Don’t let vehicles sit too long without running
A report from Wisconsin Policy Forum, an independent research organization based in Milwaukee and Madison, said that vehicle traffic in Wisconsin has dropped dramatically in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The report states that across 61 locations where Wisconsin’s Department of Transportation collects data on a continuous basis, traffic decreased by more than 40 percent from roughly 2.5 million vehicles on Tuesday, March 3, to 1.5 million on Tuesday, April 7.
Wisconsin’s Department of Transportation collected data from 61 different areas across the state and determined that traffic fell by over 40 percent between March 3 and April 7, decreasing from around 2.5 million cars all the way to 1.5 million.
The fall in traffic means that many people’s cars may be sitting unused for lengthy periods of time, which can cause severe damage to the engine.
“The worst thing you can do for a vehicle is let it sit,” said Chad Schmidtfranz, owner of Schmidtfranz Automotive Repair.
Like a living being, cars need to maintain their health through exercise, otherwise they degrade from idleness. To keep them in working condition, cars shouldn’t go any longer than two weeks without being driven, unless properly prepared for long-term storage. Debilitating damage to the engine can occur, which Schmidtfranz attributes to moisture collecting in the gas tank and oil, resulting in corrosion.
“Get the oil warm, get all the moisture out; moisture is ultimately the biggest culprit in failures,” he explained. “The best advice I have is, even if it’s just going around the block, to get the engine warmed up. Get it up to temp at least every couple of days, and get the breaks cleaned up.”
The danger of moisture build up is particularly high right now, with temperatures shifting within such an extended range and constantly going from freezing to sunny. To keep a car free of moisture make sure everything is topped off, including fuel, oil, brake fluid, windshield washer fluid, and anti-freeze.
