Due to the lockdown measures enforced in the UK in March, there has been a significant decrease in road users. Most motorways appear empty and are only occupied by lorry drivers and key workers. You may find that you aren’t driving your vehicle at all during these times, especially if you are not the one in your household doing errands or buying the shopping. Although this will not be your first concern, your undriven vehicle does need to be seen to, to ensure you are still able to drive it after this is all over.
The most common problem you will likely come across is with your car’s battery. Whether your car is old or new, you may find the battery is struggling if you haven’t driven in a while, although it is to be expected more on older cars. Check out our top tips for keeping your car’s battery healthy below! We hope you find them useful.
Change Every 4 to 5 Years
The most recommended timescale for replacing your battery is around 4 to 5 years, although you may find this is much less if you purchased an already worn battery. Your battery is just as important as other vital components of your vehicle, such as the engine and oil, as you won’t be able to power the car up without it. Many local garages are still open for emergency repairs, specifically for keywords, so if you really need a battery replacement, get it done!
Keep it Ticking Over
Like most people, if you aren’t driving your car right now, you should consider turning the ignition on once a week for around 15 minutes. This will keep your battery ticking over and charged up so that you don’t have to jump-start it when you are back to driving as normal or need to run some urgent errands.
Cleaning Your Battery
You will need to ensure that no debris or dirt can infiltrate the battery cells, otherwise, it could cause a few problems with the battery itself. This can also cause corrosion, so it is definitely worth giving it a clean. Baking soda and water has been a recommended method for getting rid of the corrosion and dirty spots.
Keep Your Battery Warm
The weather may be fairly warm in the UK right now but if you live in a country where it is much colder, or you are reading this during winter, this is a formidable tip! Just like humans and most species, our car batteries like to keep warm. Batteries require more power in the water in order to get the car powered up and running efficiently. Keeping your battery as warm as possible will preserve it.
Try Not to Leave Your Car Too Long
Currently, you should only be using your car for essential travel, however it is recommended that you don’t leave your car undriven for too long. You may want to alternate between your household in terms of who goes out and buys the essential shopping, which makes it a lot easier to keep your car ticking over during these uncertain times. If this isn’t suitable, use tip 2 to keep your battery as healthy as possible.
From everyone at Freeway, we hope you are looking after yourself and staying safe. If you are based in Tunbridge Wells and require any emergency repairs for your vehicle, please do not hesitate to get in touch. We remain open and specifically want to help out key workers who are still traveling out to work. Give us a call on 01892 520022 to speak with one of the team and we will be happy to help.
Written on 23rd April 2020