Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff production of iHeart Radio. Hey brain Stuff,
Speaker 1: Lauren Volga bam here. If you've been sheltering at home
Speaker 1: and happen to own a motor vehicle, it may have
Speaker 1: been weeks since you've driven it. Nobody really knows how
Speaker 1: long it will be until we get back to normal,
Speaker 1: or what normal will even look like. But we do
Speaker 1: know one thing. Your car still needs attention while you
Speaker 1: shelter in place. So even though you might not be
Speaker 1: driving to and from work, or taking the kids to
Speaker 1: their activities, or running as many errands as usual, that
Speaker 1: doesn't mean you should neglect one of your biggest investments.
Speaker 1: Here's what you need to do to make sure your
Speaker 1: car stays in tip top shape. First, you need to
Speaker 1: get out and drive. Consumer Reports recommends driving your car
Speaker 1: at least once a week for twenty minutes or more.
Speaker 1: Don't joy ride more than necessary. This is a great
Speaker 1: excuse to support local businesses if you can, or to
Speaker 1: plan a drive by socially distant visit to friends and family,
Speaker 1: but joy riding can increase the risk of accidents. Simple
Speaker 1: twenty minutes a week will help keep the battery in
Speaker 1: good shape, prevent rust from building up. On the brakes
Speaker 1: and prevent the calipers from seizing up and gets gasoline, oil,
Speaker 1: and other fluids flowing. Speaking of gas, it can go
Speaker 1: bad if it sits too long, usually around thirty days
Speaker 1: or more. At that point, gummy deposits can form and
Speaker 1: the ethanol in the blend starts to draw water from
Speaker 1: the atmosphere into your tank. Fuel stabilizers can prevent this,
Speaker 1: but they're designed to be poured into your tank before.
Speaker 1: Your car isn't going to be driven for long periods
Speaker 1: of time, so assuming you didn't add a fuel stabilizer
Speaker 1: to your gasoline before all of this started, you need
Speaker 1: to drive your car to burn off some of the gas,
Speaker 1: then top off your tank with fresh fuel. It's at
Speaker 1: record low prices, so that's a plus. Just don't forget
Speaker 1: to wash your hands before you leave the house and
Speaker 1: after you get home. While your car is parked and
Speaker 1: the engine is cold, it would be good to check
Speaker 1: the oil to see if it's low or dirty. Your
Speaker 1: owner's manual will help you locate the dipstick and identify
Speaker 1: the markings to determine the correct oil level. It's fine
Speaker 1: postpone oil changes somewhat, but if you do need a change,
Speaker 1: you can still have it done safely, as it's considered
Speaker 1: an essential service in most states. Some shops will even
Speaker 1: let you remain in the car during the oil change.
Speaker 1: Call ahead to find a shop that offers this. You
Speaker 1: should also be checking your tires on a regular basis anyway,
Speaker 1: and even more so if you're not driving your car much,
Speaker 1: if at all. That's because the tires could lose pressure
Speaker 1: or end up with flat spots from sitting too long,
Speaker 1: or even with dry rot. If your tires must be replaced,
Speaker 1: find a shop that's maintaining social distancing procedures, or even better,
Speaker 1: a tire installer who will come to you if you
Speaker 1: do run into major engine problems. Cannics are also considered
Speaker 1: essential services in most states, so you can have your
Speaker 1: car repaired. Just be sure to wipe down your cars interior,
Speaker 1: your surfaces once you pick it up the way you
Speaker 1: would groceries or anything else you're coming into new contact with.
Speaker 1: And according to consumer reports, Triple A is still providing
Speaker 1: roadside assistance in the case of an emergency and implemented
Speaker 1: social distancing protocols for such events. If you've let your
Speaker 1: car care slip in the wake of all of this confusion,
Speaker 1: It's probably fine. It takes more than a few weeks
Speaker 1: or even a couple of months of casual neglect to
Speaker 1: seriously damage and otherwise well maintained car. However, a little
Speaker 1: attention now will go a long way to regaining your
Speaker 1: mobility once self isolation comes to an end. Today's episode
Speaker 1: was written by Sheryes three Wit and produced by Tyler Clang.
Speaker 1: For more on this and lots of other topics because
Speaker 1: at how stuffworks dot com. Brain Stuff is production of
Speaker 1: i heart Radio. For more podcasts. For my heart Radio
Speaker 1: is the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever
Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows.