Car has been parked up for a year

cloneslad

I moved back to Korea at the end of February last year and I parked my car at my g.f's house (uncovered) It hasn't really been moved since.

Anyway, was chatting to her sister earlier and she tells me the battery is dead on it and the brakes stuck, she said she things they may be rusted too.

I know nothing about cars, and she knows less. Anyway, she said if she can get her brother to charge the battery and get the brakes working she'll drive it around to charge the battery up properly.

I'm assuming a fiar amount of oil will have to be put on the brakes to help them.

Are there any recommendations or anything like that for driving a car after it's been out of action for a while, especially after the winter that was reported back home.

the car is a peugeot 206 1.4, if that makes any difference.

TL;Dr version

Car parked up for a year
brakes stuck, battery dead
any advice?

T-Maxx

Don't put oil on the brakes. They're probably rusted but gently rocking the car forwards/backwards should make them snap loose.

Best thing would be to charge the battery using a car battery charger, otherwise jump should do it but she'll have to drive a considerable distance for the battery to fully charge up.

Have a look at the wiper blades (probably shot), check oil, coolant, brake fluid etc.

Watch out for mould growth - it could destroy the interior of your car.

cloneslad

thanks for that, I just sent her a text to tell her what you said.

If the car starts for me, I should get it charged up a bit in my first week or two home because I'' have a lot of driving around to be doing anyway.

I'll get an industrial bucket of mayonnaise when I get home too, that should keep it ticking over a while

W.Shakes-Beer

Might be worth while changing the oil since its sat for so long.

aujopimur

You should replace the timing belt, idealy before starting the car as it could snap having been laid up for such a long time. (common problem)

VolvoMan

aujopimur wrote: »

You should replace the timing belt, idealy before starting the car as it could snap having been laid up for such a long time. (common problem)

Where did you hear that?

slimjimmc

As T-maxx said, before starting the engine check the expansion tank level to verify there is coolant in the engine. We've had sub -15C temps over the past winter. If the anti-freeze concentration was weak in the first place the coolant could have froze and burst a radiator hose or frost plug, and then drained out after the thaw.

Toots

aujopimur wrote: »

You should replace the timing belt, idealy before starting the car as it could snap having been laid up for such a long time. (common problem)

VolvoMan wrote: »

Where did you hear that?

I'd never heard of that happening before either, but it happened to my husband. What with the cold and everything the belt had perished a little bit and there must have been a weak spot. The car was parked up for about a year and he drove it for about 10 days with no problems, then one day he got to the end of our estate and the belt snapped. When he got it towed to the garage they told him he should have had it changed before using the car again.

SomeUnusedName

I cant help but wonder, why not selling the car and rent one when you are visiting here?... just sayin

Cuddlesworth

After that Winter the battery is most likely completely dead and will need to be replaced.

ShiresV2

aujopimur wrote: »

You should replace the timing belt, idealy before starting the car as it could snap having been laid up for such a long time. (common problem)

VolvoMan wrote: »

Where did you hear that?

Draw your own conclusions but my brother started up a car after 8 years idle and the belt snapped a couple of weeks later. Makes sense when you consider that the belt has been immobile and under tension for so long.

Most manufacturers recommend belt changes every 6 years, letting a car idle for 8 years is pushing it.

Nissan doctor

The belts that snapped as mentioned above where likely long overdue a change anyway based on the age of the car. The period of non use would have only exaggerated the rubber degradation.

zilog_jones

I'd say you should get the tyres replaced too, sitting in the one spot for so long is not good for them and can put uneven stress on the sidewalls, especially if they went flat.

andyseadog

fecking hell, while your at it, why not just replace the whole car? :rolleyes:

honestly, modern car, lying up one year.

realistically, between the long period of non use including the winter just passed, id say the battery is shagged. a 1.4 206 i reckon uses an 063 battery, should be around 50 quid new, buy one, stick it in, and start it.

then drive it. you will get resistance for a second then a clonk and a jolt forward when the brakes free themselves, its almost certainly just surface rust on the discs which is nothing to worry over.

end of.

change the oil, the timing belt, the tyres... give me strength!

maybe visually inspect them, but to change them 'just to be on the safe side', please.

cloneslad

SomeUnusedName wrote: »

I cant help but wonder, why not selling the car and rent one when you are visiting here?... just sayin

because I'm not just visiting. I only intended on going back to Korea for a year because my old boss offered me a job and I knew it would alllow me to save a good chunk of money which was nice to have after finishing my masters (plus nobody back home seemed very forward about giving me a job).

I figuredI may as well keep my car as it had recently passed the NCT, had little to no problems with it, I would be able to get it taxed and insured quickly upon coming home and it would just be a pain in the arse trying to find another car for such a reasonable price that had no problems and was road worthy upon arrival.

As it happens, I probably should have just sold the car, I'm considering moving to London (if I can get work) and if I do that, then I will sell it.

cloneslad

Thanks for all the help guys. I'll have a look at it when I get home. I'll prob bring it to my mechanic for a service (oil change etc) when I get home. Though it did just have a full oil change and service the November before I left. It won't cost me much more than €60 for a service and for him to give it a good look at.

As for the tyres, I need to buy new ones anyway, so if I keep the car, that will be happening after 2-3months. The person who owned the car before me bought alloy wheels that only allow for thin tyres (apparently it's what these hippidy hoppidy, Ipod having kids like). Sure it looks nice enough, buy you hit a pot hole and you're replacing the wishbone, and when you live close to cavan, you hit a lot of potholes :mad:

andyseadog

honestly mate, stick a battery in it, start it and take it from there.

on a side note, sounds like your living the dream travelling the world at the mo', fair play, its defo on my wishlist

cloneslad

andyseadog wrote: »

honestly mate, stick a battery in it, start it and take it from there.

on a side note, sounds like your living the dream travelling the world at the mo', fair play, its defo on my wishlist

Yeah, i think I'll do just that. There's a car part place just over the border back home, sells stuff dirt cheap in comparison to anywhere else. (before anyone says support local, I do. They are my closest shop, being about 1 mile away, and the owners are from my town)

I wouldn't call it living the dream. I was in Cambodia a couple of weeks ago and I would have much rathered being at home playing with my nephew, heading to India on Tuesday...that should be, em, interesting..... though Vietnam has been awesome.

You're best off just getting up and doing it, I'm lucky enough that my job paid for all my flights, so it has been much cheaper than it would have been.