[nishsingh]

We face a very similar scenario.
We visit our native place once a year or so for a week. A portion of the house is on rent, and the Alto and the Scooty remain unused.

We get a battery on rent (from a closeby battery shop) for the days we are there. Costs us about Rs 15/- per day for the Scooty and about Rs 50/- per day for the Alto. So in all about Rs 500/- which in my opinion is much better (and hassle-free) than getting your battery recharged every time you visit.

[puneetakhouri]

When I moved back to my hometown in the end of June from Mumbai, I did the following to ensure that I do not have any problems when I go back and start the vehicle. It is yet to see if it works or not but considering that I have a Maruti, I am not very worried.

• Filled up the tyres to 40psi to reduce the flat spots that will develop on them.
• Added naphthalene balls in the interiors as well as under the bonnet.
• Also added a few broken cigarettes in the engine bay to prevent rats.
• Added WD40 to most of the hinges.
• Parked the car in 1st gear with handbrakes released.
• Disconnected the negative terminal of the battery.

The only thing that I am planning to do when I head back is to connect the batteries, check for any wire cuts by rodents, and then start up the vehicle.
My car is at 59k kms so would take it for its 60k service immediately when I head back.

[car-dent]

We have a 2007 SX4 petrol, which is hardly used. Sometimes its just parked idle for months together. Mostly it just starts without any tantrums whatsoever. SOmetimes, the battery gets discharged and needs to be charged or given a jump start. otherwise, it starts in one crank even if parked for 4-5 months.

[autoholic]

My car did not start after standing 3 months stationary.

Diagnosis was simple. Sometime during the 3 month lockdown period, the battery was stolen. Battery from the same car was stolen in January too. Apparently opening the hood of Maruti vehicles is very easy, thieves pull a cable that goes under the right front fender and the hood is open in seconds. Many people during lockdown lost wheels of their brand-new cars in Delhi. Many lost stereos and batteries too. During lockdown, many CCTV videos of battery theft were shared on Whatsapp and other social media.

Got a new battery and she fired up instantly. My driver has taken upon himself to get a special bracket or something made to secure the battery to prevent recurrence of any such incident.

[NiInJa]

Six months is no problem at all. I have kept my brother's Linea dormant for 7 months at a stretch and it started and ran perfectly, only after replacing the 2.5 year old battery. Recharging it did not help as one cell was damaged (I dropped it real bad on the way to the battery shop, carrying it on my scooter ).

It does depend on where it is parked and ambient temperature/ humidity. Mine was kept in covered parking and were don't have any rodent issues. Rusting is not an issue in Pune.

[mmxylorider]

I will suggest, post all inspection points and cleaning, to start the car and let it idle in your parking for close to 15 mins till the coolant thermostat opens up. That is a time driven thing and you don't want to get stranded roadside with cooling issues. The other thing I would do is to confirm the power steering (hydraulic) works. Go full left to full right in standstill position to ensure the pump works.

[patwardhan]

I have observed that if the car is parked in covered parking, not used even for week during heavy rains, it will surely get fungus inside the car. It can be visible on the dashboard, seats, gear knob. So be prepared for that. You will need to keep liquid soap and soft cloth handy.
I would not recommend turning on the AC before you idle the engine for good time and then drive the car for some distance. Let the fresh air breath in the car and be gentle with the accelerator too.

[Ranabegins]

I started my A-Star after around 70 days in the lockdown and it started in one go. The battery was old and in its last stage and I thought it wouldn't start. Upon driving a few kilometers I stalled the car at a signal and it refused to start but after turning off the AC vents and trying a couple of times it came back to life. Later when i checked the battery was out of water and I did refill it but the damage was already done. The cranking time was increased and the battery gave up once again on me in 2 months though it started in the 2nd attempt but I still decided to change it. I also faced the fungus problem as the car was locked from a long long time.

[Durango Dude]

Having a jump start with battery is very useful in those situations. My City's battery is weak and got my daughter's friend to bring the Jump Start with Battery available on Amazon and on plugging in I was good to go. After that episode, have taken a 700 kms round trip and doing at least a 20-25 kms drive every day and it starts with one press.

[WhiteKnight]

I did the trip to Hyderabad to recover my Laura. I was carrying additional jump start cables. Car has one, but not a proper one with clips, needing three people to operate. I also had coolant, again Laura always carries spare oil, due to drinking habit.

So, I took the flight after 6 months gap from Bengaluru. Crowd was low at the airport. The process is well managed.

After reaching office and meeting the admin team, I had straight to parking. Unlocked the car, and it did so without trouble. So, step # 1 done. BTW, I was carrying both keys, as I was worried about the car and key forgetting that they were bonded together. Checked all fluids, looks good. So, while waiting for my colleague to arrive with his car, which is donor car for jump starting, I thought I'd just try starting. Voila!, it started without a hint of doubt.

So, to cut the story short, I took the car for complete cleaning, checked the battery health, air pressure and hit the road next day. The roads were crowded than usual, and the car was loaded with my belongings. The two big restaurants e route, food piramid and blue moon were closed. But there are other restaurants. Finally, reached Bengaluru safely.

There is a humming sound from one tyre, at unmentionable speeds. Looks like the tyre lost form. Need to check that

[wrongturn]

So, these two have been sitting away from our home, in what use to be a garden for around 5 months. Probably the perfect example of how not to leave your car parked for long durations.
Before you blame it on me, these cars are in my family but were not my responsibility and I wanted their owners to take care of them. Though eventually I'd to come to the rescue, cause I will be responsible for paying the maintenance bills anyways.



TATA Manza Elan being a diesel was more of a concern


than the erstwhile Maruti Suzuki Zen Automatic.


Interiors of Manza were clean, no sign of any rodent intrusion or damages.


Tyres had sunk in a couple of inches.


Opened the hood and as expected it was not a pretty sight.


Must have been a busy place for insects but thankfully no sign of any rodent intrusion in the engine bay as well.


Went through the routine check and everything looked fine. Checked all the fluid levels too.


And, only the coolant needed top-up.


Instrument cluster showed no adverse warning signs except the EGR malfunction, which was already present.


But, the battery was dead so had to use a donor battery from another car.


Went through the ignition cycle 3 times and fired it up, engine started and died pretty instantly. Double checked everything again, and nothing was out of place. Tried starting it again but same thing happened everytime. Engine would start and turn off immediately, no response to the accelerator either. Since the engine was starting momentarily, I started troubleshooting with presuming the problem to be with air filter as the first step. Removed the air filter assembly, cranked it up and it started running fine.


Put everything back for the day. Would replace the air filter before starting it again and sending it for service.


The engine bay of Zen was a similar sight, but in comparison to the new cars everything is kind of really 'basic'. And, everything was in order. It fired up on the first instance. Talk about 'keeping it simple'. It would be going straight for regular service and maintenance as well.


Though there were more steps I could have taken as a precaution but I like to keep it old school, and dig in deeper only if needed. Oil stains look more prominent in pictures because of dust. And, these cars aren't running too heavy on tech as well. Both cars may have started but the situation would be clear once they land up at service station. Hoping it won't turn out to be too ugly.

[iamahunter]

A base rule I would follow is :

Do a Visual Inspection on the below areas:

• Tires for air pressure/puncture.
• Under the engine bay for any Oil leakage marks
• Suspension, if any oil built up on it.
• Exhaust pipe should not be jammed up.

Under the hood

• Check for any rodent or reptile marks. Be careful.
• Try to see if any wires are hanging loose or chewed up.
• Check coolant and engine oil level.
• Check battery terminals for any oxidation build-up.

Check for stuff near by the drive area, any sharp objects might be there as the vehicle's not moved for sometime.


Once you're all clear with the outside, move to inside.

• But before you get into the seat, roll down the windows.
• Check the seats for dampness or any fungus.
• Check the places that one usually touches while driving like steering wheel, gear lever etc for any fungus built-up.
• Be sure to have a mask or something to cover your face when you get inside the car(let the windows be open).

Once Inside...

• Check for the pedal movement, a completely free pedal may indicate an issue, and so a totally jammed one. If all good, move to next step.
• Crank up the car, it may or may not start.
• If it starts, let it run at the normal RPM without accelerating.
• In the mean while check if the basic electronics are working, light, indicators etc.
• Check if the AC runs, keep the windows open as you might notice foul smell from the AC blowers.
• Also notice if the belts are making any sound, usually the AC belt makes sound if there's any issue.

Check the brakes a couple of times at safe speeds, before you hit the road.

Once all these are done, you are ready to roll.

[cryptex]

Hi BHPians, thanks for all the suggestions here. I have a 17 year old Alto that I haven't touched since the first lockdown. It has been sitting idle for 1.5 years in Bangalore. In addition to the above, is there anything I should do differently?

[adutta2k]

Dear BHP-ians,

I too am out of Bangalore for the last 8 months and always worried about the condition of my car. Initially I planned to visit my hometown for 1.5 months but then came the 2nd wave and post that some family committments which is keeping me away from Bangalore and my beloved ride. Always worried about the condition of my vehicle.

My question is if the battery is in good condition (mine was purchased in Nov 2020) then is it safe to start the vehicle? Can there be any issue with the engine oil, gear oil due to prolonged non usage that can damage the engine on start. Looking forward for expert opinion

[rkv_2401]

I have a slightly different question - I have a car that's been sitting idle for 2+ years (maybe close to 3) now, and I want to know if there's anything I can do now to make this extended parking stint less heavy on wear and tear?

Tyres are flat and have been for at least 6 months now, the diesel in the tank was probably last filled 3 years ago, battery was new when I left it but is definitely dead now. The car was parked under a covered spot with a cover, but winds tore the cover off more than 2 years ago.

I can't spend 20k + 7k now to get the tyres and battery replaced to see if it turns on for further inspections, and I don't really have the time to be fixing this car up right now either. Right now I'm thinking I could pay someone to get it washed inside and out, get the tyres filled up with air from a portable pump, and see if I can drain the diesel or something and fill it up with 10-20L to move it around every now and then?