How often should you drive a car? (Edit: To prevent a dead battery or deterioration from disuse)

[Bullitt$Bill]

There are many threads here about storing a car during winter months. If you can’t drive it for a good drive during the winter months to burn off the moisture I wouldn’t even start it up. Use a battery tender to keep the battery topped off. The fuel in the tank will be ok for the months of storage in the winter time. I would use up the 93 until the tank is about empty and top it off with the non ethanol 91. Some use a fuel stabilizer with the ethanol fuel. I like to use dryer sheets around the engine bay for rodents who like to chew up wires and make nests. They don’t like them and stay away. There might be a few other things you can do but can’t remember at the moment. Good luck and congrats on the new Mustang!

PS - Be careful driving in cold temps with summer tires they can get squirrelly driving and can crack.

Perfect advice from my standpoint. I add fuel stabilizer before it’s parked for the winter. The marine grade stuff is the best from everything I’ve read. Don’t start it up unless you can take it out and really get everything up to operating temp - at least for 15-20 minutes of driving.

Depending on the tires be really careful if it’s cold. No traction depending on what they are if it’s cold. Add some extra air to them to help keep them from flat spotting. Tires drop 1 lb for every 10 degrees in air temp anyway. Even if they flat spot a little I‘ve never had an issue after a mile or so.

I’ve been doing this for over 17 years with multiple types of cars and never had an issue with any of them. I drive a truck in the winter.

Good luck! I can relate to having to put it away. Just got my Bullitt and will hate to park it. Might get some snow flurries here Friday! Tires were not happy this morning - even in wet/snow mode at 40 until they had some heat In them. It will be parked soon. :(

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[Vlad Soare]

As often as you possibly can. Life is too short.

 

[ice445]

I don't think it's that serious honestly, I'm currently restoring an old Taurus that's sat for AT LEAST 2 years, because the original old lady who owned it died. Still has the same fuel in it since forever, and it runs fine. I understand wanting to be extra careful with our expensive toys, but your only real concerns are mice (newer cars have very tasty wiring apparently) and batteries dying from not being on a tender. Everything else isn't likely to give you any issues.

 

[IrishStallion]

I try to run it 30-40 minutes 1x per week. Been on E for over 2 years.

 

[gadgtfreek]

As often as you possibly can. Life is too short.

 

[Jhonda]

Drive it more than my dad. He has a 2004 Mach 1 with less than 10000 miles on it. It sat so long that he had to rebuild the front caliper(leaking) couple of years later the transmission started slipping I believe due to clutches getting dry. Couple of years after that had to tow it to ford to get the key reprogrammed cause it lost its memory

 

[bnightstar]

Looks like it's that time of the year again (mine is in storage since last week) but here is what the manual says:

VEHICLE STORAGE

If you plan on storing your vehicle for 30 days or more, read the following maintenance recommendations to make sure your vehicle stays in good operating condition.
We engineer and test all motor vehicles and their components for reliable, regular driving. Under various conditions, long-term storage may lead to degraded engine performance or failure unless you use specific precautions to preserve engine components.
General

• Store all vehicles in a dry, ventilated place.
• Protect from sunlight, if possible.
• If vehicles are stored outside, they require regular maintenance to protect against rust and damage.

Body

• Wash your vehicle thoroughly to remove dirt, grease, oil, tar or mud from exterior surfaces, rear-wheel housing and the underside of front fenders.
• Periodically wash your vehicle if it is stored in exposed locations.
• Touch-up exposed or primed metal to prevent rust.
• Cover chrome and stainless steel parts with a thick coat of auto wax to prevent discoloration. Re-wax as necessary when you wash your vehicle.
• Lubricate all hood, door and luggage compartment hinges and latches with a light grade oil.
• Cover interior trim to prevent fading.
• Keep all rubber parts free from oil and solvents.

Engine

• Change the engine oil and filter prior to storage because used engine oil contains contaminates which may cause engine damage.
• Start the engine every 15 days for a minimum of 15 minutes. Run at fast idle with the climate controls set to defrost until the engine reaches normal operating temperature.
• With your foot on the brake, shift through all the gears while the engine is running.
• We recommend that you change the engine oil before you use your vehicle again.

Fuel system

• Fill the fuel tank with high-quality fuel until the first automatic shutoff of the fuel pump nozzle.

Cooling system

• Protect against freezing temperatures.
• When removing your vehicle from storage, check coolant fluid level. Confirm that there are no cooling system leaks and that fluid is at the recommended level.

Battery

• Check and recharge as necessary. Keep connections clean.
• If storing your vehicle for more than 30 days without recharging the battery, we recommend that you disconnect the battery cables to maintain battery charge for quick starting.

Note: It is necessary to reset memory features if battery cables are disconnected.
Brakes

• Make sure the brakes and parking brake release fully.

Tires

• Maintain recommended air pressure.

Miscellaneous

• Make sure all linkages, cables, levers and pins under your vehicle are covered with grease to prevent rust.
• Move vehicles at least 25 ft (7.5 m) every 15 days to lubricate working parts and prevent corrosion.

Removing Vehicle From Storage
When your vehicle is ready to come out of storage, do the following:

• Wash your vehicle to remove any dirt or grease film build-up on window surfaces.
• Check windshield wipers for any deterioration.
• Check under the hood for any foreign material that may have collected during storage such as mice or squirrel nests.
• Check the exhaust for any foreign material that may have collected during storage.
• Check tire pressures and set tire inflation per the Tire Label.
• Check brake pedal operation. Drive your vehicle 15 ft (4.5 m) back and forth to remove rust build-up.
• Check fluid levels (including coolant, oil and gas) to make sure there are no leaks, and fluids are at recommended levels.
• If you remove the battery, clean the battery cable ends and check for damage.

Contact an authorized dealer if you have any concerns or issues.

 

[Rapid Red]

There are many threads here about storing a car during winter months. If you can’t drive it for a good drive during the winter months to burn off the moisture I wouldn’t even start it up. Use a battery tender to keep the battery topped off. The fuel in the tank will be ok for the months of storage in the winter time. I would use up the 93 until the tank is about empty and top it off with the non ethanol 91. Some use a fuel stabilizer with the ethanol fuel. I like to use dryer sheets around the engine bay for rodents who like to chew up wires and make nests. They don’t like them and stay away. There might be a few other things you can do but can’t remember at the moment. Good luck and congrats on the new Mustang!

PS - Be careful driving in cold temps with summer tires they can get squirrelly driving and can crack.

40* or greater is a MUST, forget cracking it's all about traction. I'm sure your dealer mention that fact.

Live in Atlanta , picked up my car April, dealer made that point no less then a dozen times as I signed the birth certificate .

I would also add store it with a full tank of fuel . Topping it off will prevent moisture from accumulating inside the fuel tank. I do this for anything gas powered .

PP2 you say ... smart. That's a really really great choice oh did I mention PP2 is a really great choice.

 

[Rapid Red]

On another site for older cars, the question of starting it up to charge the battery came up. Someone who had some knowledge in electronics did some math, and he calculated how much juice it took to start the car, then figured how long you had to drive it, at normal cruising speed, to put more into the battery than you took out to start it. Not sure but it's more than you think, like around 45 minutes. Any comments?

Alternators have a quick recover time. If the car is stored so long that the battery becomes weak. Starting it to charge the battery. Pie in the sky thinking.

Alternator needs RPM to charge a battery, just because it's spinning does not equate to charging. There is an RPM related threshold. That needs to be reached before the circuit starts to operate or charge.

Cars do not have an amp gauge, so you will not see it happen. The voltage gauge shows out put. The required voltage to charge, develop and replace the amps used in this case to start the car.

If you had an amp gauge, you could see the following. Ing. on amp reads +30A, Starting the car it goes - 30a Once running it could read +20 or 30 replacing battery power used.

As you begin to drive, it will step down nearing 0 as the battery recovers. Never will it read 0, reason the battery needs constant replenishment. For the amperage required of the electrical systems in use .

The cars electrical systems gets its power from the battery not the alternator.

Taking this one more step what this also tells you. Even if you can red 12VDC. It does not indicate that a battery will have the juice to crank the car.

Cheers

 

[bnightstar]

Damn, it sounds like more work than just driving it...

Mine is in storage since last week it took a good car wash and topping of the fuel as I already had changed the oil previous week but it's basically: oil change, car wash and gas station. I usually take it out for a spin around the block every 2 weeks or so when is dry outside. Last year I think it snowed like twice or so and was possible to drive the car in December and January. I actually use my Fiesta for the winter with a set of winter tires.

 

[Briebee72]

Yeah I just drive mine. If it snows out i then drive the beater that day. we have a car wash down the street that has a fairly powerful undercarriage wash so i run it thorugh once a week. touchless not the brush kind. heck with that storing it . Seems a lot more work then driving it as another member posted. I mean yeah if you are in alaska or canada. but most of the lower states snow doesn't just sit on the roads for 5 months. Not gonna store it just because its cold. plus it has a snow mode LOL.

 

[Rapid Red]

Yeah I just drive mine. If it snows out i then drive the beater that day. we have a car wash down the street that has a fairly powerful undercarriage wash so i run it thorugh once a week. touchless not the brush kind. heck with that storing it . Seems a lot more work then driving it as another member posted. I mean yeah if you are in alaska or canada. but most of the lower states snow doesn't just sit on the roads for 5 months. Not gonna store it just because its cold. plus it has a snow mode LOL.

I agree, I'll be taking mine out weather permitting. Cup 2 tires have conditional requirements to be considered.

 

[Briebee72]

I agree, I'll be taking mine out weather permitting. Cup 2 tires have conditional requirements to be considered.

I live in the mountains at 3000 feet and we only get snow maybe twice a year. Then they have the street plowed and clear by next day. Like I said other then some far north states I really dont think many states get snow that just sits around on the streets for days and days. (unless a big storm) really no point in storing it. Now people in Alaska and upper Canada and the more northern European countries and such, sure I get it. But the lower 48.... eh not really much need for storage.

 

[Andrew@Lethal]

Like many people, I'm working from home and not going out as often as I did during "normal" times. Maybe once a week, I try to fire up my Mustang and take it for a drive, if, for no other reason, to try to keep the battery alive. But, I'm just kind of wondering, is once a week really "often" enough? Are my gaskets and seals drying up? If I only run it once a week, is there enough of an oil film on the parts to prevent startup wear? Is there corrosion happening on internal engine parts or accessories?

I'm probably being paranoid, but when I was in college I didn't need to drive much, and that car had tons of problems (leaks) with the air conditioning. I wonder if it was because the car was sitting a lot.

You're good. Just start the car and let it idle for a couple minutes in your driveway once every 2 weeks if you really aren't driving it so the battery can charge up. Or just buy a trickle charger for the battery.

 

[Rapid Red]

You're good. Just start the car and let it idle for a couple minutes in your driveway once every 2 weeks if you really aren't driving it so the battery can charge up. Or just buy a trickle charger for the battery.

I agree with the battery tenders, have 4.

I disagree with let the let car idle business .

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