Preventative Maintenance Tips For Cars Kept Outdoors
Keeping a car parked outside comes with certain environmental risks that can be avoided with proper preventative care. Keeping away pests, blocking direct sunlight, and taking good care of your tires will help you avoid many types of damage and keep your car in good shape.
Prevent Pest Damage
Cars kept outdoors offer tempting places for pests to make homes, and this in turn can cause damage to your car. Pests can nibble on cables and belts, damage the interior of your car, and leave droppings that can be hazardous to your health. Pest damage can be expensive to fix, so it's a good idea to take preventative measures.
There are several things you can do to help reduce the risk of pests getting into your car. Remove any food and drinks from inside the car and make sure the interior is thoroughly vacuumed. Next, try to make sure your car is stored in a clean and dry area; moisture that collects on vehicles can be tempting for insects that need a drink. You can also make use of traps and barriers like diatomaceous earth to prevent most pests from getting in and kill the ones that do. Finally, give your car regular inspections and keep it clean. Give your engine a thorough check every few weeks to look at your belts, cables, and hoses to look for any signs of trouble. All of this combined will drastically reduce the risk of pest damage to your car.
Block Direct Sunlight
Constant exposure to sunlight can also damage your vehicle in multiple ways, from causing paint to crack and peel, bleaching or cracking your car's interior, and causing damage to your tires.
The easiest way to avoid this is to cover up your car where you can. Car seat covers, windshield screens, and tire covers are all very helpful at blocking direct sunlight and can keep your car in much better shape even when it's still very hot. For the best effect, make sure your car is clean before you cover it up. This is especially the case with your tires, where a buildup of things like debris and road salt can cause metal and rubber to start deteriorating.
Avoid Flat Spotting
Flat spotting is when your car is stationary for so long that flat spots develop on the tires. This can reduce the lifespan of your tires and make your ride a little more uncomfortable.
There are a few ways to prevent this. If you still plan to use your car on occasion, drive it around for a few minutes every few weeks to make sure pressure on the tires is kept even. If you aren't going to use your car for a few months, consider doing something like putting your car up on blocks and removing the tires to store them separately. Putting most of your car's weight on the frame and blocks rather than the tires is better for both your car and tires, and removing the tires makes them much easier to store in a better environment.
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