How Long Do You Park Your Cars........... (vehicle, gaskets, fuel)

[Timing2012]

before you have to drive it around, even for two miles, for it not to have any negative effect on the car in any way?

A) One Week

B) Two Weeks

C) One Month

D) Two Months

[StealthRabbit]

Some farm trucks get driven only at harvest, as been the case for 40 yrs. (and they sit outside in BAD weather)

I keep a spare car at some remote houses and they sit for several months at a time (I prefer to leave diesels sitting than gas, but have done both. Use a gas additive (Stabilizer) as well as a Battery Maint charger. (very low amp) Give some extra air to the tires as well. I like to change oil before letting them sit tho I usually run synthetic, so not too worried about lubricity.

I have several diesel cars that have been sitting 10 yrs, they will be fine, (except for rear brake calipers / cyl. The moisture in my 285 days / rain / yr takes out the rear brake cyl if they sit too long.

Ideally once / month is enough exercise for most cars. But it is better to take them for a real drive rather than around the block. (get heat and load on engine)

[justanokie]

The biggest concern with letting a car sit for more than a few weeks these days is Ethanol in your gas. High humidity places can see trouble in weeks whereas a low humidity place you would be fine for up to 2 months. Need GOOD stabilizer for the fuel, empty the tank or fill it with 100% gasoline. Driving a car with an ethanol blend in the tank won't keep it from going bad either, you need to use the gas up.

After that I wouldn't worry about it unless its gonna be sitting there for a year. I would probably start it and drive it to the store once every couple months.

[sdlife619]

A) and B)

I wouldn't let gas sit inside the tank for over a month without the car at least being started up and driven around, especially if their carbureted. Gaskets can tend to leak if a car is sitting for months at a time, I know with my 61 Lincoln Continental, I don't drive it or start it up every day, but I do once a week or once every 2 weeks. It's at a storage right now sorta far from where I live, so that is why I don't start it more often.

I drive the car for few a miles or more, sometimes with hard accelerations in between stops to get parts a work out, plus it keeps the internals of everything in good shape including the fluids since the worst enemy for every fluid to contain/retain, is moisture.. Also rubber mounts, including bushings, and other suspension components can get creaky, and stiff. Anything that is rubber essentially, which includes tires, that can get flat spots and sidewall cracks from inside moisture buildup. Everything basically ages much faster if the car sits too long especially outside in very hot or very cold conditions.

[Fleet]

Originally Posted by sdlife619

A) and B)

I wouldn't let gas sit inside the tank for over a month without the car at least being started up and driven around, especially if their carbureted. Gaskets can tend to leak if a car is sitting for months at a time, I know with my 61 Lincoln Continental, I don't drive it or start it up every day, but I do once a week or once every 2 weeks. It's at a storage right now sorta far from where I live, so that is why I don't start it more often.

I drive the car for few a miles or more, sometimes with hard accelerations in between stops to get parts a work out, plus it keeps the internals of everything in good shape including the fluids since the worst enemy for every fluid to contain/retain, is moisture.. Also rubber mounts, including bushings, and other suspension components can get creaky, and stiff. Anything that is rubber essentially, which includes tires, that can get flat spots and sidewall cracks from inside moisture buildup. Everything basically ages much faster if the car sits too long especially outside in very hot or very cold conditions.

Yes, I try not to let any of my (3) cars sit for longer than 1-2 months.

Better to drive it more frequently than less frequently.

[thunderkat59]

I have a car sitting in my driveway that I never use. It has sat for 3 months at a time. IT always starts and runs though.
This reminds me, I really need to change the oil and winterize it.

[NARFALICIOUS]

I once let a car sit all winter under snow (2-3 months) then got in and drove it 25 hours to Miami without checking anything on it... lol

[Lux Hauler]

I let cars sit for upwards of 6 months before even looking at them again. Before they go into storage they (gassers) get fuel stabilizer, a wash, battery removal, jacks to lift tires off the ground, rodent countermeasures, dust cover (if available) and an oil change. My diesel truck I run a few times a month, sometimes it will sit for a month or two but it fires up instantaneously everytime and never have an issue with the tires flat spotting… however when I run it, it is usually a good workout to exercise the engine and all the components. I have never had issues except for one year I did not jack tires up on a vehicle and one of them flatspotted.

[BrendanSWM]

I have four vehicles in different countries for use when I am working in that country. They are stored indoors in a highly secured facility. There is probably some spillover heat and cooling from the attached building. They sit for anywhere between a few weeks and as much as a year or more between uses. I have never done anything special with them and never had any problems. At times I leave certain equipment in the vehicle running, so I connect a trickle charger to the battery to avoid running it down.

[jimazee]

I once had a bad experience with a car that sat often outside on a gravel driveway after being garaged for 10 years or so. It eventually started to rot/rust on the undercarriage...garages or even pavement are probably a lot better...or drive it and move it periodically to dry it out some(?)