[reignofchaos]

I'm not going to TD any cars in the near future even though I was planning to get a replacement of the Polo. I think I'll defer any car purchases at least for six months.

[lejhoom]

Originally Posted by tilt

car dealers might decide to use a one-time plastic seat cover...

They could also insist on covering the steering wheel with a similar cover...


Cheers

I saw this happening when I gave my Honda vehicle for service at Sundaram Motors in Secunderabad early March. Before the SA came up, one person arrived with the steering wheel cover and seat cover. These two were there when I went to take delivery after service in the evening. Impressive, thought.

[Aafaq]

I strongly recommend to avoid all the nonessential activities post the lockdown, carry on with your existing car if possible, and if it is very important like getting the car serviced take all the necessary precautions while doing that.

Government issues advisories from time to time encompassing almost every sector including car dealerships those advisories need to be followed to ensure the safety of all the parties concerned.

[GreenerPlanet]

Interesting question.

Actually the scope of this extends much beyond just a new car test drive, which hardly a small percentage would do, to the way anyone would use public transport in general.

What would happen when we have a large population using trains, metros, buses, taxis and auto rickshaws? How would you ensure each person is safe?

Note, sanitizing buses or public transport once a day is not enough because you have a fluidic passenger flow, with vacated seats being occupied throughout the day.

Also, to some points already said here:

Just relying on thermal screening is not enough; there is an incubation time of 5-7 days (probable) during which an infected person may still be infectious, without having any symptoms. Also, ICMR study has shown 69% of positive cases in India are asymptomatic.

Think the answer really is for everyone to look out best for his safety and avoid (as possible) travel and public transports, and where unavoidable, to use gloves, sunglasses and masks, and frequently discard clothes for fresh ones. Use disposable newspapers when sitting in public areas like park benches, buses etc. It may look silly, but hey! Anything to be safe.

Stay safe.

[JithinR]

I did see videos showing robots sanitizing operating rooms in China. These machines went around with a UV light mounted on top and were said to be capable of disinfecting rooms in a matter of minutes rather than hours that a human being would take.

Can't we have a similar setup for TD cars and cars coming to/from service (both to protect the customers and the dealership staff who will be placed at increased risk while doing their jobs).

Unfortunately, it might take some time for them to actually disinfect a room (or in this case a car) so TD's might still need to be scheduled in advance while service time will probably increase.

https://youtu.be/MOM_KRlsjmI

https://youtu.be/SqytOuYfsnA

P.S. I guess this will lead to increases power bills for every business that decides to employ them but its takes out the logistics of having to get masks, gloves and sanitizers in large quantities daily.
Also, personally (considering that these machines would be designed to properly do their specific jobs) I would trust them to disinfect with a high repeatable chance of success rather than a human being who at 5PM in the evening would have had enough of disinfecting cars and might start being careless.

[gautam109]

Originally Posted by nikhilthegunner

Hello all, I just had this question in mind.

In certain threads, I had seen that some people were thinking of buying new cars. For that to happen, they would need to take a test drive first obviously. I just want to know from all - if you had to take a test drive (say a month after lockdown), what precautions would you want the dealer to observe? Or would you check out a friend's car instead (if considering the same car)?

Given the number of people that test drive a car it'd be a real risk. But the dealer could make it safer by:

1. Insisting that everyone entering the car has a securely worn mask (preferably N95s) and hands are well sanitised. Maybe even disposable gloves to be worn.
2. Aircon off and windows down (last thing one needs is aerosolised virus in ducts / filters)
3. No test ride if you have a cough or fever - though most Covid-carriers are asymptomatic, so does not mean much
4. Meticulous record-keeping, for contact tracing later if need be
5. Gaps of 20-30 mins between test drives with the car sanitised in between TDs via UV / sanitizer solution. Dedicated sanitising personell with proper SOP & training
6. Possibly disposable seat covers - might be overkill though, eco-unfriendly too

I'm not sure how much of the above is feasible, but would go a ways towards safety & peace of mind.

[GTB]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Is there any product which will totally fumigate the interior, post which we can leave it locked for ~2 hours? This will hopefully guarantee that all bugs are killed off inside the vehicle.

Police department from Telangana is said to be using '3M Disinfection/chemical spray' for their Patrol Vehicles. I didn't get the exact picture or details of the product though.

I quickly googled it, I believe it is '3m industrial cleaner'

Source

[Carpainter]

First of all, I think demand for new cars will be low and so will be number of test drives. Secondly, I hope all car dealers will take adequate measures to stop the spread for customers as well as their own stuffs. But then worrying about test drive cars is just a very negligible fear when you think about so many other places or things that we will come in touch with that have been touched by hundreds of other people. Think about those who will travel by public transport. People will need to hold on to bus or train handles etc. Then people will go to shopping malls and markets where they will touch places and products that have been touched by many. There are so many things that I can't think of right now that can cause the spread even more than a mere test drive which can be deferred at will. Post Covid world will be very different atleast for next 6 months to 1 year if not more and we don't know exactly how that will be. It's all about self caution and safety.

[nasa_hubble]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Is there any product which will totally fumigate the interior

Ozone generators can be used to do the same. Ozone is a potent toxin used to kill pathogens.

Surfaces like steering, handles, seats, etc. can be sanitised by VIREX 256. These have a cost and are time, labour consuming procedures.

I wouldn't mind paying dealers for test driving a sanitised car. Dealers on the other hand could adjust the payment in the final amount in case of a sale and pocket the amount if otherwise.

[Guna]

Probably I am repeating some of the things that are already mentioned.

For TD:

• Wear mask
• Keep a sanitizer bottle, sanitize your hands as soon as you come out of the TD car and before touch anything else (like your car key)
• As soon as you reach home, don't touch anything (and do not let your clothes rub against anything in the house)and head to take a bath (head bath), put the clothes for washing
• Don't rub/touch your face (and don't use rest room) till you sanitize your hands, or preferably take bath
• Look at your car/bike interior/seats with suspicion since you would have used it after the TD. Try to sanitize it (baby wipe??) and don't use it for at least a day

New car/used car that has been just bought:

• Follow all the precautions above, including sanitizing and not using it for a day. Parking it under sun with windows open may help (as the virus is believed to die with temperature)

[bharatbits]

If I was looking to change my car i would have postponed the decision to atleast 6 months. That's a sensible thing to do in these times I feel.

[BeingHuman]

Why not steam clean all the touch points like steering,gearknob,dash, seatbelt and seats using a steamblaster. It would hardly take 10minutes to do it. Most big auto detailing shops already have access to professional ones that can work all day.

[charanreddy]

Forget a test drive car.. I spray generous amount of dettol water on the handles, knobs & buttons, gear lever and steering whenever I go out for short runs on my personal car.

There is literally no way you can be sure a test drive vehicle is properly disinfected. Withhold your purchase or get one with out a TD, if it is a common model. There are reports of transmission from casual activity like visiting the same shop and count is rapidly increasing.

[ashlok94]

Hello all!
I am a doctor and my work continues even during this lockdown. As I read the above comments, I sense a certain degree of paranoia surrounding the transmission of this virus.
I would like to share some of the steps we take in our hospital to prevent the transmission of this disease. Like the cars for test drives, our OPDs are visited by about 50-60 patients every day. The cars interiors act like fomites (inanimate object harbouring disease causing pathogens) much like the furniture in our hospital.
My two cents are-
1. Wear a mask!! It is an airborne infection and this is your best safety tool.
2. Sanitise your hands before and after touching anything at the car dealership. And please, avoid touching your face.
3. Wearing gloves has been found to be inadequate in the general population who do not know the correct technique to wear and remove gloves. So I would not advise spending more on them.
4. Practise social distancing and avoid spending prolonged periods of time in a space with central air conditioning like the dealership.
5. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap before and after you touch the cars’ interiors. You might be an asymptomatic carrier and hence need to take this precaution keeping in mind the safety of others after you.
6. Have a head bath each time you return home from venturing outside and keep all clothes in a separate place and wash them after soaking them in warm water.

These above tips are only if you are going outdoors and must buy a car. Don’t make unnecessary trips outside
Please practise social distancing to keep you and your family safe.

[Lobogris]

This is a non issue. Simply use a little sanitiser on a napkin and wipe the steering wheel and gear lever along with any buttons you want to touch. In any case, assume your hands are dirty and don’t touch your face until you have washed your hands with soap after the test drive. You can wear a mask if the sales associate goes with you and you can leave the windows open. Seat fabric is a non issue. It is unlikely that the virus would be on someone’s back or trouser bottom and even if it were to be there, the fabric would absorb it quite quickly. Then when you sit, it would again be at your back and unlikely to come in contact with your face if it even survives after the passage of time and being rubbed off as you sit on it. We will have to resume normal activities at some point and we can’t stay so paranoid. The spread of this virus is primarily through breathing in an enclosed space for an extended period of time and the risk of spread via contact is negligible especially in a hot place like India.