How long can a modern car sit without anything breaking?

"Nymphicus Hollandicus" (nymhicus-hollandicus)
11/04/2015 at 17:24 • Filed to: Question, Oppo

Just a general question I want to ask the oppo community. I think most modern cars can sit maybe about 2 or so weeks before anything breaks *or having to change fluids and gas*

Toyota Soarer for your time

DISCUSSION (38)

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > Nymphicus Hollandicus
11/04/2015 at 17:28

The wants for a soarer are very strong.

Jcarr > Nymphicus Hollandicus
11/04/2015 at 17:29

I have a ‘96 Ford Ranger with 175,000 miles that sits for weeks, sometimes months on end and every time I go out to use it, it starts right up and runs like a top. I think modern vehicles can sit for a very long time before anything more than a dead battery might happen.

Party-vi > Nymphicus Hollandicus
11/04/2015 at 17:29

My BMW has sat for months without any issues upon resuming normal driving. Same with our Pilot. Now, the Willys on the other hand...

jariten1781 > Nymphicus Hollandicus
11/04/2015 at 17:30

2 or so weeks before anything breaks.

What? You can sit cars until the battery dies, or if on a tender, the gas goes bad without anything breaking. Especially newer ones. Months to years.

Little Black Coupe Turned Silver > Nymphicus Hollandicus
11/04/2015 at 17:31

Uhhhhh really?

My track car often sits for weeks at a time, and is just fine. Even over winter I do the bare minimum and it fires right up in spring and is perfect.

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > Nymphicus Hollandicus
11/04/2015 at 17:35

they can go pretty well sitting, as long as its clean and held at a steady temperature, it should be fine, just like an older car could

Nibby > Nymphicus Hollandicus
11/04/2015 at 17:36

Hijacking your thread a bit, how long would a car have to sit until you need to worry about changing fluids and gas?

this is not matt farah's foxbodymiata > Nymphicus Hollandicus
11/04/2015 at 17:37

A long damn time. The biggest problem you get when a car goes unused is gaskets, membranes, bushings, etc. drying up and cracking. New cars are all designed for ethanol gas, (no unprotected rubber to be eaten) so that helps, along with better synthetic materials in general. Plus, a lot more work is done with electronics which don’t corrode or seize up like an analog carb or distributor would, and closed loop sensor systems can compensate for warm up issues. Modern batteries hold a charge better too.

That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms > Nymphicus Hollandicus
11/04/2015 at 17:38

Longer than that. My mid-80s V12 Jaguar could sit for two weeks without anything breaking. I’d say you’re good for at least 6 months on newer cars.

Nymphicus Hollandicus > Nibby
11/04/2015 at 17:41

Ah, forgot to include that...

kanadanmajava1 > Nymphicus Hollandicus
11/04/2015 at 17:41

The university that I studied in did receive a present from the the local Toyota importer. This happened way before my times when Toyota was celebrating some anniversary. That present happened to be a (~’87) Toyota Soarer with all possible hitech options.

The school used it for teaching purposes and made plenty of experiments with it. But when they didn’t have any action going on the poor Soarer was left unused for long times. And it really didn’t like that and had always plenty of problems when they were trying to wake it up.

Eventually they gave it away to one Finnish car museum as it was getting old and completely useless.

But for modern vehicles a resting period lasting some weeks shouldn’t be very harmful. Some cars tend to empty their battery quite fast but it should still last couple of months. And disconnecting the battery isn’t an option as cars will go really dumb if that happens.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Nymphicus Hollandicus
11/04/2015 at 17:41

My isuzu pickup has sat for up to 6 months and other than a dead battery it was fine.

Sam > Party-vi
11/04/2015 at 17:41

The Willys probably breaks whether it’s driving or sitting.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Nymphicus Hollandicus
11/04/2015 at 17:49

My ‘94 Mazda truck was run mercilessly until just last year. Since then, it has been started about once a month. Other than an infestation of wasps in the door and spiders underneath, I have had no issues. It starts, runs, and drives without complaint.

TheVancen- In Pursuit of a Greater Payday and Car Parts > Nymphicus Hollandicus
11/04/2015 at 17:52

A lot longer than you think. However I still consider it good practice to go out and start the car to keep the juices flowing. If you know it’s going to sit for a long period, disconnecting the battery couldn’t hurt either. Long as it doesn’t do anything weird with the computers.

Mattbob > Nymphicus Hollandicus
11/04/2015 at 17:54

outside, or in a garage? Winter or summer?

Urambo Tauro > Nymphicus Hollandicus
11/04/2015 at 18:00

If the car is in good shape when parked, it can survive several months without presenting new faults.

But there are no guarantees.

A random critter could climb up into the engine compartment within the first week of storage and start nibbling away at tasty wires.

Sneaky Pete > Nymphicus Hollandicus
11/04/2015 at 18:06

One of my cars was on jackstands for over a month while I fixed an issue, fired right up once I finally finished and put it back together.

T5Killer > Nymphicus Hollandicus
11/04/2015 at 18:10

My 1995 cobra sat for a bit over a year, and I just had to put some fresh gas and fired it right up. Granted I put Sta-Bil in it.

PS9 > Party-vi
11/04/2015 at 18:12

Well that’s what happens when you don’t give your willys the love and care it needs. The day you go to need it, it’ll be all dried up and deflated.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Nymphicus Hollandicus
11/04/2015 at 18:38

2 weeks? Think for a moment about what you’re implying there.

A good new car should be able to sit for a year or more with nothing more than a very flat battery. Keep in mind there’s a big difference between sitting in a well-sealed garage and being left out unprotected.

vp917 > Nymphicus Hollandicus
11/04/2015 at 18:55

Kinja'd!!!

I'd say about 70 years...

desertdog5051 > Nymphicus Hollandicus
11/04/2015 at 19:06

I don’t see anything “breaking” for a long while. When I lived in Michigan, my motorcycle sat for 3 months or more each winter. I simply changed the oil shortly before storage and added fuel stabilizer and ran it until the older fuel got completely replaced by the winter mix. Of course, you have to remove the battery or disconnect it and put a tender on it.

Jarrett - [BRZ Boi] > Nibby
11/04/2015 at 19:24

This is what I was thinking. Isn’t the shelf life on Ethanol-infused gasoline significantly lower than normal? Like, 3 months instead of 3 years?

TheD0k_2many toys 2little time > Nymphicus Hollandicus
11/04/2015 at 19:27

here in MI cars sit all winter and are just fine when you pull them out in the spring

Dingers Ghost, Champion Jockey > Jcarr
11/04/2015 at 19:30

See, my ‘01 is the complete opposite, I drive it every day and it seems like it breaks something new about once a week anymore.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Nymphicus Hollandicus
11/04/2015 at 19:44

I don’t think I’ll ever get an opportunity to test this on my Miata. Any time I go more than 1 day without driving it, I feel very odd. Longest I have gone is about 5 days because I was on vacation.

Gizmo - The Only Good Gremlin, but don't feed me after Midnight > Nymphicus Hollandicus
11/04/2015 at 19:52

My 2006 sits idle from November to March every year. I fill the gas tank, put it on a tender, cover it. Every Spring I take it out of hibernation go easy on it for the first tank (the one that sat all winter), put 4-5 gallons of 50/50 premium/109 octane in and make a few WOT runs and its ready for the season.

jkm7680 > Nymphicus Hollandicus
11/04/2015 at 19:54

My family has a house in Spain, where we store an ‘01 Mustang. It gets driven like once or twice a year and hasn’t broken yet.

It’s been in Spain since 2003 and I’m fairly sure it hasn’t had an oil change since 2009. Not sure how the battery is handled, but I’m fairly sure it’s stored out of the car or something.

Opposite Locksmith > Nymphicus Hollandicus
11/04/2015 at 19:56

Please don’t tell me that. My seizures aren’t stopping so I’ve driven my car for 3 months maybe the past two years

Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast. > Nymphicus Hollandicus
11/04/2015 at 20:00

I think you are okay for two or three weeks if you aren’t in either extreme heat or cold.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > Nymphicus Hollandicus
11/04/2015 at 20:50

pending the battery doesn’t drain, a modern car could easily sit for months. Fuel can go bad in a couple months.

On a side note, some hybrids it need to be driven to recharge the battery. a relative had to travel for extended time, and provided a rental. parked his car and stopped the insurance. Even though it was started up and run once a month the battery slowly died as it is only charged under re-gen braking. After 2 months it wouldn’t start.

Speed > Nymphicus Hollandicus
11/04/2015 at 20:58

Years, even decades without anything major going bad. My 98 Z28 sat for two years because I bought a beater for what a fuel pump cost and just never got around to fixing it. I dropped in a new battery (old one was bought used to begin with) and swapped fuel pumps recently and she runs like a top. Plenty old cars sit for decades and make it home with little more than fluid changes and air in the tires. Often time is spent cleaning things out more than fixing them.

Axel-Ripper > Nibby
11/04/2015 at 20:58

Well I left my truck sit for like 3 years with the gas in it and it fired up just fine sans needing one fuel line.

BloodlessWeevil > Nymphicus Hollandicus
11/04/2015 at 21:25

Well, here’s what breaks:

Tires - Tires will develop flat spots from the cars weight. It will usually take around a month, but some tires will last longer without developing flat spots. Low profile tires and tires made with softer rubber compounds (performance tires) are more susceptible, while a higher cross section and harder rubber will last longer.

Battery - Batteries slowly lose their charge over time, but modern cars have low level electronics running constantly. How long before it does not have enough charge to start the engine depends on the car, the state of the battery, and the environment in which it is stored. Modern cars will not drain the battery for several months in any conditions if the battery is still good.

Fuel - Whether it is gasoline or diesel, fuels lose volatile compounds as they vaporize into the air. Compounds oxidize and re-polymerize and solids will precipitate out of solution. Water can condense in the gas tank and, being more dense, will form a layer at the bottom of the tank. This prevents fuel from getting to the fuel pump and thus, the engine. For these reasons, the length of time a tank of fuel lasts will depend on the environment and how full the tank is. A full tank of gasoline will be usable for around a year, but you might see a significant loss in performance. Diesel can go bad in a few months, but can also last several years if stored properly.

Oil - Waxes can crystilize out and additives can seperate out as well. Over many thousands of miles, this will cause premature engine wear, but will not prevent the vehicle from being driven.

Brakes - Brake drums and rotors will rust, causing squealing and rough braking. A few stops will clear the braking surfaces. Low quality rotors can begin rusting in a few weeks, drums are less susceptible. Either will last at least ten years before rusting to the point the vehicle cannot break them loose.

Party-vi > Sam
11/04/2015 at 21:52

You spelled “leaks” wrong.

Sam > Party-vi
11/04/2015 at 22:56

Sounds like my Porsche. When it stop leaking is when I know it’s out of oil.

wiffleballtony > Nymphicus Hollandicus
11/05/2015 at 11:36

What? Two weeks is like an extended vacation. I’d expect 6 months in my area before hoses and crap dry out.