Since the lockdown, UK drivers have used their cars far less than normal. Whilst it would be nice to assume cars can remain unused for a couple of months and then just get straight back on the roads, unfortunately, this isn’t the case. With the government also extending required MOTs for six months, now more than ever it’s important that you look after your vehicle ensuring it is kept roadworthy.
Here are our top tips to keep your car in good condition even if it’s not being driven.
If you’re one of the many people that are working from home or have more spare time on your hands, now is the time to give your car the attention you’ve been meaning too. Some basic maintenance on your vehicle could be the difference between a trip to the garage or a long road trip once lockdown is lifted. Check out our previous blog ‘Prepare Your Car for the Summer’ to see how you can check your coolant, air conditioning and tyre pressures.
Many of us won’t have used our cars for weeks and others will have only made occasional short trips, meaning for some of us, our cars may not start when we need them to.
Without being used regularly, car batteries can lose charge, resulting in not enough power to start the engine. In fact, the RAC has reported that they have dealt with more at home flat battery breakdowns than ever during the lockdown.
Although this is more likely to be the case for older, weaker batteries, even newer or brand new batteries can fail if they haven’t been used for long periods. There have been many rumours circulating that the best way to overcome this is to simply start your car occasionally and leave it running for a few minutes. WRONG. This may result in you draining an already weak battery. We would recommend instead that once a week you try and drive your vehicle for roughly 15-20 minutes to bring it up to its fully functioning temperature and charge.
Top Tip: If there are two cars in your household you may want to consider alternating your essential trips in them so they both get a run.
Now that you have the time, keep on top of your car cleaning schedule more than ever. It’s tempting to just leave it unwashed if it’s not being driven but any debris from bad weather or bird faeces can lead to long term damage to the exterior of your car.
Check out our previous blog for how you can give your alloys some extra care and attention.
Top Tip: Don’t just switch on your windscreen wipers immediately if you have a dry dusty windscreen – any grime or grit on the wipers means you risk scratching it. We always recommend a good washer fluid and only turn on your wipers once you’ve wet your screen first.
We may be biased but we couldn’t think of a better time to make sure your car is looking its best, so why not take advantage of this time to invest in that cosmetic maintenance you’ve been putting off. If you’d like to discuss your mobile repair options to get your alloys looking good as new, with a true expert in the field, get in touch with one of our specialist team today who’ll be more than happy to help.
If you need your alloy wheels repaired, Prestige Wheels is here to help! You can come to our repair centre or get one of our highly skilled technicians to come to you via our mobile repair service (available in the North West, including Manchester and Liverpool).
