Some people drive their cars a lot, and then there are some people who don’t drive their cars enough. Keeping the mileage down on your car is generally a good thing. Low mileage means a better resale value and hopefully lower maintenance costs. But there can also be a downside to not driving your car enough.
Maybe you have and extra car that doesn’t need to be driven that often, maybe it’s a collector or classic car that is normally kept stored. What ever the reason for not using the car is, steps must still be taken to insure there are no damages caused by non-use.
Normally it is recommended that a car be driven every two to three weeks to make it less likely that you wind up with a dead battery, flat-spotted tires or other issues that can be caused by letting a car sit parked for weeks.
Some people believe that merely turning on the engine for a few minutes a week is enough to keep a car safe from non-use damages. The truth is it takes more than just turning the engine on. Driving the car for several miles wakes up the transmission, brakes, suspension, power steering, climate system (including the air conditioner) and all the fluids, seals and gaskets for those components that have been on a long snooze.
Batteries slowly lose their charge when they sit idle and starting the car will drain it even more. That is one reason you want to drive several miles afterward, so the battery has a chance to recharge. If a car sits parked for a month or more, the battery may lose so much power that it will need a jump-start — or a charge before the engine will start.
If you know you will be leaving your car alone for an extended period, make sure to make time to drive it every so often.