Cars has been built to be cars and it should not be treated as an expensive household decoration thus they do not appreciate sitting in one spot for too long.
Before you hit the Road for long trips it is crucial to Triple check your car before heading ahead for road trips. Check the following to make sure that your car does not have these issues if your car has not been driven for ages;
- Flat battery
If you haven’t started and run your car for a great amount of time you may find that you might have a flat battery. It might be as simple as Jump-Starting the car to revive it but depending on the age of the battery, if the engine does not ignite, you may need to replace it.
- Noisy brakes
When you start to drive your car and you hear a grinding noise when braking, this could indicate a build-up of rust on your brake rotors. This can seemingly be dangerous and it is better to get it checked out as soon as you possibly can.
- Low tyre pressures
If your car has not been driven for an extended periods of time, you might find that the tyre might have lost some of pressure. Drive to a service station and pump those tyres up or if unsure take it to a garage and they should be able to not only add pressure to your tyre but they will also check if it needs replacing! The recommended tyre pressure (PSI) for the tyres on the car should be in the owners manual.
- Pre-existing issues
It is crucial to check the oil, coolant, brake, clutch, power steering and transmission fluids before you start your vehicle. If your car had any pre- existing issues throughout the lockdown, such as a coolant or oil leak, these particular issues are likely to have continued and may worsen if you haven’t been checking on them. If your car has been sitting idle for couple of months, it might need a thorough check; if unsure about these pre-existing issues, take it to your local garage and they should be able to check it for you.
- New issues
It is probable that your car may have developed new issues due to being idle for a longer period of time, that is why it’s important to do a visual check of the vehicle and also to make sure to check all of your levels. Check the lights on the dash that might just pop up, leave the vehicle idle for few minutes and double check your engine bay, underneath the vehicle and check to make sure all the lights (headlights, Fog lights) are working coherently.
It is important to check for leakage and everything is working as it should.
With that said, If your car is not running properly or you notice any issues, get it checked out from your local mechanic.
In the event your car doesn’t feel safe, or doesn’t start at all, you can organise for a mobile mechanic to come to you. It’s better to be safe than sorry, the last thing you would want is for a disaster to happen. A smooth running car is a getaway to freedom.