Has your MINI been sitting more than usual due to COVID-19? Our service experts bring some advice on what can happen to a sitting vehicle.
Aged Batteries
• Batteries nearing the end of their life can fail if not used on a daily basis.
• It can take up to 20-30 mins of driving to re-charge a battery that has been sitting.
• We recommend that multi-car families alternate driving vehicles to maintain battery charge levels
• If your vehicle is slow to start after sitting for a few days, if may be best to contact us to check your vehicle before quarantine ends and your normal travel resumes.
Tire Pressure Warnings (TPM Lights)
• As the temperature starts to change during this time of year, the air pressure in your car’s tires will change with it, as cold contracts (pressure down) while heat expands (pressure up).
• Manufacturers are aware of this and have programmed your tire monitoring system to have an acceptable pressure “window” to compensate for these temperature changes
• The tire monitor system will activate the warning light if, your pressure is lower than the window or higher than the window. Either way, it’s best to address the issue as soon as possible.
• Low pressure is usually an indication of a leak, however in the fall, as the temperature drops, it may be the contraction of the cold air that has lowered the tire’s pressure
• Lower tire pressure will cause premature wear, decrease handling, and less pothole damage protection
• High pressure in the spring can come about from adjusting tire pressure during the cold winter months with a more condensed cold air, as the temperature warms the air expands and raises your tire pressure
• Higher tire pressures will cause excessive wear to the center of the tire as the shape of the tire is distorted by the excess, it will also provide a rougher ride and diminished handling.
• Checking and adjusting tire pressures is done with an electric air pump and a pressure gauge, we perform this service as a courtesy anytime you check in at the dealer, if you do not have a pump or gauge your welcome to come see us for a quick check and adjust.
Mice
• Believe it or not this is a problem we see often and more so in the recent months. As people are not using their vehicles as much, mice are attracted to them for a nice place to nest. The car’s engine compartment provides lots of materials to build their nests from and it’s well protected from predators. In the normal course of daily driving, you scare them off when starting your engine. But, things haven’t been normal as of late.
• Tell tale signs of mice include leaf litter in the engine compartment, destruction of engine bay insulation, burning smell after the car warms and the worst part, chewed wires.
• While in most cases, the nest can be cleared out easily, it’s the chewed wiring that can become a real problem and this damage doesn’t always present itself right away.
• Damage to electronic components can occur from electrical wire shorts caused by wiring insulation that has been chewed away, leading to costly module replacement
• Phantom electrical problem symptoms can arise, ie your horn starts blowing for no reason or the blinkers activate by themselves but then stop as fast as they came on. Radio reception has good days and bad, etc.
• In rare cases, engine bay fires can happen from short circuiting caused by chewed wires contacting, sparking, and igniting nesting litter
• We recommend that you pop open your hood and look for signs of mice. Clear away any nesting materials you may find and look for damage. If you're not sure, let us take a look and verify that everything is okay.
• In some case, if you do suffer damage from the scourge of mice, your insurance company may cover the damage, we can help you with filing a claim.
Water condensation on the inside of your car windows?
• Vehicle’s that sit have a tendency to develop water leaks. This can happen as a result of tree litter, pollen, and dirt clogging small drainage tubes in and around doors, convertible tops and sunroofs. In the normal course of driving, vibration and rain will flush these clogs out.
• As water collects around these clogged drains it can overflow into the vehicle’s interior. The water will collect under the carpet on the floor pan of the vehicle and may go unnoticed for a bit.
• The spring temperature changes will provide a clue that this is happening to your vehicle. Overnight temperature differences between the inside and outside of the car can cause excessive condensation on the interior of the windows of a vehicle that has trapped water in its interior.
• Other than developing a musty odor, damage from water infiltration can take the shape of rusted components, damaged wiring harness and electrical components that reside under seats and the carpet. These problems can be very tricky to pinpoint and can take many hours to fix.
• We recommend that you wash your vehicle regularly to flush away clogging materials, check under floor mats for moisture, and keep an eye out for condensation on the inside of your windows. We can help clear clogged drains and/or repair water damage if needed. As these repairs take some time, we provide loaner cars to customers in need of alternate transportation.
Brakes making grinding noise?
• Vehicles that sit for extended periods can gather rust on the brake rotors. This can cause excessive grinding noise on your first drive out of quarantine.
• Modern disc brakes, have a large raw metal disc that the brake pads clamp down on when you apply the brakes. The clamping action of the brake pads clears away corrosion on the brake rotor. When the vehicle isn’t driven on a daily basis this corrosion can build to the point where the brake pads cannot effectively clear it away.
• The sign of this is grinding noises coming from the vehicle when you apply the brakes. Usually, this noise abates after about 5 stops or so. If it doesn’t you may need to visually inspect your brake rotors through the openings in the wheels of the car.
• The following issues can be a sign that your vehicle has a problem with its brakes:
• Pock marks / rust pitting
• Deep grooving
• Uneven clearing of the rotor’s corrosion. (the rotor will look like the rings of Saturn)
• If these signs are ignored, addition signs will become evident.
• Pulsation in the brakes caused by an uneven surface developing on the rotor’s surface
• Pulsations felt in the steering wheel while stopping are evidence of an issue with the front brakes
• Pulsations felt in the seat while braking are evidence of an issue in the rear brakes
• Unfortunately, this issue can arise in new and old brakes alike when the vehicle sits. But, if you hear the grinding noise and note any of the issues on the rotor, you can potentially avoid having to replace the brakes by getting them serviced.
• We recommend multi-car households rotate the driving of each vehicle to lessen the chance of this issue developing. If you’re unsure, we can inspect your brakes for you. Which is part of our free multi-point inspection.
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