Unused Cars Can Fall Apart
The very nature of the world is one of a constant breaking down of substances. Anything left alone for long enough will eventually suffer damage, and even, if left long enough, fall apart completely. Even mighty mountain ranges have been worn down to gentle rolling hills by the effects of erosion. It did take millions of years. Your car will not take that long to suffer some ill effects.
How long your car can be neglected will depend on several factors. The climate is one of the most important. In moist climates, problems with rust and rot will come rather quickly. The problems will come even quicker if the auto is not protected from the elements. So, the level of protection will make a difference. A car will hold up longer in a garage than outside.
Some problems will develop rather quickly. The battery is the one part of the car that is still working even when it is sitting idle. Although the power demands on the battery may be low, they still exist, and gradually the battery will lose power. However, disconnecting the battery cables before storage will eliminate this problem. The tires are usually the next area of concern. Tires will tend to lose air pressure. Even when they do not, the tire is not designed to bear the weight of the car on the exact same spot indefinitely. The shape of the tire will distort, and in the presence of excessive moisture, the rubber will begin to decay.
This decay problem will take place on other rubberized components like fan belts. If the car's paint job and protective coating are intact, and the car protected from direct sunlight or excessive temperature change, it will hold up for quite awhile. Any damage that allows oxidation to even begin will result in major rust problems. Rust will also be a problem in any non-lubricated or protected metal on the car.
The answer to the question depends mainly on the preparation, or lack of it, that is done before the car begins its idle time. If a car is entering a carefully planned storage mode, and the proper precautions are taken in advance, the car will last about as long as those mountains before it is damaged. If the car is simply abandoned, damage and decay will attack very quickly, and the margin of time before the damage is irreversible will be much reduced.
Related Tags: car, auto, vehicle, moving, parts, store, suv, truck, storage, machine, use, decay, neglect
Ernie Yetis is with AutoBodyShopStop.com - a directory of auto body shops and information.
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