Taking the time for frequent car maintenance is crucial; however, for many of us, it’s easy to assume that the vehicle’s maintenance requirements will decrease when it’s off the road.
This belief isn’t entirely accurate. Indeed, even when parked and not in use, your car requires attention to ensure it remains in good condition. Therefore, today, we’ll explore essential car maintenance tips designed to preserve your vehicle’s health while it’s inactive.
Do I Need to Maintain My Car While It’s Off the Road?
Always remember, if you are planning to keep the car off-road, you will still need to pay road tax unless you’ve registered it as SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification). A vehicle check will let you know if the car has road tax, and then you can act accordingly.
Maintaining your car while it’s on the road is about more than just giving it a wash occasionally. Indeed, leaving your car idle usually won’t do a huge amount of damage. However, this can potentially cause a few issues that you should be aware of.
Battery Depletion
One of the main issues that people will notice when their car is off the road is battery depletion. This can make it impossible to start the car without jumpstarting it first, and you may then need to invest in a new battery to keep it running. As such, checking the battery charge regularly is important if your car is off the road.
Tyre Damage and Flats
Another common issue lies in the vehicle’s tyres. Indeed, it’s not uncommon for tyres to develop a puncture or a slow leak when the car is stuck in one place. As such, there’s a good chance you may need to pump up the tyres before driving after an extended period – or potentially even replace the tyres completely if the damage is significant.
Corrosion and Damaged Parts
There’s also a risk of corrosion and damage to the car’s systems and parts if it’s left unmoved for a long time, especially if it was parked in the wet. Brakes may be among the most common parts to develop corrosion over time, but other parts may also be at risk of damage.
How Long Can I Keep My Car Parked Up?
There’s no set time for how long you can keep your car parked up. However, if your car is likely to be unmoving for around a month or longer, taking particular care may be important to prevent damage.
Always Check a Car’s Maintenance History Before Buying
By now, we’ve been looking at some of the key car maintenance tips you need to know when your car’s off the road. But what about when you’re buying a new car? Well, if you are purchasing a second-hand vehicle, checking whether it’s been off the road is vital.
Of course, many people selling a second-hand car will be doing so because they’ve already upgraded to a new model. This can leave the sale car redundant and out of work, potentially putting it at risk.
Thus, we strongly recommend checking that the car runs well before buying, and ideally, get a car check before you hand over any money. This step can help you make sure it’s had a recent MOT and to ascertain how far it may have driven (based on past mileage records) since the last MOT.
