Should you drive your vehicle during stay-at-home orders?

Apr 24, 2020

How to take care of your car during quarantine

As you know, there are so many questions whirling around in these anxious, uncertain times. The coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic has halted many parts of people’s daily lives all over the globe, and while it is important to stay at home to help stop the spread of the virus, that itself raises a new question: Should you drive your vehicle during stay-at-home orders? Read ahead for some tips on how to take care of your car during quarantine.

How to clean your car to help disinfect from coronavirus

How often should you take your automobile out for a drive?

It is important to follow the guidelines laid out by health experts and by officials when it comes to heading out of your house, so travel needs to be limited to what is essential. According to the order currently in place, you can still go outside for some recreational purposes as long as you continue to maintain proper social distancing guidelines and adhere to closures of parks and other areas. One thing you can do is take your car out for a recreational drive, and that is actually recommended by automotive experts.

It is recommended that you drive your car for at least 10 minutes every few days or so, or at least once a week. It is important to drive your car rather than just let it idle, because you want to give the battery a good charge as well as keep everything in smooth, running order. Leaving the car sitting for many days on end could end up draining the battery, and the last thing you’ll want to be greeted with when you go to start your car up once these orders are lifted is the sound of your vehicle not starting.

2020 Toyota Avalon driving on highway at dusk

If possible, see if you can get up to highway speeds for at least part of the drive to keep your vehicle used to driving such speeds. Driving your vehicle will also make sure that it is not sitting in the same exact spot for so long that the tires begin to wear out unevenly at the spot where they are constantly in contact with the ground, plus you will be able to better monitor the tire pressure and make sure they are always properly inflated. If you do need to go and pump some air in your tires, gas stations are considered essential businesses and remain open during the crisis, so head on over to your local station (safely) and pump up those tires if you need to.

In general, driving your car once a week also gives you the opportunity to check in with your car and make sure everything remains in good working order. In addition to checking your tire pressure, take a look at your windshield wiper blades, top off your fuel tank, be sure you have windshield washer fluid, look for dashboard warning lights, keep the battery charged (which is the biggest point in driving your car regularly during this time), check your brakes, and be sure your exhaust system is still in good working order. If it is time for some maintenance, contact San Francisco Toyota and we can talk about service options during these times of lockdown and social distancing.