How long can a car sit without driving?

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asked Sep 4, 2019 in Other-Cars/Transportation by fastlidiak (400 points)
How long can a car sit without driving?

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answered Sep 4, 2019 by Grahlu (51,270 points)
A car can sit without driving it for many years and even as long as 5 or 10 years without ever starting it or driving it before something goes wrong with the car.

However if you let the car sit for longer than a few months then your battery will likely die and your tires will start to get flat spots on them and start rotting.

The engine will still be good but the longer you let the car sit the more prone it is to animals getting into the engine bay and chewing wires, hoses etc.

So try to start your car and take it for a drive at least once per week or once per month but it's not gonna hurt the car to sit for a month or two without driving it.

But the tires will go bad sooner the longer you let the car sit without driving it.

Eventually the engine may seize up if it sits for longer than a few years without being started.

However surprisingly some older cars that were made in the 70s have started up just fine after sitting 20 or 30 years but that is a rare case and the bodies will begin to rust as well by that time.

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