Leaving a car unused for 3 months

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Kevin
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I'll be abroad over the summer for three months and not using the car. It will be left on the drive and no one at home will drive a manual car.

Diesel Tiguan 2.0l.

Any idea on what's best to do to? Get someone to take it for a run every couple of weeks or so / leave it as it is / cover it?

When I return, what should I do? Leave it to tick over for a while before driving?

First time that I've been in this situation so not sure what to do...
 
Just leave it. It’ll be fine. I’d wash it first.
 
I’m in this situation every year... well so far and I usually leave it too late and end up with a flat battery.

The best advice I received lately, which I’ll apply next time, is disconnect the battery. I have a VW Diesel too.

The car has to be run properly and not just ticked over every day. That’s where I went wrong before. That and winter [emoji300]️ killed it off.
 
Thanks for those...

Should be ok as it's summer (albeit a Yorkshire summer) so I'll give it a good clean and polish and hope for the best.
 
I also thought that the received wisdom was to use wheel chocks to stop it rolling and leave the handbrake off. Even with disk brakes all round there is a risk of the mechanical parts seizing if left engaged for protracted periods.

Oh, and not to leave it in gear. In the unlikely event of the clutch sticking you may not be able to get it into neutral (or de-clutched) the first time you start it.
 
I would give it a good wash and then a nice long drive and job done.
 
Very definitely leave the handbrake off.
 
Very definitely leave the handbrake off.
I’d agree with that. I never use mine as it’s a DCT and hoes into park when the engine is stopped.
 
Solar charger might be an idea. If I leave vehicles for a long time I usually end up having to replace the battery.
 
When you do drive it again pump the brake pedal a few times until it goes solid before starting it...
 
If I was really being pedantic with leaving a vehicle off the road for 3 months, then I would wash and polish it, disconnect the battery, put it on axle stands (to take the weight off the tyres), put it in neutral, release the handbrake and cover it.
 
I also thought that the received wisdom was to use wheel chocks to stop it rolling and leave the handbrake off. Even with disk brakes all round there is a risk of the mechanical parts seizing if left engaged for protracted periods.

Oh, and not to leave it in gear. In the unlikely event of the clutch sticking you may not be able to get it into neutral (or de-clutched) the first time you start it.

I had this problem with my daughter's car after three weeks in the Scottish Spring weather this year. The brakes had seized on.
Took a bit of effort with a shifting hammer :) It's now chocked up in the drive for the next 6 months until she gets back from Greece.

I start it every week.
 
I'd check that disconnecting the battery is't going to cause any issues first
 
If I put it on SORN, do I get a refund for whole months only?

I leave on first few days of July, back about last week of September and will need car until I leave / when I return.
 
I'd check that disconnecting the battery is't going to cause any issues first


The central locking will probably not work until you reconnect it, and the lights will not pass an MOT.
Apart from that what possible issues could disconnecting the earth lead cause?
 
The central locking will probably not work until you reconnect it, and the lights will not pass an MOT.
Apart from that what possible issues could disconnecting the earth lead cause?
Very funny :clap:

Depending on the car, it could erase loads of settings in the vehicle memory settings and ECU. I'm not sure on this model, but on my car I'd never just disconnect the battery. A quick call to VW should be easy enough, failing that, just disconnect it, what could possibly go wrong!:rolleyes:
 
Valid point ^

You'd think all settings would be in non volatile memory but it is a car manufacturer we're talking about and they are often 10 years behind the times.
 
Very funny :clap:

Depending on the car, it could erase loads of settings in the vehicle memory settings and ECU. I'm not sure on this model, but on my car I'd never just disconnect the battery. A quick call to VW should be easy enough, failing that, just disconnect it, what could possibly go wrong!:rolleyes:


Absolutely nothing, in my rather limited experience of owning over forty different types of car. I have also worked on dozens more.
I think that if there was a genuine chance of imprortant data being lost, particularly systems which are related to safety, then the manufacturer would have to make owners aware of that very early on in the handbook.
The clock will have stopped with the battery disconnected and the radio codes may need redoing, but that is all.
 
Absolutely nothing, in my rather limited experience of owning over forty different types of car. I have also worked on dozens more.
I think that if there was a genuine chance of imprortant data being lost, particularly systems which are related to safety, then the manufacturer would have to make owners aware of that very early on in the handbook.
The clock will have stopped with the battery disconnected and the radio codes may need redoing, but that is all.
Wow, I bow down to your greatness..... :banana:
 
Absolutely nothing, in my rather limited experience of owning over forty different types of car. I have also worked on dozens more.
I think that if there was a genuine chance of imprortant data being lost, particularly systems which are related to safety, then the manufacturer would have to make owners aware of that very early on in the handbook.
The clock will have stopped with the battery disconnected and the radio codes may need redoing, but that is all.
Unless it was a range rover HSE. Then you have to recalibrate the steering and the sun roof!!
 
All of 2 minutes extra work (and a few more waiting).
 
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