Thursday, July 7, 2011

What To Do With a Dormant Car?

When I go to Georgia, I'll be leaving my car behind. I will park it at my mother's house.

Parking a car for a long time has consequences. It is not just sitting there, suspended in a static state til I return.

The car continues to pull power from the battery to run the computer and keep the clock running. Without being driven regularly, thus re-energizing the battery, it eventually gets sucked dry. The tires slowly deflate. Critters may build little nests under the hood. Cats may nap there, too. The car takes on an aura of abandonment, inviting mischief from passers-by. 

I've got options:
  1. Ask a family member to drive the car once a week to keep the battery juiced, the tires happy, and the critters unsettled. 
  2. Disconnect my battery from the cables so the car doesn't draw from it (thanks, Matt H.!). 


Here are some in-depth tips to protect one's car while it is dormant:

How to Store a Car - wikiHow
How to Store a Car for Winter - TechGuys
Laying Up Your Car -  The AA

I think I'd better arrange for option 1.  I had no idea how damaging it could be to a car for it to just sit for a long time.

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