My wife's acura has to get a new airbag but they're saying it could take months. She has a free long term rental & they made her sign a waiver that she won't drive it, so it's just collecting dust in the garage. Besides the battery that's already dead, how long before seals start to go dry & other potential issues arise? Should I use some sta-BIL in the gas tank like I do on the lawn mower? Obviously a battery tender is on my shopping list, but what else can I do to minimize the effects of long term storage? The thing is paid off & we just had the injectors, transmission & radiator serviced (drain & fill) plus fresh brakes, new shocks & new tires. Clearly I won't be interested in trading it in anytime soon...
How long can a vehicle sit unused before worrying?
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My 2000 Exploder sat for a year while I was in Iraq. I disconnected the battery, used silicon spray on all of the hinges and latches, and put staBIL in the tank. When I got back it took a little bit to fire it back up, but ran like normal once the flat parts of the tires worked back out!
Good ideas. Where do you get the Silicon spray? I didn't think about the tires getting a flat spot. Maybe I'll try to sneak it out for a quick lap of the cul-de-sac every now & then. Would that help or does such a short trip cause more damage than it would avoid?
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Not cheap but......Race Ramps FlatStoppers or 95410 Park Smart Large Vehicle Tire Savers
Battery Tenders: Non AGM or AGM
Battery Tenders: Non AGM or AGM
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good idea to let the car at least get up to full operation temperature.
also, for it to takes months. that sounds crazy. ask for some compensation.
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It's been so long since I bought the can I have, but I would think most auto/hardware stores would carry it.
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Was it still under warranty when they demanded you stop driving it? If so I would demand a warranty extension, agreement to repair or replace all items that went bad due to not driving and just plain time wear(Drying out, sludge and such). You bought the car in good faith, they need to go after Taketa for reimbursement of all other expenses from the long wait!
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I don't think months will make any difference, other than flat spots on the tires. I just got out my chainsaw after sitting in my barn for 4 years with 1/2 a tank of gas in it. I choked it and pulled it about 6 times and it started right up.
Sent from Some Samsung Smart Something
Sent from Some Samsung Smart Something
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In an emergency you can't get it out of the garage on stands, better to just slightly over inflate the tires.
Clint
Thanks guys. Warranty quit at 100k miles, it's got like 112k now. Takata has bigger problems than just acura. Acura dealer has been great & accommodating with zero hassles, but the whole country is waiting on parts right now. They offered us a hefty discount on a new car, but I just got this one paid off & refreshed so I'm not really interested in that. My little sister had a 2013 RDX & was nowhere near paid off, so she took the discount & started her loan over again with a fresh ride for only $10 more per month. Not really the same situation.
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Run it once a week for 30 minutes, back it up and down the driveway a dozen times or so... I've had to do that with a car before it worked for a few months but wouldn't be a long term solution.
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Indeed. I believe it is at something like 109 million vehicles now. I received my first recall notice 11 months ago. Still no parts available for mine.
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A few months is no problem. Check the tires, change the oil if you want, leave the battery tender on (or just disconnect the battery) and don't worry about it. We all have to park our summer cars for 7 months out of the year here. (And boats, and everything else with a motor that you can't use in the winter)
Park it and don't worry. Your seals will be fine for a few months.
Park it and don't worry. Your seals will be fine for a few months.
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Random musings:
IME, a battery tender will not (necessarily) charge up a truly dead battery...a battery charger will.
Ethanol attracts water/moisture. Fill the empty tank w/ ethanol-free fuel for the long haul. Might as well add a fuel stabilizer for good measure.
Most two-stroke oils contain a fuel stabilizer, so mixed fuel for chainsaws/trimmers/blowers will last longer than than just raw/unmixed fuel that contains ethanol.
$0.02
IME, a battery tender will not (necessarily) charge up a truly dead battery...a battery charger will.
Ethanol attracts water/moisture. Fill the empty tank w/ ethanol-free fuel for the long haul. Might as well add a fuel stabilizer for good measure.
Most two-stroke oils contain a fuel stabilizer, so mixed fuel for chainsaws/trimmers/blowers will last longer than than just raw/unmixed fuel that contains ethanol.
$0.02
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While I do agree with most here stating to run the vehicle every so often, I am curious as to why they all say to run it to normal operating temps. Shouldnt the seals get proper lubrication way before that, or is there something I'm missing?
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Operating temp will help dispel/evaporate water/condensation in the crankcase/exhaust while circulating all the fluids in the power systems (brakes/steering). Am sure there are more benefits not listed. The folks w/ very short commutes are more prone to certain issues due to frequently not reaching operating temp.
Wow, small world, my 83 S10 sport was in storage twice, the last time 89-2013 in AZ, spent a day in the shop and was on the road, drove it 1500 miles, then only drove it 3 months out of the year, finally traded it in for a 15 Fonty, 38k miles on the S10. Won't say what I got, not much.
Now 15 Fonty sits for 3 months at a time, driven for a month...no issues.
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