How Often Should I Drive My Car?
If you’re working remotely, you may be wondering, how often should I drive my car? Is a once-a-week trip to the grocery store enough to keep your car operating in tip-top shape? Or should you make an effort to drive your car more frequently? Letting your car sit parked for too long can lead to all kinds of problems, including a dead battery, degraded tires, and lack of lubrication for the car’s moving parts.
The most common problem with parked cars is dead batteries. Batteries lose their charge over time. The rate at which the battery becomes depleted depends on the age of the battery as well as the climate. Cold weather is bad for batteries. Driving your car around the block a few times once per week is usually enough to keep your battery charged.
Driving your car once per week is also enough to keep the moving parts lubricated. There are a lot of things in your car that can get dried out if the motor isn’t run once in a while. Take your car for a spin now and then to get the oil flowing.
Another problem that can occur when your car sits for too long is that your tires may develop flat spots. When you take your car out for its weekly spin, take the time to check the air pressure in your tires and make sure they are properly inflated. This will help ensure that your tires remain in good condition.
Here are some additional things to consider if you are parking your vehicle for an extended amount of time:
- Park the car in a safe, dry place if possible. It’s better to park on concrete or gravel than on dirt, due to moisture issues. Make sure to remove any valuables. If you aren’t going to be watching the car, you don’t want to leave anything in plain sight that has obvious value. This includes expensive GPS units.
- Clean, wax, and cover your car before storing it. This will help protect your car’s paint job from dust, dirt, and bird poop so it looks just as nice when it comes out of storage as it did before.
- Don’t use the parking brake. Parking brakes can get stuck if left engaged for a long period of time. To avoid damage, park the car in a location where it won’t roll and leave the parking brake off.
So How Often Should I Drive My Car?
Driving your car once per week is enough to prevent most of the damage that comes from leaving a car parked for an extended period of time, but don’t forget that your car still needs regular maintenance. Even if you aren’t driving it much, you’ll still need an oil change every three months.
When it’s time for your car’s maintenance checks, Auto Action’s Service Center has expert personnel who will take great care of your vehicle to keep it running smoothly at an affordable price.