Stopping a rarely used car from seizing up

Park it in gear. Dont use the handbrake.

Move it once a month to stop flatspotting the tyres 

Thats about it

I have similar with our camper that is used as a 'normal' vehicle but only occasionally. If it's not moved for a couple of weeks I'll make sure it gets a run of at least half an hour.

Once a week take it out for a run and make sure the oil gets up to temperature, above 90 degrees.

Handbrake off. CTEK battery conditioner. Thats it.

You alternator would have failed earlier had you been driving it more regularly.

Absolutely, in no circumstances, be tempted to 'start it every so often' and sit it on the drive for ten minutes or something. That does massively more harm than good.

If you start it - you need to drive it, 20 minutes min, longer preferably.

Easiest thing is use it when you would use your "first" car every week or two for a half decent journey.  

Park it in gear. Dont use the handbrake.

Fairly steep drive so not sure if this is a goer. Maybe we need some chocks for the wheels?

I'll start mine up, then take it out at least once a week.

what about brake disc corrosion? On an infrequent use car I just had to replace set of rear discs and pads due to corrosion ring in the centre of the disc so the pads wore out faster than they should have. If doing a weekly run with some firm braking that may do the trick I guess but any other means?

Normal anti corrosion treatments being less ideal on brakes!!

Do a supermarket run every couple of weeks.

I had an old polo that got sat while I was working away, I always got it out for a run every fortnight minimum and it was fine

Proper drive, probably an hour. Braking hard where safe. Winter mix windscreen fluid. 

Easiest thing is use it when you would use your “first” car every week or two for a half decent journey.

Yeah, this is basically my approach

I think all you have to do is put it up for sale on Autotrader. Cars that have clearly never moved for months never seize up if they are for sale on Autotrader. At least that's what their owners told me .

Easiest thing is use it when you would use your “first” car every week or two for a half decent journey.

Seems too obvious, why can't you do this OP?

 <br />Seems too obvious, why can’t you do this OP?

We can, I guess my question was how often and how long for. One of the reasons it doesn't get driven much is that it's a shitbucket and it's very hard to motivate onseself to use it instead of the nice new EV next to it. The suggestion of driving it for an hour every fortnight made me laugh though - I think I'd rather try piloting the cargo bike on this morning's sheet ice than drive that car for an hour.

One of the reasons it doesn’t get driven much is that it’s a shitbucket and it’s very hard to motivate onseself to use it instead of the nice new EV next to it.

If its that much of a shitbucket then things will go wrong with it rather quickly and the option of keeping it on the road and in a safe, drivable condition will come sooner than you think.

I left my van standing for 6 weeks on the drive once during June/July with a solar battery trickle charger and all was fine. I doubt doing the same over winter I would be as lucky!

As others have said, every couple of weeks for the supermarket run makes sense.

I think I’d rather try piloting the cargo bike on this morning’s sheet ice than drive that car for an hour.

An advert on Gumtree seems to be the solution then! 🙂

Does anyone think one of those fabric car covers would help keep things dry and in better nick?

I left my car in a yard for nearly four months over summer while I was away. Returned armed with jump leads and tools expecting some effort to get it moving, but a turn of the key and it started and drove fine?! (Bit of rust on the discs withstanding).  

take it for a decent spin every few weeks.  I had two sets of front brakes seize/stick on on during lockdown as my car only rarely got used

Sell it? What am I missing here?

How many taxi rides will the proceeds net you?

Handbrake off. CTEK battery conditioner. Thats it.

Having stored cars for weeks / months myself this is the correct answer though I wouldn't store outdoors as it promotes rust and uv rubber problems.

As above, the only thing that will sieze on a normal car in good condition is the brakes, so chock the wheels and avoid putting it away with cold brakes in the wet. Next up is sometimes the clutch, but usually takes a lot longer.

If you really want to put it away for the whole winter, take the spark plugs out and squirt some oil into each cylinder, turn the engine over to distribute it and then replace, otherwise one set of inlet / exhaust valves is open and you get one cylinder corroding. Smokes like hell on startup though.

Wipe some vinyl trim restorer on the window seals. Wipe some silicone polish/grease/oil on the door seals.

Spray the locks with lock graphite lube (WD40 gums up or freezes).

Roll it back 1/4 turn on the wheels every couple of weeks to stop the tyres deforming.

Battery conditioner is a must. I didn't like the idea of it being on 24/7 even as smart charger so mine's on a trimer at about 3AM just to top it up.

Anything else that sizes, or belts that snap as soon as it's used again is likely knackered already and on borrowed time and would have failed in that time anyway (the x000 miles or "y" years).

Having stored cars for weeks / months myself this is the correct answer though I wouldn’t store outdoors as it promotes rust and uv rubber problems.

Long term rust could well be worse in a badly vented garage, I'd not worry about a modern car outside unless it was a convertible as even when new the roof's aren't 100% waterproof, they're like waterproof jackets and will wet out and the water evaporates on the inside leading to masses of damp/condensation. Fine if you're using it regularly, just not if you park it up and leave it.

Sell it? What am I missing here?

How many taxi rides will the proceeds net you?

Is the correct answer, by the time you've toughened up a bit about riding in the rain/cold, compromised once or twice on one or the other of you having to make alternate plans as the other has the car etc, how many times do you actually need to use the car? And how many taxis/trains/busses would that have paid for just in canceling the annual costs like tax, insurance, mot and service. Plus the cost of non-routine maintenance. And it's just sat there depreciating.

You've done the difficult part of reducing your car use, now reap some of the reward!

I sold a "second car" during Covid and haven't really regretted it.

Good time to sell now, as used car prices are starting to slip and won't be getting so high again for a long time IMO.

Keep it in a warm garage with wheels off the ground. Give it a regular good run out. Maybe charge battery. Check for rodent damage. Check oil.

Keep it in a warm garage with wheels off the ground.

Worst thing to do with an old car as the suspension will be fully extended and the internal hydraulic pistons will be outside of their normal operating range which will lead to leaks, same goes for all the ball joints/wishbone bushes etc.

Sell it. If you don't even want to drive it in winter, why bother having it...?

Does anyone think one of those fabric car covers would help keep things dry and in better nick?

the risk is condensation under the cover leading to more rust

how many times do you actually need to use the car? And how many taxis/trains/busses would that have paid for just in canceling the annual costs like tax, insurance, mot and service.

Quite. This was my logic when we went from two to one, I wasn't being facetious earlier. I had a lease vehicle, was working from home and have pretty much everything I need on my doorstep. It's quicker to walk to the supermarket than to drive there. If I spend £300/month on a taxi, I'll still be better off.

But the truth of the matter I realise now is, having a car sat there makes it too easy. Going into the town centre for a mooch around the shops is something I have to consciously choose to do when a round trip will cost me maybe £15 rather than the 'invisible money' spent in just jumping into the car. (The bus takes far too long and I'm a fair-weather cyclist.) In practice, the only time I need a taxi is if I'm going to a conference or something in say Leeds or Manchester, the one thing I don't have on my doorstep is a train station.

I don't use my mx-5 in winter. I used to do the standard prep lists but nowadays I just park up put it in gear, top up the tyres and stick on the battery maintainer and that's it. I've never even had a flat spot, with it parked up 31st October to 1st April every year. Starts first time every time at 103k miles and 20 years old. Tldr, don't worry about it, and definitely don't use a car cover.

Regarding the car cover don't, particularly if stored outside, they grind any dirt on the car into the paint work over time causing visible damage.

My own experience from leaving my cars standing is 1 x seized alternator following three weeks away on holiday, and sticking calipers plus rusty discs following a prolonged period of overusing a work vehicle instead. I also once had an auxiliary belt snap on start up on a car that had been standing a while, but it was due replacement and it was very cold and so perhaps less flexible. There are hundreds of things that can go wrong with cars and I'm sure irregular use promotes the possibility of occurrence for lots of them. I'd look at local car share possibilities.

Petrol or Diesel?

The modern unleaded is rubbish if left for long periods and can cause damage to older parts. Pop in some high octane stuff?

As one mechanic said to me recently, I wouldn't put that shit in my lawnmower let alone my car (He does work on and own several old British sports cars mind you)

Italian tune-up each week; nearest motorway or A road with long straight stretches and drive at high speed (subject to prevailing speed limit obvs) for 30 mins but more is better.
If you fancy doing an oil change... https://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/oil-changes-on-cars-easy-to-do-diy/
Don't forget to use the oil one of the posts referred to - it's about a fiver for a tanker load; you could apply liberally to bodywork to limit corrosion.

Incidentally,

Is the tyre flat spot thing true? I've never heard of that before but a couple of people have suggested it here. I can see a logic in it but it feels like something your dad "knew" and no-one questioned.

Is the tyre flat spot thing true?

I've always assumed it was if the tyres go flat. If they're normally inflated, they should be fine unless you leave it so long that the rubber deteriorates.

Italian tune-up each week

It doesn't need that much. It just needs to be driven long enough that that engine and exhaust get hot and the battery is fully charged.

Italian tune-up each week

It doesn’t need that much. It just needs to be driven long enough that that engine and exhaust get hot and the battery is fully charged

I don't agree but it's not my car.

Do engines just seize nowadays?

My amateur observation of buying unused cars is that they die slowly of damp-induced electrical faults etc but that's not data by any means...

Do engines just seize nowadays?

If you leave it long enough, the piston rings will seize to the cylinder bores. Long before that happens, the battery will die though. Giving it a drive once a month or so will make sure the battery gets recharged and circulate oil around the engine. It needs to be long enough to get the engine and exhaust up to operating temperature though. If you just start it up and cruise around the block, they won't get hot enough to evapourate water. Combustion gases contain water vapour and that will condense inside the engine and exhaust and then become acidic. The exhaust will rot out very quickly and the oil will turn to sludge. You don't need the full Italian tune up with modern engines, but getting it fully up to operating temperature will greatly increase its lifespan.