What to do with car for three months?

Honest John Back Room » Motoring discussion
What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks
View Threaded
Sun 15 May 2022 12:56
What to do with car for three months? - Chris M

So my son's gf is off to the US for 3 months. She has a 2011 Mini Cooper S and she is wondering what to do with it. It will be parked off road. Options appear to be:

- Just park up and see if starts when she returns. Advantage being it could be SORN and maybe there'd be a small insurance saving.

- Have my son pop round occasionally to start it up and let it run for a while. SORN and insurance still apply.

- Have him added to the insurance and he take it for a spin occasionally. Cost unknown.

Not sure how close to a socket the car will be, so a trickle charger may or may not be an option. But recommendation for a budget one (that is reliable enough to be left for 3 months unattended) gratefully received.

I'll recommend she takes it for a good run before parking up and switches the radio and anything else off before turns off the engine. I could suggest she puts some extra air in the tyres, but they are so low profile, I'm not sure they actually have air in them :)

Edited by Chris M on 15/05/2022 at 13:07

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 15 May 2022 13:09
What to do with car for three months? - Alby Back
No idea if this is good practice or not, but I used to have to leave my car fairly regularly for three to four months while I worked abroad. Sometimes I’d remember to disconnect the battery before I went, but mostly I just left it. Always just started up on my return, but this was 30 years ago when there wasn’t much drawing any current, not even an alarm on the then current Golf GTi I had then.
I’d most probably just disconnect the battery on a modern car.

Edited by Alby Back on 15/05/2022 at 13:10

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 15 May 2022 13:58
What to do with car for three months? - bathtub tom

You don't say if it will be under cover.

I'd say the best is to take it for a spin once a week, get everything up to temperature and use the brakes.

I wouldn't recommend just starting it occasionaly, that could just make the inside of the exhaust wet and probably get condensation in the engine. I'd rather just leave it alone.

My daughter left her MX5 on a drive for six months. I gave the under bonnet a good spray with WD40, it's supposed to tbe a rodent deterrent.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 15 May 2022 14:34
What to do with car for three months? - Chris M

It would be sitting on a driveway in the open BT. A weekly drive would be inconvenient for my son as it will be out of his way (and not insured to drive at present). Thinking more like once a month. Hadn't thought about vermin damage, but is that any more likely with it left for 3 months than the 2 weeks it has been left for in the past?

I'd also be concerned with disconnecting the battery as the alarm wouldn't work and whilst it's a respectable area, I wouldn't want to chance it.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 15 May 2022 15:11
What to do with car for three months? - Xileno

If the battery is in good health, then a monthly drive should be sufficient. It will also mean a different part of each tyre sits compressed each time. Now we are coming into the decent weather, the battery should be fine. If the driveway is flat then I would leave the handbrake off but ensuring the car is in gear. I've had problems leaving cars parked up and handbrakes sticking. Ideally have someone to remove bird droppings or put a decent wax on vulnerable panels.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 15 May 2022 15:19
What to do with car for three months? - Adampr

Park it off road but start it occasionally (ideally weekly, but up to monthly), let it warm up and drive it backwards and forwards a couple of foot.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 15 May 2022 15:19
What to do with car for three months? - joegrundy

Personally, I wouldn't bother to SORN it for 3 months and I'd definitely keep it insured (risks of fire/theft/damage etc.).

Is your son not covered to drive other (insured) vehicles on his policy? If he is, a monthly drive would be better than nothing. If not, if it's taken for a good drive and battery charged before laying it up I wouldn't worry. I'm sure that in recent circumstances many cars were left undriven for 3 months without adverse effects. Good point above re leaving handbrake off.

Edited by joegrundy on 15/05/2022 at 15:22

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 15 May 2022 15:43
What to do with car for three months? - Chris M

If my son is insured under his own policy, it would be TP only and I don't think he'd want to take the risk. For the outing to be beneficial it would need to be a good blast rather than a once round the block. And this car just lends itself for a bit of a blast :)

I can see why his gf bought the car because it does look good and the original owner must have ticked most of the boxes on the options list, but she is a bit of a pootler, and so it doesn't get the beans very often.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 15 May 2022 15:54
What to do with car for three months? - Terry W

Ideally it wants a decent run (20 miles +) every 3 or 4 weeks. It is not just the risk of flat battery, but rusty/seized/failed brakes, clutch, handbrake, aircon, tyre flat spots etc.

See what it costs to get son insured - if he has a reasonable driving record it may not be that much. Balance the small cost saving of SORN + insurance against the possible costs of repair if anything fails during a 3 month lay up.

Even the hassle of getting back and finding it is just a flat battery which may need a call out or replacement is barely worth the cost saving!

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 16 May 2022 14:05
What to do with car for three months? - Engineer Andy

Ideally it wants a decent run (20 miles +) every 3 or 4 weeks. It is not just the risk of flat battery, but rusty/seized/failed brakes, clutch, handbrake, aircon, tyre flat spots etc.

See what it costs to get son insured - if he has a reasonable driving record it may not be that much. Balance the small cost saving of SORN + insurance against the possible costs of repair if anything fails during a 3 month lay up.

Even the hassle of getting back and finding it is just a flat battery which may need a call out or replacement is barely worth the cost saving!

I agree. To that end, I'm also wondering if, in addition to adding the OP's son to the policy, whether talking to the insurer and saying can the car be stored for this time at the son's home so that they can more easily take it for the once-a-fortnight (or whatever) proper drive to keep everything ship-shape?

You never know, it may only cost peanuts to do this (including fuel) and far less than having to fit a new battery and/or deal with binding brakes, etc.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 15 May 2022 23:21
What to do with car for three months? - Andrew-T

I'd also be concerned with disconnecting the battery as the alarm wouldn't work ...

Does anyone take any notice of alarms these days (except perhaps in the middle of the night) ?

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 16 May 2022 01:33
What to do with car for three months? - edlithgow

. Hadn't thought about vermin damage, but is that any more likely with it left for 3 months than the 2 weeks it has been left for in the past?

Yes.

I had to evict some cute little frogs living in the flooded sills when I got back. It rains a lot here in the summer and I hadn't taken the drain plugs out.

Also Bivouac Ants (not quite so cute) and RATS (not cute at all, triggering a beating-the-car with-a-branch John Cleese stylee re-enactment.

I don't like rats.

Parking further from a drain might have helped, but no guarantee on 3 months.

If I'd had a working solar charger I'd have used it. As it was I just disconnected the -ve terminal. I seldom use the handbrake for parking anyway.

One of my tyres had a slow leak and I planned to stick an axle stand on that corner, but ran out of time (plane to catch). The leak must have slowed down as it lost pressure since it was still above 25 psi when I got back.

Edited by edlithgow on 16/05/2022 at 01:37

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 15 May 2022 15:56
What to do with car for three months? - Warning

As you said, take the car for a good run and have it washed. May be get the MOT done, if expiring nearer the time. As people's plans do change and they sometimes extend their stay.

I would avoid disrupting the insurance (cancelling) and it can be a pain to re-insure. Especially, if she is locked into a good deal with an existing insurer, trying to re-insure with the same company can sometimes cost more. I know it sounds daft, but it is a case of decisions being made by computer algorithms.

Is the car going to be parked elsewhere from the insured address?. It is worth notifying the insurer it is n't going to be driven / change of professions etc...

Based on 2020 Covid lock downs my car did start up. It depends how old is the battery and its strength. I would avoid trickle battery charges as the reviews seem to be mixed.

Removing the battery and charging it up, might be a better option, if the battery is struggling....

Edited by Warning on 15/05/2022 at 15:58

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 15 May 2022 16:52
What to do with car for three months? - John F

I would give the tyres an extra 5psi, leave it in first gear with the handbrake off so it doesn't seize (chock wheel if on slope) and disconnect the battery, whichever lead is most convenient to get at and remove. It's safest to work on the negative although it doesn't really matter which if you are careful.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 16 May 2022 08:27
What to do with car for three months? - Brit_in_Germany

She should sell it and look for something newer when or if she returns.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 16 May 2022 09:05
What to do with car for three months? - elekie&a/c doctor
Something else I would check on modern cars, often overlooked, is to make sure the metal key for the emergency access to the door lock actually works . If the battery goes flat , it’s the only way to open the door.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 16 May 2022 09:42
What to do with car for three months? - Andrew-T

She should sell it and look for something newer when or if she returns.

That would be one way to spend a fair whack of money ....

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 16 May 2022 11:16
What to do with car for three months? - Alby Back
For what it’s worth, a friend of mine is an officer on merchant ships. Often away for months at a time. Parks up his Merc C class saloon outside his house while he’s away.
Doesn’t do anything special to it, just drives it when he’s at home.
Been living like that for 40 years with various cars.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 16 May 2022 12:40
What to do with car for three months? - FoxyJukebox
During lockdown(1) I doubt if my car did more than 6 yards . However , once a week I started the car and left it running for a least 30 mins with an occasional rev or three. Whilst parked -I tended to leave the handbrake off but I applied light footwork on the foot brakes during my start up sessions.
I also moved the car slightly forward to move tyres “round” regularly, checked the fluid levels and gave the car a good wash and leather .
Kept up this routine for about 3 months-No problems after lockdown whatsoever.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link

We give you the low down on how to save on insurance, little-known tricks and tips, what insurance groups mean and how to use insurance aggregators to beat insurers.

Insurance group finder and how to save on insurance