Any potential problems with leaving a car parked-up for 12 months?

FTroydon

Hi,

I will be going away for 12 months later this year and am weighing up my options re. my car. I am trying to decide if it would be best to sell it before I go, or to keep it for when I get home.

My main concern is would leaving it unused for 12 months cause any problems?
I will take the battery out of it before I go. Just wondering if there are any other problems that leaving it unused may cause?

Thanks!

Bpmull

Don't put on the handbrake leave it in gear. As if you leave the handbrake up for a year it will be completely stretched and useless I'd also imagine if the handbrake was on the rear brakes would seize. There is other issues but that's the first that popped into my head. Will it be left in a garage or outside ?

FTroydon

Bpmull wrote: »

Don't put on the handbrake leave it in gear. As if you leave the handbrake up for a year it will be completely stretched and useless I'd also imagine if the handbrake was on the rear brakes would seize. There is other issues but that's the first that popped into my head. Will it be left in a garage or outside ?

Thanks for replying.

It would be left outside with no shelter/cover for the year.

If the potential problems it might cause are expensive to fix I might sell it before I go away instead.

carzony

I just bought a focus that had been lying up for about 18 months and it was grand, just needed a jump start and the tyres needed pumping up.

Althought when you start driving it again check oil, brake fluid ect are all correct just in case And make sure shes topped up on coolant

Ded_Zebra

Make sure that there is antifreeze in it.

Bpmull

Make sure you have plenty of the anti freeze solution in the window washer reservoir as if its just water it could freeze. And make sure the engine coolant mix is strong enough that was already mentioned anyway.

discombobulate

Bpmull wrote: »

Don't put on the handbrake leave it in gear. As if you leave the handbrake up for a year it will be completely stretched and useless I'd also imagine if the handbrake was on the rear brakes would seize. There is other issues but that's the first that popped into my head. Will it be left in a garage or outside ?

Might be a stupid post but does the handbrake not spend most of the year up anyway when parked

Bpmull

discombobulate wrote: »

Might be a stupid post but does the handbrake not spend most of the year up anyway when parked

I suppose it does but when you let it down It relieves the pressure on the metal cables. Where as if you have it on non stop for a year the metal will strain and get longer. So when you pull the handbrake up the cables won't pull as tight as they should and the handbrake will effectively be useless. It will then need new cables although you may get away with tightening them. Leaving the car in gear will do the same job and put a few blocks under the wheels.

johndaman66

carzony wrote: »

Althought when you start driving it again check oil, brake fluid ect are all correct just in case

I believe its recommended that you drain the engine oil if you intend to leave the car idle for that long. Somebody might confirm that point for me though. At the very least I'd be inclined to change the engine oil straight away before I do any motoring when putting the car back in use.

Also, leaving a car idle for that long in the one spot is not good for tyres. You'll most likely find them with small cracks runnig through them when you return. To get around this it might be an idea to sit the car securely up on axle stands if permissable

CiniO

discombobulate wrote: »

Might be a stupid post but does the handbrake not spend most of the year up anyway when parked

Mine doesn't.
I only apply handbrake when parking on inclines.

Anyway - answering your question - it's totally different to have handbrake on for a day and then driving, to having handbrake on for 12 months.
Most likely as it was said before car wouldn't move after this period as brake would be seized.

CiniO

Bpmull wrote: »

Make sure you have plenty of the anti freeze solution in the window washer reservoir as if its just water it could freeze.

Even if it will freeze it won't make any damage.
Just windscreen washer won't work until fluid is liquid again, but as car will be parked, there's no harm.

CiniO

johndaman66 wrote: »

Also, leaving a car idle for that long in the one spot is not good for tyres. You'll most likely find them with small cracks runnig through them when you return. To get around this it might be an idea to sit the car securely up on axle stands if permissable

Exactly.
Either OP can get someone to move the car even a small bit every month or two, or put it up on something.
I wouldn't put whole car on 4 axle stands as this could be very unstable.
Maybe 4 big building blocks would be better idea.
No need to take off wheels. Just to lift it that wheels are not touching the ground.

Bpmull

CiniO wrote: »

Even if it will freeze it won't make any damage.
Just windscreen washer won't work until fluid is liquid again, but as car will be parked, there's no harm.

It was more of a "better to be safe than sorry" measure really I know it wouldn't really cause any damage. +1 on the above I'd service the car straight away after the year as if it won't be started for a whole year the oil sitting in the engine there won't be of a great quality after a year.

CiniO

Bpmull wrote: »

It was more of a "better to be safe than sorry" measure really I know it wouldn't really cause any damage.

It's always better safe than sorry, but windscreen wash is different to coolant.
Coolant is in closed system including metal radiator and metal engine block and if it freezed it can cause severe damage. Also antifreeze used in coolants is harmful to environment so it can't be used in windscreen wash.

I've had winscreen wash freeze in at least 10 different cars, and it never caused damage either to the container (which is made of plastic) nor to the pipe system (which is mostly rubber)

Most winter windscreen wash contains methanol and which if lying in the container might also cause damage.

Also I havn't seen a proper winter screenwash in Ireland yet.
Once I bought one that was meant to withstand up to -25 degrees, and it froze down at -10.

To be safe than sorry better just empty the windscreen wash container to empty. That will be the safest thing to do.

FTroydon

Thanks for all of the replies. It seems that once I do a few things to it before leaving it parked up it should be okay. It looks like I won't be selling it before I go so.
Thanks!

flazio

If it's been left outdoors, should the OP bother with a cover?