Madison Auto Care’s seven NAPA service centers are open and here to help you with all your auto care and auto repair needs
You’re surviving the stay-at-home order pretty well, although you’d give a lot for a chance to take the kids somewhere like the Children’s Museum to run off their energy and to find someone to answer their repeated questions of how does that work, why, and so on. You’ve even gotten your work at home schedule down to a routine that seems to work. While you’re accomplishing things, it feels at times as if you’re just staring out the window at your parked car and fantasizing about getting away.
There will come a time when you can hop in your car and just go. And when that time comes, you want to make sure your car is ready for the trip. You might not think so, but just sitting is not a good thing for cars.
“Leaving cars parked for long periods of time can have unforeseen consequences that can impact both the reliability and potentially safety of the vehicles,” according to edmunds.com.
Take your tires, for example.
“The biggest concern with tires is flat-spotting, which is when the weight of the vehicle sitting on one spot flattens out a portion of the rubber on the tire,” edmunds.com says. “While flat-spotting isn’t likely to happen in two weeks, if conditions are right, a month of being stationary might be enough to cause problems. Low tire pressure and very cold weather can both contribute to the development of flat spots.”
Then there are your brakes and your battery.
“When left unused, brake rotors can begin to develop rust on the surface of the rotors. If you leave your parking brake engaged for a long period of time, it can actually cause the brake pads to bind to the rotors,” edmunds.com says. “Over time, your car’s battery can discharge and leave you needing to jump-start your car.”
Don’t forget the fluids in your car.
“Fluids are a major issue for long-term storage. Fuel can separate, and water vapor can accumulate in your gas tank. Gaskets and hoses that aren’t kept lubricated can dry out and become brittle,” according to edmunds.com.
Edmunds suggests that you can avoid many of these problems by driving your car for at least 20 minutes once every two weeks.
“That’s enough time to warm up your tires and protect from flat spots, return some charge to your battery, wear surface rust off your brake disks, and keep the fluids in your car moving and everything properly lubricated,” says edmunds.com. “It’s a simple solution, but it works. Cars are designed to be driven, so it’s easier to keep them healthy by putting them to regular use.”
But sometimes that’s not enough – your car needs regular maintenance and an oil change, or something bigger goes wrong. In that case, edmunds.com says that, even though you might need to stay at home, your car needs help and it shouldn’t be put off. That’s the time to call a certified auto care technician, like those at any of Madison Auto Care’s seven conveniently located NAPA service centers.
All seven of Madison Auto Care’s NAPA service centers are classified as essential businesses and they’re staying open to help you: Clausen Auto, Handel Auto, Genin’s Auto, Capitol Tire, Odana Tire, Hansen’s Auto, or Aeschbach Auto.
MADISON AUTO CARE | MADISON AUTO REPAIR | MADISON TIRE | CLAUSEN AUTO | HANDEL AUTO | GENIN'S AUTO | CAPITOL TIRE | ODANA TIRE | HANSEN'S AUTO | AESCHBACH AUTO | NAPA AUTO CARE | NAPA AUTO REPAIR
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