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Car Garaged For 10 Months Whilst I Go Away.


CadeyIS200SE
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Hi there guys,

I have been away now for 4 months and it just made me think i should be doing something about my car,

Just wondered if someone could advise me on a few things to do for it to be still in fully working order for when i get back home.

I have taken the handbrake off and left it in gear i was told this would stop the handbrake from seizing.

but thats about it for what i have done not really sure what else i can do.

it has been started and ran for over an hour about a month ago but the Battery keeps going flat after a period which is understandable i would imagine.

the car is declared off the road so it cannot be run around as i would have liked it to have been.

going on that is there any advise anyone can give me on that,

it will do it good wont it too run it once a month, so i would need to use jumper cables and just leave it running. Just wondered if that was doing it any good or could be doing more damage.

after the 10 months which is August i think when i will be back it will need a service and an MOT anyway just dont want it to cost a lot.

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The car will need to move a bit or you will end up with flat spots on the tyres.

You also need to open all the doors to let some fresh air in.

I am sure there are a few other bits as well.

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The car will need to move a bit or you will end up with flat spots on the tyres.

You also need to open all the doors to let some fresh air in.

I am sure there are a few other bits as well.

Yeah i can get someone to move it up and down the drive a bit, this could be done the same as just starting it once a month couldnt it?

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well i am not going to be back with it until August, so still another 5 months or so away. i mean the best i can do is keep it moving up and down every so often, dont know how often though

once a week? once a month?

there is no way i can get it off the ground on my drive not whilst i am here anyway. so i will have to find something that my mate can do back at home.

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my car will have been OTR for 8 months when i start diving again. it has been run a few times and bout 3 miles of driving.

I got a new Battery put on last month and put £10 of fuel in it.

Its been outside all the time, the only problems i had were the Battery and mould in the car, so im moving it into the garage tomorrow too let it dry out as its very damp inside.

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get it jacked up or put it on axle stands to protect the tyres mate, i think a portable heater on a timer for a few hours would also help from preventing mould from the moisture. im sure other members will correct me if im wrong.

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So how often did you move it then, i have asked my mate to move it once a month just up and down the drive a few times and to leave it running to let all the engine parts move around as they should. Are you going to get yours serviced before you start driving it again?

How long till you can drive it again?

How much are 4 axle stands then i am sure my mate could do that but would it be safe for it to stand on them for another 5 months?

Another thing i might be able to get it sat on grass would that make a difference or not to the tyres.

Also inside after 4 months it seems the same apparently inside doesnt smell at all. and it doesnt seem to be damp it has been run once a month for the 4 months

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Really the car needs to be driven more than just up the drive, for one you arn't gettin any real heat in the exhaust and brakes. You may end up with condensatin in the exhaust which will cause it to corrode from the inside

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as for the heat i can make sure they leave it running at a certain rpm. this will make sure there is enough heat going through the exhaust as for the brakes i may have a problem there, i am unable to have the car on the road because i dont have it taxed mot or insured. and for me to do that would mean i would have to sell it anyway. coz whilst i am away i cant afford to pay for that aswell

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Im just thinking out loud so someone stop me if Im wrong: when cars are standing the brake disk's always seem to rust up and the cause the pads to wear unevenly resulting in at least discs and pads needing to be replaced and calipers refurbished, is there anything like an oil (WD40 type stuff) that you could spray on that could be removed when needed without harming the braking performace? surely a healthy dose of brake cleaner could take it all off when needed?

tyres do go bad, you may not notice flat spots but there could be cracks in the groves like my old car (was left on grass for a couple of years so that wont help) this could result in a blow out.

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With the tyres, see if you can persuade your mate to jack up each corner and turn the wheels 1/4 turn by hand. The fronts will be easy enough, but the rears won't be able to be turned if it's in gear - he'd need to pop it into neutral first. That would help the brake disc corrosion as well, as a new section would be under the pads.

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It's never good to leave a car in the coldd, even in a garage for that long.

A colleague at work has a BMW Z1 and a 1987 M635CSi for summer only...He's mentioned in the past that over inflating the tyres to 45 or 50PSI can stop the flat spotting. The down side is that sidewalls can crack on older tyres if you're not careful, but it is much easier then getting someone to jack the car up, especially if you haven't got any stands etc.

Apparently manufacturers do that when they send cars onto ships for the long journey to the UK from Japan, and over manufactured Fords and Vauxhalls are like this when they are standing around in fields knee deep in mud...

The disks are likely to corrode - just the moisture in the air can cause this, but it shouldn't be too bad...he hopes!

Also, you're probably better off leaving the car un-started if it's gonnna be that long. This stops the condensation problems in the exhaust. Get someone to take the Battery out or disconnect it altogether, incase it leaks in the engine compartment.

When you get back, put in a fully charged Battery, and you should find it'll start without much bother. Long idling as you have been doing may not be too good as the oil pressure won't be high at idle, all the oil will have settled, and the CAM's, valves and rings could suffer...

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Thanks very much for that, i spoke to my mate last night and he drove the car round the block a few times, bit dangerous i suppose but hey, its a quiet place and nothing happened. i have asked if he could give it a run like this every 2 to 3 weeks just round the block (about 2 miles in total) would this be ok or would you say it is best to leave it and not run it, he has already said that the Battery is knackered so i will need a new one of them i think. its another 5 months before i am back, cant wait though want to get back in the lexus.

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  • 4 months later...

Hi people, I am now just about to come back to the land of England and i have my Lexus sitting on my driveway that has probably only done 5 miles in the last 9 months, apart from the Battery being dead though when the Battery is charged with another car it starts fine and will move around with none of the brakes being stuck. So the car will need a service (It has done 40k) and MOT. How much do you think i am looking at for this? could i have some advice on Cambelts and mileage or years when these should be changed. Can't wait now just to get back to driving on the left side of the road and in a good car! Hope someone can advise me.

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Got ages left on the cambelt then, either another 60k or 4 years, so i have got £250 put aside for the MOT and Service do you think that will be sufficent to get that done. I think it will need a new Battery and a the rear brake pads doing aswell, just trying to find out how much money i should try and get hold of before i get home.

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Are you going to Lexus centre? or an Independent garage?

Where are you in Cambridgeshire? as i am close i could recomend my garage to you that i have had my last services done at.

Last MOT i had was £50 something...Battery im sure are about £90 from Halfords, a good charge may sort it before you go out and buy a new one.

rear pads, you could do yourself, there is a walkthough on here.

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I am about 20 mins from Peterborough and 40 mins from Cambridge, for this service i would rather not go to a lexus dealer as it will be a lot more, i think the Battery just needs a good run and then it should be fine. and i have not got the time for changing the brake pads not really anyway. as soon as i get back i have to work.

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you a bit of a treck from my garage, shouldnt cost you too much for a service tho' you will be able to see the condition of the other belts, Battery will prob' be ok, tyres may need some attention if they have been sitting.

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