You are taking the utmost care of yourself and your family by maintaining a strict hygiene routine, eating healthy and home-cooked food. Kudos to you on doing your bit, staying home for you, your loved ones and your country! There’s also another member who can benefit from such care – your Mahindra SUV. When the lockdown gets over, you might face some issues in your car that can cause some damage, both physically and financially. Here are some tips that you can use to keep your car safe and strong during this lockdown:
1. Park it in if possible
Or if you can’t find a nice, decent spot, get a car body cover. If you are lucky enough to have a parking garage or have a shared parking space, then it calls for keeping your car inside. But, even if you don’t have that, you can always park it outside your building, under the shade of a nice tree. You might forget it is summer, and park it at a spot that is a hotbed. Never do that, as it will just make your car warm and smelly and when you drive it after a while, it is not going to be great. We would recommend parking it in a spot that is cool enough, has proper ventilation and to always use a car body cover to protect your precious car.
2. Keep the battery aside
If you are not planning to take your car out at all, then a rational decision would be to keep the battery out to save it from draining out. This is important now as when the lockdown gets over and you start driving, you might notice a slight sluggishness for a while. This is because your car battery’s power has been reduced and hasn’t had any workouts for a while. If you do have plans to go out for a go, keep your car running in the parking spot for at least 10 mins.
3. Fuel up
Some might suggest to not keep fuel in your car for a long while, but in these times when services are scarce, it would not be entirely bad to fill up the tank to the brim. This is beneficial in 2 ways – it is going to seal the tank so that there’s no moisture trapped in the tank and also you don’t have to make frequent runs to the petrol pumps, where there are going to be many people, and that defeats the purpose of social distancing. We would recommend adding a fuel stabilizer if you’re skeptical about the fuel becoming old and a little inefficient.
4. Clean the interiors and the exteriors
In this time, when we are maintaining hygiene everywhere, your SUV should not be left out. You should also use a vacuum cleaner to remove the small food crumbs, dust and any small wrappers that are hiding in the nook and crannies of the car to make sure you don’t attract any unwanted visitors.
While maintaining the interiors is crucial, the exterior needs equal attention. If you’re parking the car without any cover, it is bound to have dust, bird droppings and other debris on it. If this is not cleaned, it can cause very minor scratches on the surface, which a person who obsessively loves his/her car will instantly notice. To avoid this, apply a generous layer of car wax on the surface and park it at a spot that is not a hotspot for dust. You should not panic though, as your car can endure some roughhousing for a few days more. But, protecting beforehand never hurts.
5. Disengage the parking brake
Keep the parking brake disengaged and park the SUV in gear if you are parking on a flat surface. The brake can tend to get stuck if engaged which might not seem a problem now, but when you start driving again, the brakes might tend to be stiff.
6. Get those wheels moving
It is not common knowledge, but if your car is stationary for a few days at a stretch, the tyres can start to develop tiny spots on the outside sue to the car’s position for a long time. This also decreases the tyre pressure, making the tyres flatter. And we don’t recommend you going out at all, but if it is possible, start your car, move it front and back, to change the tire position.
7. Lock down your car completely
Do not even leave it open a crack for some air flow. Keep it entirely sealed so that no small insects can enter the car. You might want to keep the windows down a bit if you have a garage, but trust us, it is a bad idea. Rats might enter your car, nibbling on your expensive seat covers and biting down the wires. It is also important that you completely lock the car if you park it outside on the road as you never know if anyone might break into your car.
We don’t mean that you should use every small reason to warm up your car. But, if there’s any emergency and you must absolutely go out, then go out, but only take yourself out, and not your family members. This can be beneficial for your SUV because it will keep the parts moving a little. Just like we need to move once in a while to keep our joints and muscles from getting stiff, a small ride to your grocery, or a chemist won’t hurt. It’s a matter of a few more days now. Use this time to take care of yourself, your family and your car.
