Originally Posted by
RubeRad
So everybody in this forum uses their car less than if they didn't bike commute. Some people 100% less (car-free), some 20-40-60-80% less (few-day-per-week bike commuting), but there are bound to be some full-time bike commuters (like me) that still hang on to their car for occasional use.
Are there any special car maintenance concerns for cars with extremely low usage?
I don't want this to turn into a car mechanics thread (my car has this problem, what's going wrong, how do I fix it, etc.), I just want to know if there are any low-use car maintenance pitfalls that other bike commuters have learned about.
For example: I've driven my car (2002 VW GTI VR6, 140K mi) only about 550 miles this year. I've gotten gas in it maybe 4-5 times this year, because I only fill it up to about a quarter. I once had a lawnmower need a rebuild once because I let it sit with the same (CA) gasoline for too long, and it turned to jelly, so I needed to start adding fuel stabilizer. Is that something I should do with a car too?
Are there any other parts (hoses? fluids? tires? belts? etc) that especially degrade from just sitting and need special attention?
I don't have a car (car-free for life), but i think i can help you..!
You wanna look at your coolant hoses and inspect for dry rot. Wiper blades should be kept inside the car and attached when car used vs left out in the elements. You should run it every 4 days or so for about 15 minutes to let the coolant & other fluid systems circulate. Unhook the battery if you plan to leave it for more than 3 weeks and simply re-attach the leads when you go to use the car or start it or you could end up with a dead battery out and about even if it starts initially. Get high mileage or heavy duty synthetic oil put in, it will not gunk as easily over time. Check power steering fluid levels, as that tends to evaporate or leak through older seals. One last thing, is get a cover for it, one you can put into a bag, keep the bag in the hatch/trunk. Covering it is probably the most you can do for a car, even one in perfect condition, because water is the arch enemy of stored vehicles. Keep tires inflated to minimum pressure, and check to ensure your brakes have good pressure and not too much brake pedal travel. The parking brake should be left on and the shifter in park wheels put straight.
Good luck!
- Andy