Things to do if you cant Drive your car? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Aquaticedge · #1 07-05-2010, 12:03 AM

Well, life happens and I'm unable to Drive my car for about a month maybe longer. there anything I should do to keep it in a Driveable condition or will it be fine for a month or 2?

#2 07-05-2010, 12:09 AM

I wouldn't worry about a month or two, the only possible concern is the battery.

clintard · #3 07-05-2010, 12:11 AM

Maybe dump some fuel stabilizer in the tank and warm it up occasionally.

tankowner · #4 07-05-2010, 12:13 AM

If you or someone else will have access to it, you may want to start it up once a week or so to keep the battery charged and redistribute the oil through the engine. But, like Craig said, probably no real harm done if you can't.

Aquaticedge · #5 07-05-2010, 12:10 AM

I can take that out though and put it on a maintainer or run the car every so often.

vstech · #6 07-05-2010, 12:15 AM

diesel needs no stabilizer. make sure the tank is full, and if it's been a while since the oil was changed, I'd go ahead and change it.
while it's parked, plan to do the valves, and other maintenance items if you can.
if you will be parking it outside, it's a good idea to get the weight off the wheels. sun can do a number on rubber, and flat spots are hard to deal with. "only a month" quickly turns into the entire summer, then it sits through the fall/winter... it's best to just prepare it for extended stay, and have no issues when it's ready.
also understand that if your fuel lines are old, they could pick this time to fail, so keep an eye on them. it's REALLY hard to start a car that had all the fuel seep out of it, leaving the IP dry... trust me on this...

Hey-Hof · #7 07-05-2010, 12:24 AM

During my time in the military, if I was only going to be gone for 2-3 months, I would just have my wife or a friend drive my car for a day every 2nd week or so to go shopping and run errends for the day. That keeps everything lubed and tires round.

If I was going to be gone for 6-12 months that was a whole different story. I would put the car up on jack stands to keep the tires from getting flat spots, disconnect the battery, add fuel stabilizer and then run the vehicle with the fuel somehow cut/disconnected from the carb to burn all fuel out of the bowl. If I didnt have a car cover, I would cover the dash, rear speaker tray, and all upholstery with sheets to keep the sun from beating my interior up. I also was told putting moth balls in the fender wells and engine compartment would keep critters away. I never had any problems with critter, so I guess they work. Once I would get back and hooked things up and lower the car back to the ground, I would put some oil down the cylinders before starting thr engine. Ive never had any problems when I wasnt driving my car for these lenghts of time.

Good luck and get back behind the wheel soon.

Aquaticedge · #8 07-05-2010, 12:34 AM

the car wont be legal to drive as there'd be no insurance. but I can run it to keep things moving once a week.

vstech · #9 07-05-2010, 12:39 AM

I hope you will be turning in the plate during the time it's without insurance... it's a pretty major fine and a manditory 30 day parking of the car if it's licensed without insurance... or is this the reason it's being parked?

JB3 · #10 07-05-2010, 12:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vstech

I hope you will be turning in the plate during the time it's without insurance... it's a pretty major fine and a manditory 30 day parking of the car if it's licensed without insurance... or is this the reason it's being parked?

that would depend on his state, where is he FL? In NY, it would be illegal to NOT have a plate on any car at any time, even if its uninsured and a parts car.

Periodically they cruise the neighborhoods looking for that old heap without plates in your back yard.

I 2nd the hope this isn't health problems.

bustedbenz · #11 07-05-2010, 01:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dropnosky

that would depend on his state, where is he FL? In NY, it would be illegal to NOT have a plate on any car at any time, even if its uninsured and a parts car.

Periodically they cruise the neighborhoods looking for that old heap without plates in your back yard.

I 2nd the hope this isn't health problems.

Here in NC as long as it isn't on the highway and it's on your private property it doesn't matter whether there's tags or insurance or anything else. Nobody cares.

And in reply to the earlier "just warm it up time to time" suggestion -- I'd say not. Better to let it sit without cranking it until you're ready to do a good 20-30 minute run with it. Cranking up for 5 minutes and shutting off again or just doing a 1 mile run and back is just enough to get the thing warm enough to produce water that then re-condenses all over everything, in the oil, in the exhaust, etc.

Most of the cars you see with rusty holes in the muffler got that way from short trips. It's better for an engine to sit motionless for... a considerable length of time, than to just run it a little bit thinking you're helping "keep it lubricated". The actual effect is just more moisture condensing in places that good hot long trips dry out where short trips let it rust.

I think you'd have to abandon it for well in excess of a full year before you started to worry about mechanical parts locking up, rings sticking, etc. If I were parking it that long, I'd definitely disconnect the battery and perhaps put it on jackstands to keep the tires from flat-spotting. But for a month or two, just pull the keys and let it sit. Go out on hot days and crack the windows so the interior doesn't fricassee.

Skid Row Joe · #12 07-05-2010, 01:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vstech

I hope you will be turning in the plate during the time it's without insurance... it's a pretty major fine and a manditory 30 day parking of the car if it's licensed without insurance... or is this the reason it's being parked?

Depends on the state. In Texas - the plates stay with the car, regardless. When I sold first car I had registered in Texas before the tag was up, I took the plates to a DMV tax office for a refund - just like back home in Nebraska. Wrong! The lady lambasted me for removing the plates from the car I sold, and, no - there was no money back for the plates!

My way of thinking is and has always been - I get the plates off the vehicle before I sign the title over to the new buyer. No way I want the police coming looking for me when the new buyer involves the car in breaking the law.

H-townbenzoboy · #13 07-05-2010, 01:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skid Row Joe

Depends on the state. In Texas - the plates stay with the car, regardless.

You must not have lived in TX in a while. You can now keep the plates and transfer them to another vehicle if you wish.

Skid Row Joe · #14 07-05-2010, 02:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by H-townbenzoboy

You must not have lived in TX in a while. You can now keep the plates and transfer them to another vehicle if you wish.

Only 33 years.

No way the plates are staying with the new purchaser - which was the cogent point of my post you apparently missed.

H-townbenzoboy · #15 07-06-2010, 03:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skid Row Joe

Only 33 years.

No way the plates are staying with the new purchaser - which was the cogent point of my post you apparently missed.

I didn't miss anything. You stated that in TX, plates stay with the car, regardless of the situation and I said that is no longer the case as the law has changed.