Car ownership entails a lot of responsibility. It is like rearing a child, taking care of our vehicles ensures us with its reliability. But how do we care for our vehicles when movement is restricted due to fear of Covid-19 further spreading and community quarantine guidelines still in effect?

Here are some tips on having a dependable ride during this quarantine period.

If you have suggestions on other car care tips during quarantine season, let us know on the comments section below!

Make your vehicle a reliable daily driver for a long time with our 8 guides to taking care of your cars during quarantine.

1. Check your tire pressure.

Having your car unused for a long time could deplete air out of your tires. Underinflated tires may cause flat spots that could affect how your car handles during braking. Fill your tires with air to the manufacturer’s recommended tire pressure. This information is usually found on the driver’s side door sill.

2. Keep your car clean and fresh.

Cleaning your car inside and out keeps your car fresh. You avoid damaging your paint from dust build up while keeping insects and rodents away from creeping in your cabin. If there are no available carwash services in your area, cleaning your car adds a personal touch as you could check details of your car that had scratches on it and have it fixed by yourself now or by a professional later on. It also pays to have a dehumidifier inside the cabin to avoid mildew building up in your car’s interior. Charcoal is a great, affordable dehumidifier.

3. Start your car from time to time.

Cars are not designed to sit idle for a long time. Running the engine from 15-20 minutes daily ensures that fluids from your car circulate inside the engine. This will also ensure that your battery life is within the manufacturer’s declared lifespan. You could also do short trips to the grocery if your area permits to do so.

4. Check your battery and engine oil.

Speaking of battery life, checking how much more charge it has lets you know your car would run should you need to use it. This and removing your battery to ensure longer life span is best done by a professional if you do not know how to do this properly. While the engine hood is open, what you could do is to check the color of your engine oil using the dipstick. Sitting in the garage for a long time also changes the viscosity of the engine oil. This may prompt you to advance your maintenance schedule if the engine oil is left unchecked. It is also advisable to change sparkplugs if your car is running on petrol/gasoline.

5. Fill her up to the brim.

Having a full tank of fuel during a long idle period for your car prevents moisture build up inside your fuel tank. This makes sure what you fill up is pure gasoline or diesel fuel and not something mixed with water.

6. Park your car indoors.

As much as possible, park your car in a spot that prevents it from direct sunlight and other harsh elements. It prevents your paint from fading and your interior intact as extreme heat could cause plastics inside your car to melt and leather on higher trim cars, cracking. If this is not possible, car covers could partially prevent these damages from happening.

7. Avoid engaging the foot brake or the hand brake.

Engaging the parking brake for a long period could cause components from your brakes to get stuck or worst, fused. If you have a manual transmission vehicle, engage the gear lever to reverse or first gear. If you have an automatic transmission vehicle, engage it to “P” or “Parked mode”. If you have no confidence with your transmission, a tire stopper, or what we traditionally call a “kalso” (usually a big piece of rock or wood wedge), should do the trick.

8. Check your car insurance details.

The last thing we’d like to happen is being a part of vehicular accidents. Whether or not you get to ram or be the rammed party, be it light or heavy damage, accidents bring psychological, emotional and financial damage to all parties involved. We could always be the safe driver, but accidents are unpredictable. By having comprehensive auto insurance, you can drive with confidence, assured that whatever happens, you, the passengers inside your car and possible third parties involved are covered financially from repairs of damaged cars and other properties, to bodily harm on the passengers brought about by the road mishap.

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