source: Audi Australia
While maintaining your own health and wellbeing during current pandemic restrictions is of paramount importance, these simple tips will also ensure your Audi is in peak condition for when things get back to normal.
The most important thing for all during the COVID-19 situation and ongoing lockdown is to maintain good health and a positive mental attitude both for yourselves and for those around you. It’s also important to look after one or two ‘health care items’ for your Audi while it is largely inactive, to make sure that all will be in good working order when things start to return to normal.
Obviously a vehicle’s natural state of being is out there on the road doing what it was designed to do. Extended periods of inactivity, as with people, can result in lethargy and aches and pains – which with a car can mean a battery powering unneeded items or even flat spots on the tyres from being parked too long in the one position.
Although the ideal solution is to go for a short drive, as this isn’t allowed for anything other than essential trips, there are simple things you can do to keep your Audi ready for action during this dormant period.
If your Audi is not getting out regularly on essential trips, it’s a good idea to start the engine each week and let it run for 10 to 15 minutes just to avoid unnecessary battery discharge and keep the battery in good condition. Once your Audi is parked, it’s also a good idea to switch off the lights before turning off the engine, particularly if it will be another week before you restart the engine.
Obviously if your Audi is garaged, be sure to open the garage door while the engine is running and if possible, even move the car in and out. This will allow you to move the car back and forth to avoid flat spotting the tyres – something that can happen if the car is left parked for extended periods.
Moving the car gently back and forth and gently applying the brakes is also a good way to remove small spots of surface rust that can accumulate on brake discs, particularly if a car is parked with wet wheels and left for extended periods.
Once you have run the engine and rotated the wheels, park the car back in your garage and use chocks of wood or similar on the front and rear wheels rather than applying the electronic park brake. With your Audi in ‘Park’ and the chocks in place it will be perfectly safe and not move, this will save strain on an electronic Park brake applied for long periods.
Keep the interior of your Audi clean and while it sees less use during this period, keep the air-conditioning flaps open and the recirculation mode switched off until you resume normal usage.
Also, check the rolling function of sun blinds and luggage covers and leave them furled while the car is sidelined, rather than fully extended.
Likewise keep the exterior clean before parking and if you use a car cover, try to lift the cover off rather than dragging it across the car to avoid small scratches that can result from dust build up over time.
Of course there is nothing wrong with washing your car as often as you like during the lockdown, and for some, that simple act of backing out of the garage and spending a couple of hours waxing and polishing is a true pleasure. For others … not so much.
Also keep in mind that during the lockdown, Audi Service Centres remain open for all servicing needs, so if something requires attention, be sure to let your Audi Service provider know and they’ll be happy to help you.
Follow these simple tips, and when things start to return to normal, you can be assured that your Audi will be in perfect condition to help you resume normal operation and get back out into the world.
In the meantime, stay safe and start planning your next road trip for when the restrictions ease and you can get behind the wheel once again.
