A MOTORS expert has revealed the “worst” mistake you can make when storing your car for the winter.
Most Brits will use their daily drives whatever the weather but any treasured vehicles put into hibernation for the colder months need a surprising amount of TLC.
A motoring expert revealed what to avoid when storing your car for the winterTikTok/yt_fast_and_fun
Despite conventional wisdom, starting your motor to idle it can actually do more harm than good, he claimedTikTok/yt_fast_and_fun
The motors whizz, who is a collector of performance cars from the 1990s and early 2000s, took to TikTok to warn against one common error in particular.
Conventional wisdom dictates that, if leaving a car for a few months, you should start it every week or so and let it idle just to keep everything ticking over.
However, the expert claimed that doing this is actually the “worst thing” for your motor.
He said: “Don’t be tempted to start the car.
“You don’t need to, it’s fine like this for months and months.
“Starting your car…and leaving it idle for 20 minutes will do more harm than good.”
Performing a cold start and then leaving the car to idle rather than driving it puts extra stress on the engine and doesn’t allow fluids like engine oil to heat up and flow properly through the system.
Instead, if you want to store your car away, do not start it until the time comes to regularly drive it again.
If you are worried about the battery going flat, you can always hook the motor up to a battery monitor, which cost about £6 and will tell you if it needs a charge.
Considering that engine repairs can cost hundreds, its certainly more economical to avoid any potential damage.
However, another one of the expert’s tips is hotly debated among enthusiasts.
He advised drivers to keep their car full up with fuel while it is stored away for the winter.
The logic of this is to reduce the amount of air in the fuel tank as, due to the amount of water vapour in the atmosphere, this can cause rusting and corrosion.
But its important to be aware that if you are storing your car for longer than a few months, the fuel will likely go stale and have to be replaced before driving or else risk damaging the engine.
The RAC recommends draining your fuel tank if you plan to leave your car alone for more than six months.