Our Service team experts share ways to keep your vehicle in top shape while it’s stuck in the garage or driveway for an extended period of time.

According to the executive order from the State of NJ, our service/parts departments, as well as online sales, are considered essential businesses. Our service/parts departments remain open to assist first responders, emergencies and customers in need of maintenance or repairs. We want to thank ALL first responders, medical personnel and essential workers during these uncertain times. What the vast majority of individuals and companies are doing for our loyal communities is truly incredible. We want to help you by offering our top 10 tips for properly maintaining your vehicle while we all practice social distancing. We recommend you visit our COVID-19 Efforts page for the latest updates and offerings.

Tip #1: Keep Your Battery in Top Shape

Vehicles should be started once every 5-10 days

You battery will slowly lose it’s charge over time as your vehicle remains not in use. This doesn’t mean that there is an issue with the battery, nor does it guarantee it will die after a month of inactivity. It is key to keep this in mind though when it comes to maintaining your vehicle. In newer vehicles especially, things like key-less entry, memory seats, radio memory functions, the security system and many other features of your vehicle draw tiny amounts of power even when it isn’t running. Simply put, some batteries may die before others. The best preventive measure you can take against this is to start your vehicle once every 5-10 days. As with the other engine functions, it’s best to actually drive your vehicle to charge the battery if that option is available to you.

As an alternative, you can let the vehicle idle for 15-30 minutes. Be sure to not do this in a closed garage due to the emissions of carbon monoxide. For more information on batteries, check out our Quick Lane® at All American Ford in Old Bridge Battery Center page.

Tip #2: Avoid Tire Flat Spots

Vehicles should be moved to rotate the tires every 5-10 days to avoid flat spots

When your vehicle is parked for an extended period of time, due to the weight of the car being pressed down in the same spot on the tires, flat spots may begin to develop which can be noticeable when driving. Driving the vehicle will help bring the tires up to their normal operating temperature and help get rid of any flat spots. Checking this tip off your list could be as simple as just backing out of your spot, turning the car around and backing in. If you can’t go for a drive, that will help rotate the wheels enough to prevent the weight of the car from resting on the same parts of the tire.

Be sure to take note of the wear of your tires as well as periodically examining your tires can tell you about their relative health and current life expectancy. Tread depth is a good basic indicator of whether you need to replace your tires. To test your tread depth, one tried-and-true method is to use the penny test. Insert a penny into the groove of the tread with the head of Lincoln pointed down. If you can see all of Lincoln’s head, then it’s time for new tires. If you’re in doubt (or fresh out of pennies), you can always visit us here at All American Ford in Old Bridge for a tire evaluation and recommendation. Having healthy tires helps increase safety, performance and even fuel efficiency.

You can use our online tire finder tool to see what tires are best for your vehicle and continue to master maintaining your vehicle for the long haul!

Tip #3: Check Air Pressure

Check your air pressure in tires monthly

Tires can slowly lose air even without a puncture. There is a label inside of the driver’s door opening that lists the recommended tire pressures for your vehicle. If you can’t make it to a gas station or don’t have a compressor at home, a bicycle pump can actually be used to inflate your tires. Especially between the seasons, tires can naturally lose air pressure from the weather. It is normal for them to fluctuate quite a bit due to the drastic changes in weather — take for example how it recently was 40 degrees one day and then close to 70 degrees the next.

Here at All American Ford in Old Bridge, we offer nitrogen to fill tires as well. There are many benefits that nitrogen offers in maintaining your vehicle, so just ask us if you’re interested! Most newer vehicles have a tire pressure monitoring system. Current levels of pressure appear on your display screen and you get alerted automatically when they are low.

Tip #4: Avoid Rusty Rotors

Rust can build up on brake rotors, which can negatively affect safety and performance

Reliable brakes are your vehicles most important safety feature. When discussing how important maintaining your vehicle is, your brake rotors are vital. With the constant change in weather and a good amount of rain recently, rust can build up on brake rotors — especially while your vehicle is just sitting in the driveway. We recommend you take a short drive around the neighborhood and brake frequently during the trip. Taking a short drive every 10 days should help with avoiding rust.

Tip #5: Don’t Forget About Your Parking Brake

Leaving your parking brake on can actually be a bad thing over time

The parking brake is operated by a cable or an electric motor that clamps the rear brake pads or shoes to the brake rotor or drum. If you’re leaving your vehicle for a long time in one spot, the parking brake can cause the brake pads to adhere to the rotor or drum surface. This is especially true following periods of rain or high humidity. When you drive frequently, the parking brake is obviously disengaging often. But if it is sitting in your driveway during social distancing, you should cycle the parking brake off, move the car slightly and set it again.

Tip #6: The Importance of Regular Oil Changes

Change your oil every 6 months regardless of mileage

Vehicle manufacturers do have different recommendations for how often to get an oil change and at times it can differ by model. The general rule of thumb is every 6 months or 5,000 miles. However, we do feel it is important to recommend an oil change every 6 months, regardless of mileage. We recommend this is to prevent old oil from settling in the engine. This tip should be used at all times including during social distancing. We know it may be tough to get to us right now for some, but we do offer complimentary service pick up and delivery as well as a Ford Mobile Service Van. We are here to help and make it easy for you when it comes to maintaining your vehicle during social distancing.

Tip #7: Your Engine & Transmission Need Attention Too

Keep those fluids moving

This one is simpler and it helps many parts of your vehicle to get the fluids moving. It’s much like the expression when someone is sitting for too long and they want “to get the blood flowing.” Taking your vehicle out for even a short drive can help move these fluids through your engine and transmission. You want to make sure you get it up to its normal operating temperature. This is indicated when the needle is in the middle of the range for models with a temperature gauge. Now-a-days, with most newer vehicles having a video screen, you can usually find the digital temperature gauge there. It is always advised to get these fluids moving through the engine, transmission, brake and steering hydraulic systems and climate control system, to continue maintaining your vehicle.

Tip #8: Learn Your Technology

Do you have extra free time? Why not master your technology?

Not everyone has free time at the moment. Some of us do though. We recommend you taking your vehicle for a quick swing around the neighborhood. You can then sit in your driveway in your vehicle learning all the technology that it has to offer. That will knock off 80%-90% of our tips right there. The latest Ford vehicles have so much technology in them, it’s very difficult to become an expert just on delivery. There are a lot of hidden gems that could really help you with safety, comfort, performance or even visually. Some that you may just not realize or have forgotten about.

While our sales, service and parts teams are always here for you to answer any questions or show you new things, Ford provides an amazing resource of how-to support. You can learn all about your dash & interior, SYNC & technology, safety & security, under the hood & mechanics, vehicle care and so much more.

Tip #9: Keep it Clean

Get outside, enjoy the nice weather and clean your vehicle

Now that you’ve binge-watched everything on Netflix, take the time to give your vehicle some love. We recommend cleaning your vehicle in your driveway (at an appropriate social distance from your neighbors, of course).  It may sound counter intuitive to clean your vehicle when you’re not driving it. However, it’s a satisfying job and shouldn’t be overlooked. Insects, tree sap and bird droppings left on the car can actually damage the paint over time. You should routinely wash them off using a light detergent. Do not use strong soap or chemical detergents.

Be sure to clean the underside of the vehicle to get rid of dirt and the last remains of winter salt. Vacuum and clean the interior of your car and find that missing french fry hiding under your seat. While it still may look fresh from the fryer, we don’t recommend eating it in the name of maintaining your vehicle. The interior of your vehicle is water- and airtight. If you leave it sitting for an extended period with the windows closed, you’ll probably notice that the air inside has gotten stale. After you start the car, turn on the air conditioner for a few minutes with the recirculating button turned off. Also roll down the windows to let fresh air flow throughout the interior. This helps with freshening up the interior, filters and vents.

We have created a separate page specifically sharing guidelines for cleaning your vehicle: How to Clean Your Car for Coronavirus.

Tip #10: And Keep the Critters Out

Was this a stretch to get to the round number of 10 tips? Not necessarily

The bonus of keeping the interior of the car clean is that it’s less attractive to critters like field mice or squirrels, which can get under the hood. This can leave you with a mess of leaves in every available nook and cranny, or chew through wires. When vehicles are left outside, the chances of this happening do increase and we know that even if it seems unlikely to happen, it can. We have had customers come in with families of squirrels nesting right under the hood. Unfortunately when this happens, Animal Control needs to be called to help remove them which costs money.

All American Ford in Old Bridge is here to help when it comes to maintaining your vehicle

We are currently open for service and remote online sales, in accordance with the executive order of NJ. Our award-winning service center has offered complimentary service pick up and delivery for years, well before COVID-19. We have a larger fleet than ever before and will continue to offer it free of charge. For the past year, we’ve been able to offer a state-of-the-art Ford Mobile Service Van. It can come to your driveway and perform oil changes, tire rotations, routine maintenance, safety checks and even recalls. We have stepped up our already stellar sanitizing efforts due to COVID-19. And are proud to be one of the few dealerships in NJ to offer an EPA-registered fresh start sanitizing mist spray. We use this spray on all service vehicles and new sales deliveries. We continue to use plastic wrap on the steering wheels, whole front seat and floor mats for service customers.

Don’t settle for less, work with the best. We are the #1 Ford dealership in New Jersey and the #1 Ford Service Center in the tri-state area.

Tags: battery, brakes, ford service, maintenance, oil change, repair, tires, wheels
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