You're working from home and saving money by not having your vehicle on the road, right? While you may be saving gas money, not keeping your vehicle maintained during these tough times can cost you more than you save. Vehicles that sit for an extended period of time can lead to many mechanical problems. If your vehicle is going to sit less than two weeks, you’ll probably be okay. Otherwise, you need to take steps to maintain your vehicle and prevent damage to the engine, brakes, and tires.

Starting your car once a week and letting it idle for 20-30 minutes will help keep your car stay in shape. This helps keep your car battery charged. If your vehicle sits for too long without running, this can cause your battery to go bad. Secondly, letting your vehicle idle keeps the oil circulating throughout the engine lubricating parts that can develop surface rust . This also helps the seals stay lubricated which can prevent dry-rot.

Letting it idle as suggested above is a great idea but an even better idea is to take your car out for a drive for 20-30 minutes. The stay at home order doesn’t say you can’t take a drive. Take a beautiful back road and enjoy the scenery. You don’t have to get out of your vehicle to have a little time outside your house. You can even make it a fun drive for your family. If you have children, it allows them to get out of the house. Roll the windows down and enjoy a drive! Shifting through the gears in your transmission will work the same as the engine and keep things running smooth.

Another thing to consider if you let your car sit for too long then the fuel can go stale. As this stay at home order stretches into months, fuel will deteriorate and can develop moisture which can lead to all kinds of fuels system and engine performance issues. Starting your vehicle and driving at least every two weeks is a necessity.

During this time remember these tips.

• Fill your gas tank to the top before storing it. This helps prevent moisture from building up in the tank.
• Make sure your oil is fresh and changed.
• The battery needs to be maintained and charged at all times. Idling the vehicle is a great way to help the battery.
• Start the car at least once or twice a week. Make sure it gets up to full operating temperature before you shut it back down.
• Tires are important to maintain too. Make sure your psi is what it says on the door, and maybe even 5 psi higher than that if it's going to sit for an extended period of time. While flat spotting isn't likely to happen in two weeks, if conditions are right, a month of being stationary might be enough to cause problems.
• If you have a garage, that is the best place to store your vehicle for long periods of time. It keeps the vehicle protected from the sun, rain, and other external forces. Keep in mind that if your vehicle sits for a long time, especially outside, then rats and pests can start to cause problems. Pop your hood and look around at the wires and belts to make sure they haven’t been chewed on.
• Wash your car before you store it. Clean the exterior well which will clean off any winter debris, salt, brine, and dirt underneath the car and on the outside of the car.
• Cleaning the interior will also help. Remove any trash or items from the vehicle and this will keep it from building up smells or mold while it sits.
• DO NOT set the parking brake if you're going to park it for more than 30 days because the pads or shoes can seize to the drum or the rotor and cause problems down the road when you move it. When brakes are unused, they can develop rust on the surface of the rotors. A vehicle sitting for a long period of time can cause the brake pads to bind to the rotors.

Cars are designed to be driven, so it's easier to keep them healthy by putting them to regular use.

Even in states with shelter-in-place orders, repair shops and dealership service departments have been deemed essential and necessary services and should remain open.