Are you traveling for a business trip or vacation without your car? Maybe you thought of keeping it in a paid parking until you come back, or even in your building garage for long-term parking time.
Either way, long-term parking is more than keeping the battery alive. If you don’t take some easy steps, the damage will hit your vehicle hard and affect your car valuation in Dubai.
Cars are expensive investments and their value depreciates over time due to natural wear and tear. That is why regular maintenance and care are very important to ensure the longevity of your vehicle and you can visit: tractor trailer parking.
If left undriven, a car loses its value almost immediately because of the depreciation of its parts, especially the tires. In light of these facts, here are some things to consider to increase the lifespan of your vehicle and prevent unnecessary damage
Battery
The first aspect that concerns people who immobilize their car for a long time is the battery.
When the battery undergoes a prolonged deep discharge, it will be necessary to replace it.
To avoid that, you can unplug it, ask someone you trust to run the car regularly or keep the battery level utilizing a charger connected to a mains socket.
In most cars, disconnecting the battery prevents small consumers from discharging the battery.
However, in other recent cars, disconnecting the battery can become a nightmare since some electronic components lose their memory without an energy source. Not to mention the anti-theft security that sometimes activates when you start fiddling with the battery (which the computer may perceive as suspicious).
Engine
The issues here primarily concern fluids. The latter do best when they are stirred regularly, and if you wait too long some of them can start to congeal and the oil can even become muddy. However, that needs a long time and can’t happen in two months.
If you park your car for several years, the engine oil turns muddy and much too viscous, which makes its extraction very difficult.
To avoid that, ask someone you trust to run the engine for 20 minutes a week to heat the engine and circulate the oils.
If you do this on a “high performance” car, you may need to run the car for 40 minutes.
The period of immobilization determines everything. Thus, if you have a vehicle that you no longer drive, it is better to let someone else drive it.
Even if you are out of the country, you can sell your car online and use the cash for something more beneficial than a degrading vehicle.
Tires
Let’s not forget our dear tires when we opt for long-term parking! If you leave your car on site for weeks/months, your tires may deform in a problematic way. A flat spot can form where the tire is resting on the ground. The rubber of the tire can then memorize this shape.
This will cause the tire to wear unevenly, which could easily lead to a blowout (and a scary trip home). It might also damage part of the tread if it wears down too far.
Besides, a deformed tire will wear out at different speeds depending on the angle it’s placed at. For example, if you place a tire sideways (instead of vertically) on a piece of asphalt at a 45° angle, it will wear out twice as fast. So, by choosing your parking spot carefully, you’ll extend the life of your vehicle.
Covering your car also has many advantages, the sun’s rays do not degrade the plastics and interior leather, which can discolor and peel or even literally melt plastics!
The ideal remains to have a garage where it is 15 degrees.