Complete degradation: why you should not immediately start the car after a long parking

A car can be laid up for several months for a variety of reasons. But if the long absence of the owner goes to the latter, as a rule, for the benefit, then he endures separation very hard and can fail at the very first trip after a long idle time. What is the first thing to do before starting the engine, wounded by longing for the owner and fresh fuel?

Let's start with the fact that leaving the car for three to four months is quite safe. The maximum disappointment that can await you upon your return is a run-down battery, charging which you can safely start the engine and set off towards new achievements. But if your car has stood for more than a year without movement, then before indulging in it in all serious ways, it is worth considering a number of points

Engine oil

Motor oils, as you know, consist of a base and various additives that perform various functions: lubricating, cleaning, providing a certain viscosity, resistance to burnout, etc. And if they are stored in store packaging for quite a long time, then after working in the engine, their properties change, and hence the shelf life is reduced. In addition, in relation to a used lubricant, such a concept as the delamination effect is true, when certain, heavier fractions of its constituents, during a long time http://www.avtovzglyad.ru/sovety/ekspluataciya/2019–05–13-kak- podobrat-kachestvennuju-tormoznuju-zhidkost-dlja-vashego-avtomobilja/engine rest settle. Starting the engine on such oil is like death.

Therefore, it is advisable that one of the relatives or friends periodically visit and “walk” your car. Or, at worst, start and run the engine in idle mode. When the oil works, its components are in good shape and are actively mixed. Otherwise, before the first start of the engine after a long period of inactivity, the oil will have to be changed.

Fuel

Fuel degrades just like oil. However, gasoline retains its properties without problems for up to two years, and diesel fuel for up to one and a half years. So leaving them in the tank of the car, leaving for a long time, you do not particularly risk anything. The main thing is to fill the tank at least ¾, and preferably up to the neck - so condensation will not form in it.

Battery

Protracted "unemployment" will not harm the battery, but will discharge it. However, if you left the keys to relatives who will occasionally start the engine, then you should not worry about the condition of the “battery”. Or let them charge the battery once every couple of months so that the car is completely ready for your arrival.

Seals, rubber bands, tubes

If you do not start the engine, then, in addition to oil, this will lead to aging, for example, of various oil seals - they simply dry out and crack. Long-term storage of the car idle will also entail the replacement of gaskets, various rubber parts, seals and pipes.

Brake system

If you like active driving, you should know that during operation, under the influence of high temperatures, the brake fluid gradually changes its chemical composition. Actually, therefore, “racers” are recommended to change it more often. It is worth remembering this even when you leave the car for a long time. In addition to the fact that the “brake” itself could get tired, it tends to accumulate moisture, which, with active pedaling, boils rapidly, and the brakes can simply disappear.

But even if the brakes are in order, the brake discs become rusty in an extremely short time. And for a year of "rye" a very decent layer will accumulate. Therefore, before you get out on the road with heavy traffic, it is useful to drive at low speed along a quiet street, periodically pressing the brake pedal so that the pads refinish the surface of the brake discs, restoring the effectiveness of the brakes.