Sitting Cars Could Cause Maintenance Headaches for Drivers

ST. CLOUD -- If you haven’t started your car during Minnesota’s COVID-19 Stay at Home order, you could find yourself in a pickle the next time you try to drive it.

With people spending more time at home, cars that usually get driven daily are now sitting in garages and driveways.

Gilleland Chevrolet Service Manager Doug Christensen says sitting could cause a variety of problems for cars.

The first thing I think of is a dead battery because it's been sitting for a long time. Another thing we might look at is maybe tires. Because it's been sitting they might have lost a little bit of air. They might have a very small leak and potentially be low, or have flat spots. The car's going to have a potential shake for a while until the tires get warmed up and round again. Maybe oil if it sat a long time over the winter. Typically you're going to get moisture build-up in there, but it depends on how long it's been sitting and when it's been sitting.

Christensen says these issues often start to show up after a month or more of sitting, but it depends on the age and condition of the battery and the car.

It depends on the vehicle, but a month or anything over a month is typically going to have a dead battery.

He says you can prevent your battery from dying by hooking a battery tender up to it or charging it on a weekly basis.