[GTO]

Yep, we have a thread on long-term parking dos & donts, but this one can specifically focus on starting a car after a long period of non-usage.

Avishek drops the following query.

Dad has a 2015 S-Cross 1.3 MJD, hardly run for 20k kms as he bought it post retirement (he likes the vehicle a lot).

Now in March 2020 when the lockdown kicked in, they were in Mumbai with me and haven't returned to Pune where the car is parked. They intend to do so in October 2020.

The S-Cross was given a brand new Amaron battery in January 2020.

I seek Team-BHP's advice on what precautions to take before I start the S-Cross - what to do and what not to do before attempting to start the vehicle.

Many readers and members may be facing the same issue and I request your inputs on the same.

Thanks in advance.

[Kosfactor]

I can think of the following.

Some pre work.

Buy cleaning supplies, stuff to clean the interior and exterior.
Buy a good mask in case there is mold on the interior.
Know where the battery shop is.
Have the roadside assistance or mechanic on standby.
Flash light.
basic toolkit (airfilter).

How to start.

Open the car using the key, leave the doors open for sometime before you enter.
clean the seats and surfaces that you are likely to touch.
Open the bonnet and inspect for Rat and associated damage, see if everything is intact and no foreign material in the engine bay.
Check the airfilter for any debris (rats) and shine a light into the exhaust and do a visual inspection.
Check the hoses, fluids, if there are any drips under the vehicle.
Remove the battery and take it to the battery shop, see if it can be charged else buy a new one.
Install new or charged battery.
Inflate the tires and see if they rotate freely.
Bring the key to ignition and watch out for any warning lights and listen to any abnormal noises, if everything is okay wait for 30 secs and fire it up.
Idle for a minute and then drive for 10 kms, once the engine is nice and warm , give it the beans.

[VWAllstar]

With MJD, ideally there will be no problem. The car has been parked for less than 6 months which is a normal event with brand new cars as well (not much with Maruti Suzuki though). Do not see a reason for a panic however as a precaution he may do the following:

1. Tow it to a nearby Maruti Suzuki service center and they take complete care of it. They have certain SOPs for such scenarios which may not be put in action a lot many times.

2. If he wishes to give it a try himself, then:
2.1 Foremost check the engine oil, preferably change the oil. There would be leakage stains below the engine which would be a good indication
2.2 Check coolant and other consumables like brake fluid. Also check and replace filters.
2.3 Drain the diesel with a hose, clean the tank and refill with fresh fuel
2.4 Disconnect the battery and take it to a vendor or shop for a health check. The conductive prowess is weakened if it was parked without disconnecting it.
2.5 Clean the car inside out thoroughly. Check for insects or rodent related issues like wire chewing, insect or fungal growth etc

Personally to avoid any ambiguity, I would prefer towing it to the nearby Maruti Suzuki Service Center or call their mobile service van to attend to the car as is making sure it is not turned on at all.

[Cessna182]

A few months should not be a problem at all. Even the battery won't need to be changed unless something was wrong with it earlier.

Interiors won't be affected at all. Most cars are properly sealed with the windows up.

Just check the oil once to ensure it is free of any residue.

Source- have started an Esteem after almost 6 months and nothing much had to be done to it except topping up a few fluids. If the battery is dead, push start it and keep it running for a few hours. That's it.

[vigsom]

Originally Posted by GTO

Avishek drops the following query

Now in March 2020 when the lockdown kicked in, they were in Mumbai ,haven't returned to Pune where the car is parked. They intend to do so in October 2020.

What is required before engine start up

1. Get the battery fully charged and re-installed
2. Check engine oil for consistency
3. Check coolant level(just a confirmation before start up)
4. Inspect the engine bay for damages to wiring and hoses due to rat attacks . Rectify anomalies if any.
5. Inspect inside

Additional checks before making the car fully operational

1. Check and bring tyre pressures back to recommended values

2. Drive slow ( say 20kmph) for say 2-3kms with all windows open to displace stale air inside and allow flat spots on tyres to even out

3. Keep using the brakes intermittently to remove rust on the discs until the groaning noise of the brakes disappears

4. Remove mold on steering wheel, dash, door panels, seats using wet wipes followed by a quick treatment with good Vinyl n Leather polish

5. Run the AC after the above steps are done.

6. Fill up some fresh fuel

7. Clean the cabin air filter

8. Get the car washed and inside vacuumed.

[james]

Not specific to a MJD but a generic petrol car- This is the procedure i follow when i take my Baleno sedan out of storage once in 6mos.

1. Fill fresh fuel into the tank from either a plastic petrol can or from my bikes tank. I usually tank it up which means 2 trips to the bunk. You will be surprised how quickly petrol gets sale now a days. I don't keep over 10L in the tank when i park the car.
2. I hook up a fully charged battery after checking if any wires in the engine bay are damaged. I also look around to see if any rats have been living there.
3. I run the fuel pump(via the relay) for a minute or two to make sure the old and new fuel mix and that is whats in the entire system.
4. Check coolant and oil levels
5. With the ignition coils and fuel pump turned off/disconnected, i crank the motor over a few times to build some oil pressure as well as get oil in the turbo CHRA.
6. I hook up the ignition coils as well as fuel pump relay and prepare to start the car.
7. I start the car and look out for anything out of the ordinary.
8. As the car is idling, i fill the tyres up with air.
9. Look under the car to see if there is any oil leaking(engine, PS, Brake).
10. Drive off cautiously..

This procedure is mostly because of my paranoia but it works for me! Also, the battery is removed from the car and kept hooked up to a trickle charger at home while the car is in storage.

Cheers!

[Jeroen]

I have a bit of experience in reviving old (classic) cars that have been in storage for a long period.And that could be quite a procedure.

But I don’t think any of that really applies to a well maintained modern car noted for some months. So I really don’t think this should be a big complicated exercise at all.

Walk around the car, for any visual clues for leakage. Check tyre pressure. Open the bonnet, just look if all looks normal. Check engine oil, coolant, brake fluid level. Open the fuel cap and take a sniff. If you smell petrol/diesel all is fine. If you smell rotten eggs the fuel has gone off. In that case don’t start the engine, but you will need to get the tank cleaned first

If everything looks and smells fine, just start. If the battery is still good it will start.

Check the brakes a few times as you drive away carefully. If any of them stick it will be noticeable. More likely some rust will have develop on the discs. A few gentle taps on the brakes takes care of that. Just take it easy the first few kilometers. Make sure the car feels “normal” as before. After prolonged stand still it is not unusual for the tyres to deform a bit. You might notice that, but if you’re lucky it will disappear after 10 minutes of normal driving as the tyres settle in again.

The two main areas of concern/attention on a modern car in storage is the battery and the state of fuel. Battery will show up immediately when you want to start. Fuel is a bit of pot luck. But unless you have a fuel with high ethanol, or very poor quality, fuel should hold easily for 6 months.

Good luck!

Jeroen

[ruzbehxyz]

Modern cars are very well refined. And if they are kept parked for 6 months nothing much would happen. Being a seafarer, my car lies idle once I am at sea.

Before leaving India, I do the following:
1. Before I park it, I drive till the fuel is at bare minimum.
2. While parked, I keep all four windows about an inch open for air circulation.
3. Spray rat repellent all over, maximum in engine bay. (I do not have rat problem in my society)
4. Spray WD40 around the disc brake areas and randomly below.
5. Top up air upto 36 psi in all tyres.
6. Cover the car with a good cover (I have stilt parking so no issues of sunlight, rain). I place a brick on top to prevent the cover from flying out.
7. On some occasions, I polish the leather seats, before covering.

I do not disconnect the battery or use a trickle charger.
I have been advised by many to get the car started every week but I never did this because the car has to run to charge the battery.

Once I am back after about 4-5 months, I do the following:
1. Remove the cover.
2. Open all 4 windows.
3. Quick clean the outer areas using a Jopasu duster and quick clean the seats using wet wipes.
4. Check all fluids.
5. Connect my Noco jump starter and start the car. Review link provided below.
6. Idle for 15 minutes at least and fill all tyres upto 32 psi using my Michilin inflator.
7. Drive straight to the fuel station and get the tank filled fully (with 98% new diesel, the old diesel in the tank will neutralize, if at all it may have thickened during the idle period)
7. Drive for about 20 kms at least, without AC, all windows down and then visit a local battery shop to check the battery health status.
8. Get the car washed at a local detailing centre.
9. Polish the leather upholstery with Meguiars leather polish by myself.

I have been doing this for last 10 years without any problems. My last car battery lasted for 4.5 years and current battery on the Ford Endeavour is 3 years old and still going strong. On each occasion the car starts in one go.

Noco review link: https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/modif...p-starter.html (Review: Noco GB70 jump starter)

[pkulkarni.2106]

One of my colleague owns an SX4. He always says that he uses the car only when he visits his native place, that too during the Ganesha festival, which is once in a year.
He always says this confidently - that he never faced any problems at all.

If he's to be believed for the above, I'm sure he doesn't take any precautions others have suggested above .

[BoneCollector]

My suggestion would be to stick to the doorstep service offered by Maruti. Let them come in and do a thorough examination plus change oils etc. There wouldn't be any wear and tear parts to be changed I guess. The brakes may have got jammed, especially if handbrake was applied. They would also check the wiring for damage by rodents.

Another thing to check would be rodents and reptiles. Our Wagon R was not being used for a week. The AC was not working so a driver took it to mechanic to get it repaired. When the hood was popped open, a dead snake/shedded skin was found lying on the engine cover. We get yearly visitors to our house but this year, it has gone to double digits.

[2000rpm]

Guys,

Lets leverage free help whenever available. Please refer to the Exide Batmobile services which helps vehicles with Jump starts.

Sharing link below for BHPians to leverage!

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/mumba...er-cities.html (Free Jump starts & Battery help - Exide Batmobile, Mumbai (and other cities))

[RedTerrano]

I cranked up my Terrano recently and fortunately I had no battery issues. I revved up the engine for a minute or two, let her idle and did a walkaround to visually check everything (including looking under the hood). No issues.

However when I started to back her out after releasing the handbrake, I distinctly heard a small screeching sound (like a rusty nail on a metal plate) which I suspect came from the brakes.
Any idea what caused it?

I immediately stopped and inspected all four wheels but did not find any rust or similar damage.

[BoneCollector]

Originally Posted by RedTerrano

However when I started to back her out after releasing the handbrake, I distinctly heard a small screeching sound (like a rusty nail on a metal plate) which I suspect came from the brakes.
Any idea what caused it?

In all probability, it's the hand brake that has got jammed. During rains, if hand brake is applied for a longer duration, the brake shoes stick to the drums and jam the brakes. Try moving your car in repeated forward and backward movements, it may free the brakes. If not, you'll have to dismount the rear tyres and hammer the drums to release the brakes.

[RedTerrano]

Originally Posted by BoneCollector

In all probability, it's the hand brake that has got jammed. During rains, if hand brake is applied for a longer duration, the brake shoes stick to the drums and jam the brakes. Try moving your car in repeated forward and backward movements, it may free the brakes. If not, you'll have to dismount the rear tyres and hammer the drums to release the brakes.

Thank you. Fortunately, the brakes are not jammed now. Probably they got released when I backed her out. I will keep this in mind for future reference.

[parth.jain]

I don't think much has to be done. You might have to get the brake pads changed and the brake discs skimmed at the lathe.
We started a 3 month parked honda city in Mumbai and it brakes were not engaging properly. Very little bite that too when the paddle was fully pressed. But after driving for a couple of meters it got fine on its own.

We used to have a santro and it was a neglected child. It used to be parked for 5-6 months at a time, it also had a CNG installed, and it used to get started with a jumper cable. A car cleaner would wipe the interiors and it would be good to go.

I don't think there is much to prepare before starting your car. Just check the engine oil, check for rat damage in the engine bay and take a spare battery or call the nearby mechanic to get it jump started.