Optimal minimum driving
March 7, 2010 12:54 PM   Subscribe

I have a car I don't use much, how much should I make myself drive it so that it doesn't fall into disrepair?

I don't use my car a lot, but do want to keep it for the times that I need to drive (i.e. anything outside the city). It's parked in a lot, off-street, so it's relatively safe just sitting there.

How much/how often should I drive it to prevent it from falling apart/rusting/etc.?

I've been trying to do 30 miles or so every weekend.
posted by wrok to Travel & Transportation (13 answers total) 3 users marked this as a favorite
 
Best answer: Are there seriously no carsharing clubs where you live?

These are pretty rare in most parts of the US. (though since the poster is from NY, they may have a better shot).

Anecdotally, I drive my car on short trips probably once every two or three weeks, and every few months I try to get it up to highway speeds for a good 15-20 minute drive. I've had no major mechanical problems in about four years of this type of usage.
posted by chrisamiller at 1:12 PM on March 7, 2010


A lot depends on the age of the car and the make. (2007 BMW? 1980-something Ford?). As for rusting, driving a lot in snowy/rainy weather is worse than just letting it sit. Genenerally, the falling apart thing occurs from the wear and tear of use rather than lack of use. That's why low mileage is desireable in a used car.
posted by longsleeves at 1:43 PM on March 7, 2010


Response by poster: Right, obviously LOTS of miles are worse than a a few -- but if you let a car sit immobile for months on end, it is *not* happy when you start using it again. I'm just trying to determine where the sweet spot is.
posted by wrok at 1:45 PM on March 7, 2010


Anecdotally, I've gone months where I've only driven my car 10 miles a week, sometimes less. No disrepair or damage on either car I've done with this with for the past 10 years. (Both Hyundais.)
posted by Zosia Blue at 1:45 PM on March 7, 2010


Best answer: It's a good idea to turn over the engine and let it run until it warms up about every two weeks, and wind out the engine in high gear (on the road) every couple of months.
posted by longsleeves at 1:50 PM on March 7, 2010


Best answer: If you are running it once in a while, always run it until the engine gets to normal operating temps, and then run it a bit longer. Just running it for a few minutes will allow moisture to condense in the engine/exhaust, and will remain there and cause rust.

It sounds to me what you're doing is just fine.
posted by HuronBob at 1:55 PM on March 7, 2010


I have a 9 year old VW Passat that I mostly only use for road trips. The car basically sits in a garage until I decide to go on a road trip and put a couple thousand miles on it. I usually try and take it out at least every 4-6 weeks on a run to the kitty litter store, though. On those short trips, I make sure the engine warms up to the regular operating temp, so I know the fluids are all cycling and I'm not just burning through the battery without giving it a chance to recharge.

When the original battery died, I replaced it with a deep-cycle model so I don't have to worry if I leave it sitting for longer than normal.

My only caution would be that, one spring I had to unexpectedly, and expensively, replace all my brakes and pads as, having driven once all winter just enough to get them all gunked up with road salt and slush and then letting them just sit for two months basically rotted them; the rotors were all pitted from the salt. My mechanic recommended that I go out driving in winter at least once every two weeks to knock the salt off.
posted by sldownard at 2:14 PM on March 7, 2010


I'm currently having to take care of my mom's car while she's overseas. I run it on the weekends for an hour or two, and have had no problems with the car not starting.
posted by reenum at 2:48 PM on March 7, 2010


30 miles seems quite a lot. I think you only need to drive it for 5 minutes once a week, around the block a few times. Just enough to warm up.

Consider if you use the car so infrequently, that if you sell it and just rent a car when you need to go out of town, you might actually save money, after you take into account insurance, tags, servicing, and parking costs.
posted by dave99 at 3:38 PM on March 7, 2010


Best answer: Gasoline sitting in your tank does not improve with age, and in today's fuel injected cars, bad gas is more of an issue than it was in older, carburetor fed cars. Gasoline is a mixture of light fraction petroleum fluids, and gases like propane dissolved into those fluids to aid cold starting, along with additives like ethanol, detergents, and anti-rust agents, to bind small amounts of water, reduce gum and deposits on fuel injectors, engine valves, and fuel lines/fuel pumps. Gasoline is also varied, intentionally, in many areas of the country, for a winter mix and a summer mix. So, at a minimum, you should be driving enough to use 4 to 6 tanks of fuel a year, before considering fuel you use on road trips, and other specific driving projects. And, for a vehicle that sits around a lot, you'll be better off paying for a premium grade (TOP TIER) of a branded fuel from Shell (V-power) or Chevron (Techron), where the premium grades typically have 5x the EPA mandated levels of detergent fuel additives.

You should also adhere to more frequent motor oil changes with top quality oil, to minimize sludge build up, if much of what driving you do wind up doing is of short duration. Rubber parts and your car's finish still oxidize in the sun, if your car is parked outside, so continue to take steps like replacing your wiper blades on an annual schedule, and keeping your car regularly washed and waxed, if you want it to retain its appearance and value.
posted by paulsc at 3:43 PM on March 7, 2010


I have both a car and a motorcycle and here is what I do for each when I am not using one of them.

-Get a Cover. Keeps the sun from fading/cracking the finish, interior and keeps the dust/bugs and rain off. Dont keep a cheap one-you need one that is fitted to the vehicle, will breathe and can be locked on. It is usually locked with a cable under the vehicle.

-Get a solar battery trickle charger if the vehicle can be kept somewhere secure. If it can't unhook the battery. BTW not every deep cycle battery can take the charging cycle a car alternator will put out.

-keep the gas tank full-less air space means less condensation. The last tank of gas you put in before parking should be good stuff (paulsc is right on here).

-If you let any machinery set too long without being used you will get corrosion, seals will start leaking and tires will develop flat spots. These things are meant to be used and setting somewhere for long periods of time (more than a month or two) can be worse than daily driving as far as wear and tear goes. If you are starting it and driving it at least once a month you should be ok for most things.
posted by bartonlong at 6:02 PM on March 7, 2010


As someone who has had cars sit for a while, even stored in a facility over the winter, moisture gets into the oil AFAIK, old fuel gums up (may want to consider using a fuel stabilizer to postpone that happening), brakes rust, you can't just simply start it for a few minutes, does more harm than good, it's got to be taken for a good run to burn-off anything that has collected. 20 minutes on the highway every so often should do.
posted by hungrysquirrels at 6:51 PM on March 7, 2010


30 miles seems quite a lot. I think you only need to drive it for 5 minutes once a week, around the block a few times. Just enough to warm up.

I think this is right. I once bought a very low mileage Saturn that sat for 4 months out of the year for 6 years. The owner's friends who looked after it drove it about this much, or possibly even less. When I bought it, the tires were hopelessly dry-rotted and one of the motor mounts cracked a couple of months later, but other than that, it was almost as reliable as a Hondas and Toyotas I've owned.
posted by zinfandel at 8:07 PM on March 7, 2010


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