How to Keep an Unused Car Healthy

Has your car spent a lot of time in the garage lately? Auto maintenance is important when your car is sitting at home in Scottsdale, too. Brakes, battery, tires, and fuel can all degrade or sustain damage during prolonged periods of disuse. This may result in maintenance costs and reduced resale value if and when you sell or trade up your Maserati vehicle. Our service experts can help you learn more about the effects of idleness and teach you how to keep an unused car healthy while it hangs out in the carport.

Will the Battery Die if You Don’t Drive Your Car?

If you don’t know how to keep an unused car healthy during a long period of disuse, you may soon experience a dead battery. That’s because battery power will drain away in a relatively short time, just a few weeks in some cases. That goes double if you drive a modern vehicle with high-tech features and multiple computers. Here’s what you need to know to avoid the unhappy surprise of a dead battery:

• Once or twice a week, start and run your car for 5 to 10 minutes.
• Use a battery tender to keep your battery at the proper voltage level during a prolonged idle period, or to give your car a quick boost before you begin driving in Paradise Valley.

Brake Maintenance While Your Car is Idle

Brakes are also successible to damage from disuse. To prevent the gathering of rust on your brake rotors, auto experts recommend going for a brief drive around Chandler once or twice a week to clear out any rust buildup. With your car parked, setting and releasing your parking brake helps to keep an unused car healthy for a prolonged period.

Keeping Tabs on Tire Pressure

Learning how to keep an unused car healthy involves learning how to monitor tire pressure. Tires lose air naturally, even if there are no air leaks. Low tire pressure can have a serious impact on your tires, and may even reduce their longevity. To prevent this, overfill your tires by 5 to 10 psi so to resist the formation of flat areas.

Does Gas Degrade Over Time?

The Maserati fuel system is designed to seal fuel securely inside the fuel tank so that it never comes into contact with oxygen, humidity, or heat. Still, a small amount of exposure may still occur. To minimize oxygen exposure and tank condensation, fill your tank before putting your vehicle into storage.

Fuel stabilizer solutions are another simple method to keep an unused car healthy when you’re not driving regularly. If you use premium gasoline, be sure to purchase a solution that’s safe to mix. Check in with one of our Maserati service experts before adding the solution, if you’re unsure.

Rely on Scottsdale Maserati for Your At-Home Auto Care Needs

Now that you know how to keep an unused car healthy,our trained Maserati technicians are here to help with any other at-home auto maintenance tasks — whether you’re cleaning leather upholstery, sanitizing your Maserati cabin, or trying to check your transmission fluid.

Contact us today to speak with a certified service technician and to hear more about Maserati service specials for Phoenix-area drivers!