will prevent rusting of the cylinder-head’s inside and also keep away the moisture. You can also make use of fuel additives to provide proper coating protection to the inside of the car’s engine.
Interior cleaning
Before you park your car for a long spell, make sure you remove every form of dirt from the cabin and leave it as clean as possible. When you leave trash inside your car for a long time, it may cause you nightmare when rodents turn your car to safe abode. These rodents will cause enough damage to make your car disgust you when the covid-19 lockdown is finally lifted. If possible, spray little air freshener after thorough cleaning.
Fill up the fuel tank to the brim
You do not want your fuel tank to get rusted while you leave your car parked for so long. What you should do to avoid this unwanted situation is filing the tank to the fullest before parking the car for the covid-19 lockdown. This will prevent the entry of moisture into the tank, as long as you seal the tank properly before leaving the car.
Car battery
Before you leave your car for a long period of time, make sure you remove the battery and keep it in a safe place (cool and dry place). After removing the battery, use grease or petroleum jelly on the terminals and the wire ends to avoid rusting. Charge up the battery to the maximum and get the water level topped up.
Protection of car paint
If you park your car outside for long, it could damage the paint job on the car. Using car cover might not be enough at this point to prevent such, due to moisture or dust. What you need to do is cleaning the body properly and applying of wax and coat of polish to keep the moisture away.
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Jacking up the car
When you park a car at same spot for a long time, it might develop flat tyre spots. To prevent this, make sure the car doesn’t rest on its wheels by using 4 jacks to raise it up.
Changing of filters and oil
It is important at this trying terms to keep your air filter and engine oil changed if you are parking it for a long time. Note; make sure you drive it for few miles for the applied fresh oil to circulate well before you park it.
Inflating the tyres
Before you park your car for a long time, make sure you inflate the tyres properly and inspect the pressure on the tyres. When you do this, problems likes flat spots and cracked sidewalls will be duly prevented. Do not forget to check the valve caps for any leakage.
Conclusion
As long as you follow these tips properly, be rest assured that you can now enjoy your holiday without having to bother about the state of your car or covid-19.