Talk to me about infrequent car use

[Jakerado]

As I mentioned in my other thread I recently bought a car for the first time in 6 years. I only plan to take the car out once a week during the winter, and once or twice a month during the summer. I only plan to use the car for long distance trips (I travel ~400 miles on the weekend during the winter)

 I figure the moustachian community will have a good idea about what's actually needed for infrequent car use so...What, umm, do I need to know that I might have forgotten?

Should I disconnect the battery in the summer? Some kind of fuel additive(or is that a waste of $?)? Is that not a long enough period of time to worry about storing the car? Park in a covered lot or outdoors(very little rain, mostly clouds and sun where I live)? What else?

[seattlecyclone]

I don't think you need to really do anything too special as long as you're using it every week or so. Might want to make sure to change the oil every 6-12 months even if you don't drive the number of miles recommended between changes for your vehicle.

[mskyle]

You use your car a hair less than I do but I don't do anything special with mine. I keep it outside. Birds crap on it a lot in the summer, so do think about that when you're parking it. I shoot for getting the oil changed every six months, but I'm at eight months right now. I don't do anything special with the battery (although I do trickle-charge my scooter battery in winter).

Keep an eye on the tires - if you have a slow leak you're less likely to notice it if you're not visiting the car/driving it every day.

[HipGnosis]

You'll have to watch how old your gas is getting (you don't say how far you will drive in the summer) which can be as easy as keeping your most recent receipt.
Don't fill the tank except when you're going on your trips, otherwise about a third of a tank at a time.
If it gets over a month old, you should use it up and get fresh gas.  If that happens often, then use fuel stabilizer - use and recommend SeaFoam, it's both a fuel stabilizer and a fuel system treatment.  Use the 'maintenance' dosage.
Covered parking reduces paint fade.
Don't disconnect the battery.
Don't drive away right after you do start it - because your car sits longer than average, more oil has drained off the engine components.
You might want to get a solar battery charger that can lay on your dash and plug into the cig.lighter.

[Beardog]

I use my 1995 Toyota Corolla with low mileage about once a week and don't do anything special to maintain it.  I put about 3k miles per year on it and change the oil once a year.  It has needed very little maintenance.

[Jakerado]

you don't say how far you will drive in the summer

I'm not sure how far I'll drive in the summer yet. Winter I can estimate because I currently take a bus for the trip, but I haven't had transportation out of the city during the summer so I'm really not sure how much I'll use it. Probably once or twice a month for a similarly long trip. I don't need it for anything normal commute related.

[Syonyk]

You'll have to watch how old your gas is getting (you don't say how far you will drive in the summer) which can be as easy as keeping your most recent receipt.

It's less of an issue with modern, fuel injected cars.  The fuel system is totally sealed, so there's none of the "light fractions evaporating" problem that older cars had.

SeaFoam or StaBil is certainly useful, but it's not as required as it once was.

That said, if you can find ethanol free gas, it's going to last longer.

You might want to get a solar battery charger that can lay on your dash and plug into the cig.lighter.

Some cars turn the lighter plug off with the ignition (mostly Japanese cars), others leave it on.  That's only useful if the lighter plug is live with the key off.  But, yes, they're a nice addition for an infrequently driven car.

[Jakerado]

Thanks!

If I end up parking it outside should I get a car cover of some sort for it? If so, how expensive should I go? (I see they range anywhere from $30 to $130 on amazon...) It basically doesn't rain during the summer and it never snows during the winter here so I suspect I need something that's breathable and protects the paint from UV rays? (or should I just get one of those windshield sun shade things?)

[seattlecyclone]

Where do you live? We leave our car uncovered outside in Seattle without a second thought.

[jim555]

I would leave the battery connected.  Just be sure to take a ride on the highway once in a while. 

[FiftyIsTheNewTwenty]

Gasoline does break down and get water in it, especially in a humid climate.  Water collects in the bottom of the tank and other low spots in the fuel system, and causes corrosion problems. 

If you're going to leave your car for more than a month or two, treating your gas with Sta-bil is a good idea.  It won't help gas that has gone bad already, but will keep it from happening.

[Cranky]

We drove our car once/week when we lived in Pittsburgh - dh took the bus to work and I walked everywhere. The car took us (and 3 kids) on errands and excursions on Saturdays.

We did absolutely nothing special for it, and it was just fine. (Note that if you don't drive very much you get a better rate on your insurance.)

Last year, my mom's vintage truck sat in an open carport in Florida and wasn't started between the end of September and the beginning of June when we retrieved it. It started up on the first try and my son-in-law then drove it to Wisconsin, where it currently enjoys a much colder lifestyle. ;-)

[Rollin]

I use my 1995 Toyota Corolla with low mileage about once a week and don't do anything special to maintain it.  I put about 3k miles per year on it and change the oil once a year.  It has needed very little maintenance.

Because you are driving it regularly, and at longer distances I would agree with above (the longer time the engine is running the more that the water forming in the oil gets burned off).

Also, instead of blindly changing the oil you may want to send a sample to Blackstone labs.  You might be surprised to find that your oil will last alot longer than expected.  I change mine every 5,000 (that's about once per year) and the report shows that I could easily go over 8,000 - and that is on an older vehicle with over 100,000 miles.  My motorcycle gets changed at 6,000 and could go past 7,500 according to the analysis.

[driftxsequence]

I've always been told to leave a car that will be parked for a while with a full tank of gas. It absorbs moisture and that moisture will rust the tank, or the pump if left low. Plastic tanks in new cars are less of an issue but a rusty fuel pump can still occur.

[Beardog]

I use my 1995 Toyota Corolla with low mileage about once a week and don't do anything special to maintain it.  I put about 3k miles per year on it and change the oil once a year.  It has needed very little maintenance.

Because you are driving it regularly, and at longer distances I would agree with above (the longer time the engine is running the more that the water forming in the oil gets burned off).

Also, instead of blindly changing the oil you may want to send a sample to Blackstone labs.  You might be surprised to find that your oil will last alot longer than expected.  I change mine every 5,000 (that's about once per year) and the report shows that I could easily go over 8,000 - and that is on an older vehicle with over 100,000 miles.  My motorcycle gets changed at 6,000 and could go past 7,500 according to the analysis.

Thanks for the tip, Rollin.  I've always suspected that I was overdoing it with the frequency of oil changes, but thought it was relatively inexpensive insurance to keep my car running smoothly.  But I think I'll let it go a lttle longer based on your information and also on other information I've read. 

[sstants]

I went through a period of time before I sold my car where I was using it quite sparingly. I made a point to take at least one short trip a week (to the grocery store or a ride around the block) just to keep me in touch with what was going on. I was happy to do this because it helped me identify a leaky inner seal in a tire that I fixed before putting the car on Craigslist. Maybe take it out every 10 days for a half mile? It will cost barely anything and allow you to stay in touch with everything!

[Syonyk]

It's better for a car to sit than do tiny trips like that. All you do is get more condensation in the oil.