Is it bad not to drive your car for extended periods of time???

J

JaCkaL829

it was my first time...
As my title states, does your car get messed up when you don't drive it on a daily basis? I really never though about it, but now my cousin has it in his head that if you don't drive your car it will eventually break down. His reasoning is based on past experience, with older cars that had very little low miles that broke down prematurely. I know hes somewhat busting my balls, probably because I haven't been taking my car out that much, and have been considering partially "garage" my car for the bad weather in the coming months. I'm just curious of your experiences with reliability of older cars with low mileage on them. I normally would think the less miles the better, but my cousin kinda got me thinking now if thats not necessarily the case.

Any experience or information on the topic, would be greatly appreciated.

:xyxthumbs
 
The fluids can go bad, and the tires can flatspot/dryrot. I'm sure there are other things too.



There's a reason people put their cars on jacks and drain all the fluids when they store them for several months.
 
I'd make sure the oil is fresh and the battery is well charged. For long term storage, new brake fluid is a good idea as well.That's what always has and continues to do the trick for me.



When you run the car, at bare minimum, make sure it reaches operating temperature. I was always told to drive the car for at least a half hour to get all the fluids flowing and mechanical parts moving sufficiently. I practice this during my weekend drives and I include a stretch of highway speeds but not immediately.
 
White95Max said:
The fluids can go bad, and the tires can flatspot/dryrot. I'm sure there are other things too.



There's a reason people put their cars on jacks and drain all the fluids when they store them for several months.
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yeah def chang your fluids after you take it out of storage..mainly oil, tranny, and anti-freeze. If you work on you car or if you have they money, change the brake, power steering fluid, and clutch fluid. About putting your car on jackstands...i here from a few people that storing a car with the suspension hanging is bad but i wouldnt know 1st hand....if you ever see ppl that store there cars on lifts its always drive on lift ...something to think bout....if you cover your tires...and rotate(ie lift the car, spin the tire 90 degrees) , and keep them out the sun they should be ok...also keep the inflation up...and please put the fuel stabilzer in their....ohh and disconnect the battery and put on wood or get a battery maintainer like this one
 
  • Use Sta-bil
  • Remove battery or leave hooked up to automatic charger
  • Leave HVAC system on vent to prevent moisture buildup
  • Be sure there is antifreeze in the cooling system if cold/freezing weather is possible
  • Leave the emergency brake engaged
  • Possibly put the car on jack stands to prevent tires from getting flat spots
 
Thank you for the responses so far ;) but maybe I wasn't being to specific in my original post. I'm not necessarily referring to a "garage queen" but a car that simple doesn't accumulate as many miles as normal. I will use my car as an example. My car is by no means a garage queen, but I really don't put a lot of miles on it. I only go to class 3 days a week, and my school is about 8-9 miles away. My commute in the morning takes about 25-30 mins and a little less coming home because I take the highway. I only work on the weekends, and since my job isn't in the best neighborhood, I rotate and take my parent's or sister's car. Its not really an inconvencience for them because I work nights, and they don't really need it. Also with winter months coming up I plan on garaging it and not driving it as much with the snow and crummy weather.

I'm wondering if not driving my car daily like most people do, will have any negative effects, as my cousin "claimed"?
 
I don't drive my car in wet weather and it rarely makes the freeway. When it is driven most people would think that I'm somehow mad at it.;) It doesn't use any oil between changes(usually about once a year on a Mobile 1 diet) either. Oh yeah, it's got 26k miles and just turned 8 a couple weeks ago.;)
 
SpoiledMan said:
I don't drive my car in wet weather and it rarely makes the freeway. When it is driven most people would think that I'm somehow mad at it.;) It doesn't use any oil between changes(usually about once a year on a Mobile 1 diet) either. Oh yeah, it's got 26k miles and just turned 8 a couple weeks ago.;)
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Damn, kinda sounds like what I wanna do. I'm hoping to keep my car in the most prestine condition, without putting a ton of miles on it. I also plan on switching to Mobil 1 come spring time, i've heard some really good things about it; runs smoother, better MPG, etc.
 
Johnny, I don't think you really have a lot to worry about if you're taking the thing out say, once a month. Think about these imported cars when they sit on the lot waiting to be sold; the dealers don't do anything special, either before they put them on the lot or when they get ready to deliver them. The only thing to keep in mind, as some of the posters have mentioned, is that there are fluids that need to be changed based on time and not mileage (and there are some issues as mentioned with rubber/tires/etc.), so make sure to keep up on things like coolant and brake fluid, as sitting quiescent will increase the likelihood of corrosion in those systems.
 
If your only driving the car once a week or every two weeks there shouldn't be any damage or harmful effects. Now not driving it for a month or more then I would do as the other posters have suggested.



I have two cars and am single so the older Buick Regal will sit for awhile, esp in the winter when the Audi Quattro and snow tires beat the RWD. I just make sure to take the Regal out at least once a week for a nice drive on the Highway to keep things in smooth operation.
 
JohnnyDaJackal- I think it's gonna vary from car to car, but generally I don't have any problems from letting them sit a lot. My '01 S8 only has 9500 miles on it and it's absolutely fine, no problems at all. I never drive my "good" cars much, always put the miles on the dog haulers, and it's never caused a problem.



Even the XJS doesn't mind sitting for *long* periods of time- it only has 16.5K and it's an '84, and I don't even use fuel stabilizer (but yeah, I oughta). Now letting the XJS sit for over three years one time wasn't so hot, that required a bit of work. But that was pretty extreme...and BTW, it started up and ran just fine on the old gas.



I overinflate the tires (or put on "storage wheels/tires"), change fluids if they sit for a year or more, and keep a "smart" charger on the batteries. I'll turn the motor over without the fuel pump being hooked up (to prelube it) when a car's been sitting for a very long time.



And I keep the humidity down, and the temps reasonable, in the garage and put them where the sunlight through the window doesn't hit them or cover them.
 
Thanks for the responses everyone, I guess I shouldn't worry too much about not using my car on a daily basis. I do hope in the near future to be able to garage my car for the winter months, and to be able to buy a beater car. Depending on if and what kind of job I get next year will determine that.
 
JohnnyDaJackal said:
.. I do hope in the near future to be able to garage my car for the winter months, and to be able to buy a beater car..
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If you are able to swing this, you'll be glad you did ;)
 
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