+1.

I've seen some really nasty pictures of torn down Harley Davidson motors whose fair-weather owners only used them for short "bar-hopping" trips and never let them get warmed up to operating temps.

+1
It's long standing knowledge in the used car world, that low mileage "station cars" driven daily 5 miles to the train station and back suffer greatly for that compared to those driven on trips of an hour or more. Those short haul cars suffer more engine wear, and shorter exhaust system life.

I don't know about California winters, but in cold weather you can see the water condensed out of the exhaust vapors drip out of the tailpipe. It takes a while to warm the pipe and stop that, then longer to purge (boil off) whatever water was condensed in the pipes.

Yup. You can see that out here on the left coast too (at least in Northern California, don't know for a fact about San Diego).

Well sure it's better to store a car on jack stands, no question. And if you're doing that, definitely don't have the parking brake on.

I always use the parking brake on cars even with automatic gearbox, mainly because I'm used to manual and always use it anyway. But I know how Park works by simply sticking a pin through a hole in a metal plate, and something hitting the car can damage the gearbox. But if the car is parked in a garage on level ground, the parking brake really isn't needed.

I guess actual storage and low use need two different sets of care instructions. A cover is good in either case, jack stands for longer storage without any startups.

- Andy

Make sure you top up the gas tank to prevent rust, keep the oil changed as old oil has contaminants that can damage the engine, keep the tyres properly inflated, and find a method to keep the battery charged.

You can do this by starting the vehicle and letting it run for 20 -30 minutes every two weeks or get a trickle charger.

Don't set the parking brake, it can result in fusion of brake parts.

Our vehicles sometimes sit for months at a time... our car sat for over a year before I insured it and our JEEP spent the summer in the driveway as we didn't need it.

Now that winter is upon us the JEEP will probably see more use and the car may sit for long periods if the roads are bad.

I change the oil and wash it every year, whether it needs it or not! Actually, I do drive it occasionally just to keep it lubricated and check the tires as other people mentioned.
On a side note, a friend was complaining about their car and the harsh weather we just had. I told them I cleaned the snow off the car and put it in the garage to stay clean in case I needed it this winter. I loved the look on his face!

Marc

I don't know a ton about modern suspensions, so i'm wondering if jack stands would be a good investment even for vehicles used a few times a year? I have heard that leaf springs can fatigue over time just sitting there, but i'm not sure about coil shock absorbers or modern struts etc.

- Andy

Leaf or coil, spring sag over time is one of those myths that simply won't go away.

Wow, I don't check over a long weekend, and you guys continue to bring the advice! Thanks for all your feedback! I think the #1 and easiest reco to follow is to keep the gas tank full rather than near empty like I had been.

Fortunately I don't need a cover, since the car lives "indoors" -- on the 4th floor of a parking deck at work, so it never sees rain or (direct) sun. (It is annoying how filthy it gets though, just from wind-borne dust!)

Selling the car is also good advice, but with a 14-yo coming up on driving soon, I'd prefer to hang on to this car we know and trust, rather than face the loathed task of car shopping.

Long trips vs short, I've understood that as well, but can't do much about it. Next weekend will see some longish trips to a debate tournament, I'll use it for that. I'll bring it home from work for Christmas -- get the oil changed, and I've known it needs brake pads as well.

This has been a good thread to read. I'm only driving my car about 2000 miles/year now (just to/from music gigs and rehearsals) so the advice about the battery is good.

Some pretty good advice here. I think you want to change the oil every 6months even if it does have the miles on it. I would recommend driving it every once in a while just to keep fluids fluid Especially if it something you need so that you son can drive it down the road otherwise you might have repair bills due to it sitting and not being used.

Quite right; it is loading cycles (especially extreme ones) that will cause conventional steel springs to sag.

If the vehicle isn't registered and insured for public roads, backing up and down the driveway a few times while letting it get fully warmed up is the next best thing to actually driving it. To some, this may seem wasteful of fuel; like I said above, it depends on your priorities.

Again, this is a myth and unless you drive a truck or a very old car you won't find leaf springs and these don't really wear out unless you overload them.

The springs under our Jeep are 23 years old... I would only change them because if I wanted a little lift.