Car problems due to lockdown

I think a run around the block will keep the brakes free every couple of weeks.
If it is a diesel it will have a diesel particulate filter (DPF), these need a good run up a motorway to clear them every so often. Not sure what the time scale is but I would say for an average use diesel maybe 3 months (?) Then again if we aren't using the car nothing is building up. Not sure of the care points needed for a CAT, someone will advise.

 

I now take my vehicles for a run every week. It keeps the battery charged and I know how they are running. Kind of like a maintenance test drive. Petrol is cheap right now. About 50p per liter so it is not expensive to do so.

It is so tempting to stick my head out the window like a dog enjoying the feeling of the wind though

 

@JWK is your car /battery a stop start type ?

If your battery is going low over 3 weeks then I would suspect its getting to the end of its life, is it more than 5 years old ?
Do you have any accessory left on that could have been slowly draining it

Mines been laid up for almost as long due to illness and it started fine the other day.

Best if you give it a run up to full temperature, though never heard of any problems with the cat due to lack of use.

@CanadianLori 50p !! ours is still just over £1 a ltr !

 

Shopping once a week and home the long way round.

 

Leave it plugged in

 

My car is an 04 reg. The MOT runs out on 12.4.20 It's ex motability car. I have been confined to home by order of my daughter now for four weeks. Two days ago. I ventured out and evicted a spider that had set up house and home by the front passenger seat. Popping the ignition key in and a quick turn. Oh baby! you purr like a new pussy.

So an 04 reg car. on the same battery. Not bad. Since my last MOT. I have clocked up 337 miles. A mere spit in the ocean.

Back to the start. A car having stood a while. If it fails to start. DON'T crank the guts out of it. Get a jump start. Once started, let the engine idle for about 15 mins. Forget the sudden bursts of high revving. This is a big mistake. Time and patience is needed to allow the engine oil to circulate. If you can go for a run of say 20 mls. This will fully charge the battery.

 

My old car battery charger passed away last year after nearly 50 years of service. The shop I bought it from said is what outside the warranty period, so I bought a new one
I hope my battery does go flat then I have a chance to use it ! Anything to kill a bit of time in this lockdown.

 

Well 4 years is not that bad, most big battery makers like Varta / Bosch only offer 5 years warranty on their top range, most only offer 3 years.

Having once been caught out by a battery just suddenly failing, I tend to replace them once I notice any early signs of failure.
Also on yours , the stop /start function might not work /give a warning light , if it senses the battery is not in top condition

As yours is Start /Start you will have one of the more modern types of battery, eg AGM, a lot more expensive.
You also need to be aware of what type of charger you can use on these newer types.
Some of the old chargers may not be suitable, but its a complicated area, so do check.

Ctek and Noco brands seem to be the current leaders in modern battery chargers.

 

its downhill ... both ways

Keen to be Eco (as I know you know ...)

Got first EV 4 years ago, that was the main vehicle (doing about 30,000 miles p.a.) but we kept the Dinosaur Fuel one as a backup for journeys that were difficult (which is to say business ones where time of arrival is important, we used the main EV for all recreational journeys and put up with any inconvenience). Recently replaced the main one, as it was knocking on warranty mileage limit, and the new one (basically same as the original but 30% more efficient / range) now means all difficult business journey are no longer ... ermm ... difficult , so we ditched the backup Fossil Fuel and replaced that with EV too. So now Fossil Fuel no more; got rid of the oil boilers over 10 years ago ... just all the plastic in our daily shopping that I am now waging war on ...