How to Maintain Your Car During a COVID-19
Car care tips for maintaining your vehicle when it's not being used
April 16, 2020
A car parked in the driveway or street has the same number of working parts as a car driven everyday. Maintaining all parts of your vehicle, even when it’s not being driven regularly, will help extend its life and ensure it’s ready to go when it’s needed.
The following car care tips will help keep your parked car in working shape while you’re taking a break from driving.
Drive your car once a week
Optimally, you should drive your vehicle at least once a week for 30 minutes. Even a short drive will help maintain the car battery and exercise the engine.
Inflate the tires
Inflate your tires to the maximum PSI to avoid flat spotting. Refer to your vehicle’s manual or the tire sticker attached to the inside of the vehicle’s door to determine the correct tire and air pressure for your vehicle (your vehicle’s optimal tire pressure is NOT the tire pressure listed on the white walls of the tires). Our Tire and Wheel Repair Guide has additional useful tips on tire care and maintenance.
Top off fluids
Top off the gas tank and consider adding a fuel preservative or a fuel stabilizer to help extend the life of the fuel and prevent corrosion in the fuel lines and engine.
- Keep on top of oil changes.
- Top off the windshield solvent and antifreeze (if needed). Keeping your coolant mixture at a 50/50 ratio of antifreeze and water will keep your coolant from freezing unless temperatures drop well below zero. Colder conditions may necessitate a 60/40 or 70/30 ratio of antifreeze to water. If your car has forced induction with air-to-water intercoolers, make sure to fill the intercooler system with the same mix of antifreeze and water to prevent a cracked intercooler and a flooded engine.
**Once you’ve topped off and changed all of your car’s fluids, take it out for a final ride in order to circulate the new fluids.
Clean your car
Wash your car weekly, even if it’s parked. Rain, bird droppings, and tree sap can all damage the finish.
- Wash and wax your car or truck to protect the paint and finish.
- Polish the chrome.
- Clean out food wrappers, soda cans, and other trash.
- Vacuum the inside, including the trunk.
Check & maintain the car battery
The average car battery will last three to five years, but a number of factors (including the weather) will affect battery life.
- If your car is a newer car, the battery may need to remain attached at all times in order to preserve the computer’s memory; in that case, connect the battery tender to the battery while keeping the car’s hood open to run the cables into the engine bay.
- If it is permissible to remove the car’s battery, and the car is being stored for longer than a month, attach the battery to a battery charger or battery maintainer.
Repel rodents
Rodents LOVE to make homes and nests in cars and trucks. Unfortunately, they can chew through wires, eat through fabric, and leave messes and nests that jam up your vehicle’s components. Most hardware stores and automotive parts stores sell various sprays and granules to repel pests. Other rodent-deterrents include dryer sheets, D-con, traps, mothballs, sulphur, and steel wool.
Cover the car
If you know you won’t be driving your vehicle for some time, consider covering it with a quality breathable car cover or a cover and a car jacket.
You can count on us (a note to our customers)
Like you, we’re monitoring the latest news about the COVID-19 coronavirus. We know you need your vehicle running its best. That’s why we’re doing our best to keep you informed, answer your calls, and process and ship your orders. We want you to have confidence that you can continue to order your OEM parts, make changes to your account, and track your order on TascaParts.com. We’re grateful for your business as well your patience and understanding.
Our promises to our customers
You are our #1 priority! The Tasca family always puts customer service above all else, and stands by our promise to deliver:
- Genuine OEM parts and accessories
- Brand new items (you will NEVER get a used part or accessory from us)
- Top-notch, personalized customer service (we’ve even won awards for our customer service)
- Guaranteed 100% order accuracy when provided with your VIN
- Unbeatable pricing
With 40% or more off list prices everyday, our OEM prices are seriously among the lowest that you’re going to find.