Car left idle for 2.5 years

eringobragh

I left Ireland 2.5 years ago, I'm returning this week..but when I left I let my 1995 Primera in the back of the auld pairs house..

Question: What will I likely have to do to get it back on the road? I'm thinking Oil, Filter, Spark plugs, etc the usual service... and changing the brake fluid and checking for seized calipers. Cost isn't an issue as I'll be doing most the work myself.

Cheers :cool:

Bunny Buster

I would empty the fuel tank aswell, it is bound to have turned into kangaroo juice by now!

jimmyw

Exhaust will probably be brown bread too cause moisture will have attacked it if not started to dry it out.

Hal1

Add a new set of tyres as they will have perished during that time. Check the tyre walls for cracks and you'll see what I mean. Even if there is good thread on them they won't be road worthy.

Try doing all this work and put trough nct before June 1st to get an extra years nct. It's changing to an annual nct then.

x in the city

eringobragh wrote: »

I left Ireland 2.5 years ago, I'm returning this week..but when I left I let my 1995 Primera in the back of the auld pairs house..

Question: What will I likely have to do to get it back on the road? I'm thinking Oil, Filter, Spark plugs, etc the usual service... and changing the brake fluid and checking for seized calipers. Cost isn't an issue as I'll be doing most the work myself.

Cheers :cool:

buy a new car, that is f**ed by now.

the money you would spend on it would buy a luxobarge...:rolleyes:

jimmyw

Send it down to me (for free), I'll try to get it going as I dont have a car at the moment as I sold (had to :mad:) my baby.I'd have time to do it too:P;).I could sell it then:o

eringobragh

x in the city wrote: »

buy a new car, that is f**ed by now.

the money you would spend on it would buy a luxobarge...:rolleyes:

I'll suss it out and see, the tyres were just legal when I left...with a new set of tyres it should cost me less then 250 to get it back on the road..only time will tell, my aul lad said he stuck the jumper pack on it and it started first time.

cloneslad

I left mine sitting up for about 14 months when I last went to Korea. Came back last month, started a thread similar to this where people told me to change tyres, wipers, battery, brakes, filters, and loads of other things.

I charged it up, filled it with petrol and drove it around and it was grand...................


Though it was making a weird clicking noise, but that stopped as soon as the suspension coil snapped in half . I did fix the suspension and it's been fine ever since.

I think you're as well just going home and checking it out yourself, the biggest problem will have been the 2 cold winters it was left idle for.

tenchi-fan

I misread that as "car left idling" , as in "ticking over"

Run_to_da_hills

Bol#I'd to most of the above posts, tyres should be fine as long as they weren't flat, (Nct allow 10 years life on tyres) oil should be fine, I would drain fuel from tank & filter, plugs should be fine. If it was a Jap car of the 80"s I would have been concerned about the exhaust or the arse falling out of it. :

If it was a Fiat lying up for that length of time the car would be a total write off :pac:

shawnee

jimmyw wrote: »

Send it down to me (for free), I'll try to get it going as I dont have a car at the moment as I sold (had to :mad:) my baby.I'd have time to do it too:P;).I could sell it then:o

Aw, we'll try and find something for you to play with and now doubt get rolling soon

E39MSport

x in the city wrote: »

buy a new car, that is f**ed by now.

the money you would spend on it would buy a luxobarge...:rolleyes:

Great idea. Hmmm, maybe a well sorted Lexus

Run_to_da_hills

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

Bol#I'd to most of the above posts, tyres should be fine as long as they weren't flat, (Nct allow 10 years life on tyres) oil should be fine, I would drain fuel from tank & filter, plugs should be fine. If it was a Jap car of the 80"s I would have been concerned about the exhaust or the arse falling out of it. :

I'd reckon the petrol is in better condition than the tyres.

Run_to_da_hills

RoverJames wrote: »

I'd reckon the petrol is in better condition than the tyres.

The conditioon of the tyres over a length of time would depend on what pressure was in them, if they were constantly in the sun and if there was oil on them. (More a problem with bikes).

Run_to_da_hills

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

oil should be fine

Everything i have read about oil degradation tells me that 2.5 year old oil should be the very first thing that is changed.

Satanta

I had a car that was layed up for the same amount of time. Done all the things suggested here (oil, brake fluid, tyres, wiper blades). After about 4000 miles I needed to replace bushes and drop links too, as they dont take to well to being inactive and will wear out quickly after you get back on the road.

E39MSport

Satanta wrote: »

I had a car that was layed up for the same amount of time. Done all the things suggested here (oil, brake fluid, tyres, wiper blades). After about 4000 miles I needed to replace bushes and drop links too, as they dont take to well to being inactive and will wear out quickly after you get back on the road.

Was it sitting on the wheels or on stands/blocks ?

Satanta

Satanta wrote: »

After about 4000 miles I needed to replace bushes and drop links too, as they dont take to well to being inactive and will wear out quickly after you get back on the road.

Plenty of folks replace those parts without the car being laid up for 2.5 years, may well be coinicidense coupled with normal wear and tear

aujopimur

If it has a timing belt you should replace it, the to do list is getting longer.

Bigus

aujopimur wrote: »

If it has a timing belt you should replace it, the to do list is getting longer.

Apart from a drop of fresh petrol and oil and filter, drive it to free up the brakes, bring it to the nct.
If it passes the NCT then
You can put second hand tyres on it for a 100 euro' after the NCT its a no cost visual inspection, if the originals fail.

Bigus

Bigus wrote: »

You can put second hand tyres on it for a 100 euro' after the NCT its a no cost visual inspection, if the originals fail.

Don't they use the test lane to check the inside of the tyres for cuts and whatnot and to ensure the tyre had adequate thread across the width of it?

rex-x

I started the car drove it for the nct and sold it! some new cars are sitting up for this long before being registered

rex-x

rex-x wrote: »

I started the car drove it for the nct and sold it! some new cars are sitting up for this long before being registered

what car are you on about ?

slinky2000

RoverJames wrote: »

Don't they use the test lane to check the inside of the tyres for cuts and whatnot and to ensure the tyre had adequate thread across the width of it?

they should but I've had some questionable tyres pass over the years.

Satanta

E39MSport wrote: »

Was it sitting on the wheels or on stands/blocks ?

Sitting on it's wheels. I gave it a run out every so often.. but not often enough

RoverJames wrote: »

Plenty of folks replace those parts without the car being laid up for 2.5 years, may well be coinicidense coupled with normal wear and tear

True

rex-x

RoverJames wrote: »

what car are you on about ?

My old car i had doing nothing for ages