With the circuit breaker measures in place, everyone is staying at home more than they ever have, which can have consequences we may not even think about.
One is a strange biological response where some people’s bodies start moving involuntarily towards coffee shops to eat even though it’s not allowed.
Another is gaining weight because you’re moving less and eating more food and snacks while lying on your bed watching shows on Netflix.
But while those things are important, many car owners forget about their poor vehicles that need love and attention too.
According to Business Insider, the longer your car sits, the more risk there is of causing permanent damage.
Fortunately, there are a few things car owners can do to keep their precious vehicle in good shape during a lockdown.
Drive Your Car Once A Week
Driving your car once a week is essential for its maintenance because it achieves three things:
- keeps your battery charged (this is especially so if you’ve a camera installed that’s recording 24/7)
- keeps your car parts lubricated
- prevents your tire pressure from draining rapidly
So, if you’re going out to buy some groceries, take the car for a quick spin once a week. It’ll be good for your car and you’ll be in less contact with people on the streets.
If you’re buying everything online, just drive around your car park.
Beware of What You Park Under
Many car owners may not think about this during the circuit breaker, but where we park our cars can also cause damage to it.
Experts say that you should avoid parking under trees because it could be showered with bird poop by the time you drive it.
Birds: Well, where are we supposed to poop, then? You don’t see tiny bird toilets available, do you?
What about the open fields?
Birds: You know, I never thought about that
This is why humans are the dominant species.
Birds: Pfft, humans are timidly hiding at home because of a microscopic virus.
Touche.
Anyway, getting bird droppings on your car isn’t just gross, it can cause damage too, with one expert saying that bird poop is like acid on a car, and can damage a car’s paint within hours.
Fill Up Before Parking
Filling up on petrol before parking helps in two ways.
It prevents condensation from accumulating inside the tank and stops gasoline fumes from building up to hazardous levels, according to Business Insider.
Don’t Use The Handbrake
This one may come as a surprise to many car owners.
Leaving the handbrake or parking brake on for an extended period of time can “seize the system’s moving parts over time and make disengaging it a real nightmare”, according to Digital Trends.
The risks of this happening are much higher if your car is an older model, or if you live in a particularly humid climate like Singapore.
Just leave it in park if it’s an automatic and engage first or reverse if it’s a manual.
Of course, this doesn’t apply if you’re parked on a slope. If you don’t leave your handbrake engaged on slopes, your car could go speeding off into the sunset as you walk home.
So this is rather subjective and very often, we don’t know whether we’re on a slope or not since we’re perpetually drunk.
Use a Car Cover
If your car always looks like it belongs in a post-apocalyptic movie, then there’s really no need for this.
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But if you always keep your car clean, you should consider getting a car cover to protect your paint from the elements and keep dirt from accumulating, reported APB News.
Do Some Basic Maintenence
Just because you’re driving less doesn’t mean you can leave your car to maintain itself. Cars are notoriously lazy when it comes to self-care.
For one, you should regularly check your battery terminals to ensure they are clean, tight and free of corrosion, says The Sacramento Bee.
And if you can, continue to change your oil at the proper time intervals to remove acids and contaminants.
You should also regularly check your car brakes to see if they are working properly.
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A Well-Maintained Car Is a Happy Car
So, there you have it. If you follow these steps, your car should be running as smoothly as a dollop of butter sliding down some pancakes when you drive it after the circuit breaker ends.
Reader: And when is that again?
Reader: Which year?
That I don’t know (But there’s a 99.9% chance it’s 2020).
If not, wake me up in 2021.
