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Thread ID: 134422	2013-06-30 02:35:00	Car Question : What to do when leaving it parked for 4 months	Deathwish (143)	PC World Chat

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
1347533	2013-06-30 22:33:00	Thanks a lot guys, you have all mentioned some good stuff which had not even crossed my mind. Have put together a big to-do list now to take care of it all. Car will be parked behind a locked gate (and covered if I can find a reasonably priced one) so not worried about theft and stuff and if you guys say that's the most of my worries then I'm mostly relieved! Parents will check up on it but my dad has a habit of revving cars like crazy after starting it up - I'd rather avoid thinking of all the things that could go wrong in a car parked out in the cold being revved up to red line so just gonna take the battery out. I'll ask if they can push the clutch and brake pedals a couple times a month too so it doesn't get jammed up. In addition to the advice PCW wise sages have offered you, best wishes for a successful completion of your Basic. Good luck. :thumbs: Thanks mate, looking forward to it :D Four months is really not a long time to leave a car especially when you will be back for five days in the middle of this time. Disconnecting the battery is certainly a wise thing to do. Having to recharge a battery is no big deal though. Maybe you could get a reliable person to take it for a run now and then so the tyres are rotated and the battery is kept charged. I have seen people who have been away for a year or more and left their car garaged and on blocks. When you said that you are off on Basic training does this mean that you are joining the military. Thanks for the re-assurance, now a little concerned about the tyres but I figure if I slightly over inflate them they should be OK right? Yup, by Basic training I mean the NZ Army basic also known as 'All Arms Recruit Course' held in Waiouru	Deathwish (143)
1347534	2013-06-30 22:50:00	It may pay to check with your insurance company. They may want to know that it is left unattended for so long. If you are not storing it at your address they may want to know the new address. If you do not tell them that the address has changed they may use that as an excuse to get out of paying out and you know that insurance companies do not need much of an excuse not to pay out.	Roscoe (6288)
1347535	2013-07-04 09:42:00	Thanks for the re-assurance, now a little concerned about the tyres but I figure if I slightly over inflate them they should be OK right? I can't answer that but my Dad mentioned the other day that when they left their car for six months they had to replace all the tyres when they got back as they were buggered. Next time they put the car up on blocks and had no issues after that. It may pay to check with your insurance company. They may want to know that it is left unattended for so long. If you are not storing it at your address they may want to know the new address. If you do not tell them that the address has changed they may use that as an excuse to get out of paying out and you know that insurance companies do not need much of an excuse not to pay out. Very good point. On our house policy it is a requirement to notify our insurance if our house will be unoccupied for more than eight weeks so I would be inclined to notify them about a vehicle being left for a while also.	FoxyMX (5)
1347536	2013-07-06 01:04:00	I can't answer that but my Dad mentioned the other day that when they left their car for six months they had to replace all the tyres when they got back as they were buggered. Next time they put the car up on blocks and had no issues after that. :D	feersumendjinn (64)
1347537	2013-07-07 06:12:00	Thanks for the re-assurance, now a little concerned about the tyres but I figure if I slightly over inflate them they should be OK right? even 6 months won't do anything to tires. i had cars parked up for years with out issues. keeping tire pressures up will help and keeping them out of direct sunlight if possible. main problems you get is battery going flat, handbrake sticking on (just leave it off) and tree leaves rotting causing rust (cover it). letting the battery go completely flat damages it, but 4 months should be ok with a good battery. otherwise just charge it up before you go. also keep it in a dry aera. vehicles that i've had parked up rusted surprisingly quickly.	tweak'e (69)
1347538	2013-07-08 10:35:00	even 6 months won't do anything to tires. i had cars parked up for years with out issues. Bollocks! I'm a mechanic, and have been for 36 years, and have seen hundreds of tyres develop flat spots through being parked stationary for extended lengths of time, having to be replaced.	feersumendjinn (64)
1347539	2013-07-09 07:00:00	Bollocks! I'm a mechanic, and have been for 36 years, and have seen hundreds of tyres develop flat spots through being parked stationary for extended lengths of time, having to be replaced. what was the age of the tires? and how long where they parked up for? btw what is the old saying about trademen who spout on about who long they have worked in the trade ??	tweak'e (69)
1347540	2013-07-10 09:06:00	no bites ? small story for ya. one of my old vehicle was parked up for 6 months at a time, then was parked up for a few years before being wrecked. the tires where donated to cuz for his project which has now been sitting at the workshop for the last 2 years. had a look today and the tires are fine. BUT there was one tire we threw out.....the SPARE tire. so the tires have been fine for a good 4 years parked up but the spare failed in under 2 years sitting in storage. next example is all the trailers, campers, hot rods etc that get used once a year. don't see them all needing new tires every year. so obliviously there is another factor at play here. whats the difference between my old spare tire and the rest......age. the spare would be an easy 10+ years old and the rest about 6 years. i suspect what your seeing as "damage by being parked stationary for extended lengths of time" is tires that are past there used by date. thats easily done for a vehicle that doesn't see much use. especially if they are buying cheap or 2nd hand tires which can be half way through there life span. add in quality of the rubber which could change life span by a large number of years. so if you parked your car up for 4 months and the tires fail, then the tires where probably stuffed anyway. just be thankful they failed while being stationary.	tweak'e (69)
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