GolfGTIforum.co.uk
Model specific boards => Golf mk7 => Topic started by: Mutley75 on 20 March 2020, 12:57
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I don’t want to start a thread about coronavirus - there’s more than enough discussion going on about that. But, since working from home five days a week vs the two days I normally do, the GTI hasn’t been out of the garage. Given its nicely cleaned and polished too, I have no intention taking it out for the odd trip to the shops making it instantly dirty again. I’ll use the wife’s Polo for that. So it begs the question - how long should I leave it garaged without using it? The current situ will go on for three months minimum. So is there anything I should watch for that might become a problem? Flat battery, stale fuel etc? I may end up taking it for a spin once a week if need be - but my OCD would compel me to give it a full valet after, ready for the garage again. :shocked:
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Yes, I would try and take it for a spin at least once a week, if only for a few miles to turn to keep things in good service order. It is true that fuel loses its potency over time, but it would probably take a good 6 months for it to become 'stale' as it were, but still completely usable.
I am a very low mileage driver and have been caught out by scored brake disks where the rust builds up on the discs, and the first trip out, it grinds and scores the disks. So I think you will still need to maintain the full valet regime! :wink:
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What's stopping you going for a drive? Who cares about washing it, just use it and wash it when it needs it.
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I’d say it’s best to give it a weekly run - you can always pick a dry day so the car will stay clean if the thought of a dirty car in your garage is likely to give you sleepless nights :smiley:. I also don’t like my car being dirty, but I don’t feel compelled to clean it after every use, and I don’t have a problem putting it away in the garage if it’s not spotlessly clean. At the end of the day, you no doubt bought your car to enjoy it, so IMO that’s what you should do rather than just keep it locked away in your garage..
Flat battery is the obvious one if a car is left unused for prolonged periods. Also, the tyres may develop flat spots. Don’t know if there may also be a risk of the parking brake seizing on?
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Leave it in gear, with the parking brake off. If you have to leave it longer term, tyre cushions and a battery conditioner are a good idea to keep the tyres from flat spotting and the battery from discharging.
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drive it as much as you can. You'll never again see the roads so quiet :grin:
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Another vote here for just get out and drive it! We've all bought cars for reasons other than pure practicality so why not see this as an opportunity to go for a drive just for the drive and not because you have to! At least you have a garage to keep it in, I've gone to working from home from today and mine has to sit outside getting covered in crap all day :laugh:
drive it as much as you can. You'll never again see the roads so quiet :grin:
So true!
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drive it as much as you can. You'll never again see the roads so quiet :grin:
This! :grin: ^^^
It’s Spring (give or take) so lighter evenings and hopefully marginally better weather. You’ll have plenty of car cleaning time being unable to do much else once Netflix has been exhausted.
Take the car out once a week or more, drive economically as we don’t know if there will be fuel shortages soon (and no doubt the bog roll hoarding brainless selfish idiots will all rush out to stock up on fuel soon making supplies go the same way as food and thus giving further problems to emergency service workers who need to travel to work but might not be able to get fuel) and keep everything loosened up and prevent seals drying out including aircon system. The car is fairly new so age related degradation isn’t a big issue.
Batteries don’t lose charge as quickly in warmer weather.
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Are you not able to go for a drive? I often take any opportunity to just get out and drive on some nice local roads.
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My Mk2 sits in the garage most of the time. It's always plugged into a battery conditioner. I keep very little fuel in it, so that when in does get filled up to be used, the stale fuel gets really diluted. If I'm leaving it for the winter 6 months when it's not taxed, I'll pump the tyres up to 40 odd psi so they keep their shape. I've got a note on the dash to remind me to let some air out before I drive it. As said before, don't leave the parking brake on.
To be honest tho', there's little point in keeping a newish car parked up. Unlike my Mk2, yours will be just sat there loosing money, only benefiting the next owner.
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Cheers all. Yes, I think I'll probably just go for some good old fashioned 1990's style drives once a week for the sheer hell of it. Although I'm very OCD about keeping the car clean... I'm also lazy! If it sits there 2/3 weeks I'd rather it be spotless, so I didn't want to use it for 1/2 hour then have to spend 3 hours cleaning it each week. That said, it's a small problem in the grand scheme of things and I'll probably be glad of the fresh air and getting out of the house. First priority is to actually stay alive, have something to eat and ideally something to wipe my a$$ on! Keep safe all.
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Cheers all. Yes, I think I'll probably just go for some good old fashioned 1990's style drives once a week for the sheer hell of it. Although I'm very OCD about keeping the car clean... I'm also lazy! If it sits there 2/3 weeks I'd rather it be spotless, so I didn't want to use it for 1/2 hour then have to spend 3 hours cleaning it each week. That said, it's a small problem in the grand scheme of things and I'll probably be glad of the fresh air and getting out of the house. First priority is to actually stay alive, have something to eat and ideally something to wipe my a$$ on! Keep safe all.
Before the TCR (which is permanently filthy) I was much like you, I used another car for commuting and was a big fanny about getting my Golf GTI/R out unless the weather was perfect.
Just choose the right weather to use the car when you have the choice of when to use it and it’ll stay fairly clean aside from light dust for quite a few weeks.
Pick a dry day to go bog roll and baked bean hunting to keep your OCD in relative check!
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I really wouldn't worry about having a blast out and not giving it a wash. Seriously. Bigger things to worry about!
Week 7 and no wash... And I'm a qualified detailer.. :cry:
(https://i.postimg.cc/0yFzc2gF/3-BEim8rs-RYe-FUz-EJl-g-Rmg.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/zywDfNGF)
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I really wouldn't worry about having a blast out and not giving it a wash. Seriously. Bigger things to worry about!
Week 7 and no wash... And I'm a qualified detailer.. :cry:
A qualified detailer who keeps avoiding the opportunity to detail my cars :whistle: :laugh:
Good to see yours looking mucky. Mine looks odd as it's filthy bar one clean door :grin:
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My Mk2 sits in the garage most of the time. It's always plugged into a battery conditioner. I keep very little fuel in it, so that when in does get filled up to be used, the stale fuel gets really diluted. If I'm leaving it for the winter 6 months when it's not taxed, I'll pump the tyres up to 40 odd psi so they keep their shape. I've got a note on the dash to remind me to let some air out before I drive it. As said before, don't leave the parking brake on.
To be honest tho', there's little point in keeping a newish car parked up. Unlike my Mk2, yours will be just sat there loosing money, only benefiting the next owner.
What he says, i have done similar for 30 years without issues. My mk6 , mk1 and mini have never seen winter.
Battery maybe your only issue if not conditioned. I left the mk6 3 months when newish without issue but much longer and vagcom would flag central electric low battery and it starts going into close down mode.
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I really wouldn't worry about having a blast out and not giving it a wash. Seriously. Bigger things to worry about!
Week 7 and no wash... And I'm a qualified detailer.. :cry:
A qualified detailer who keeps avoiding the opportunity to detail my cars :whistle: :laugh:
Good to see yours looking mucky. Mine looks odd as it's filthy bar one clean door :grin:
One day soon Watts, if you were just a bit closer...!
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I really wouldn't worry about having a blast out and not giving it a wash. Seriously. Bigger things to worry about!
Week 7 and no wash... And I'm a qualified detailer.. :cry:
(https://i.postimg.cc/0yFzc2gF/3-BEim8rs-RYe-FUz-EJl-g-Rmg.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/zywDfNGF)
I’ve seen some filth on the Internet Jim, but that takes the biscuit.
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I left mine for 4 months while I was in the South Atlantic and all I did was leave the handbrake off (and in gear), pump the tyres up a bit and disconnect the battery.
After 4 months it was fine apart from lots of errors on the dash (which cleared within a few miles) and a layer of dust.
Car's nowadays are a lot more resilient than they used to be to being stood for a while, especially in a garage where the discs won't get a layer of rust from the rain.
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I use mine at weekends as I do loads of miles since I bought beacuse of a new job, i have a 2nd car ( no grandness a C1 ) i couldn't put all those boring commuter miles on my GTI I didn't buy it as a commuter i bought it as someting to enjoy and look after .
But its nice thing to use at weekends its treat rather than a car.
i appreciate it more , strange really as its a Golf
ive got bikes parked up and it really doeasnt do them any good , use it for a spirited blast down the shops works for me :wink:
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I really wouldn't worry about having a blast out and not giving it a wash. Seriously. Bigger things to worry about!
Week 7 and no wash... And I'm a qualified detailer.. :cry:
(https://i.postimg.cc/0yFzc2gF/3-BEim8rs-RYe-FUz-EJl-g-Rmg.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/zywDfNGF)
Amen to that! Get it out and blast around some A-Roads whilst they're quiet, that's what I'm doing daily. Mutley75, look away now, it's not been washed for weeks...
(https://i.postimg.cc/mD9LYXYH/IMG-8271.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/DJ23FcYv)
(https://i.postimg.cc/MH8Wd75r/IMG-8269.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/sQwd2Ztp)
:grin:
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i have a 2nd car ( no grandness a C1 ) :
I had one of those on a years lease - brilliant little car :-)
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There are many ways to enjoy car ownership.
Some like to pamper their cars, keep them spotless and shiny like show cars.
Other modify, improve, customise.
For me the greatest pleasure is in driving.
I'm fairly new to owning a modern classic- but realised pretty early on that it I'll get most enjoyment from driving and using it. Unless there's grit on the roads, I'll drive it.
I'll be out in both GTIs at some point today- may take the kids for a joyride.
KMP- get that car washed- disgusting!
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i have a 2nd car ( no grandness a C1 ) :
I had one of those on a years lease - brilliant little car :-)
I have just serviced it on the drive oil change and filter plus air filter and windscreen wiper a princely £30 :smiley: I quite like it also ,my daughter wont be seen in it though :grin:
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I really wouldn't worry about having a blast out and not giving it a wash. Seriously. Bigger things to worry about!
Week 7 and no wash... And I'm a qualified detailer.. :cry:
(https://i.postimg.cc/0yFzc2gF/3-BEim8rs-RYe-FUz-EJl-g-Rmg.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/zywDfNGF)
Amen to that! Get it out and blast around some A-Roads whilst they're quiet, that's what I'm doing daily. Mutley75, look away now, it's not been washed for weeks...
(https://i.postimg.cc/mD9LYXYH/IMG-8271.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/DJ23FcYv)
(https://i.postimg.cc/MH8Wd75r/IMG-8269.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/sQwd2Ztp)
:grin:
OH love your Blue PP GTI Mr Powell very nice !
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There are many ways to enjoy car ownership.
Some like to pamper their cars, keep them spotless and shiny like show cars.
Other modify, improve, customise.
For me the greatest pleasure is in driving.
I think I fall into all 3 categories :cool:
I love to modify, love to drive whenever I can and I hate a dirty car.
My neighbours have commented a few times when I've been cleaning the car at 10pm in the dark :shocked:
But OP as others have said just drive it and enjoy it. I like you don't like to have a dirty car sat in the garage but once it gets dirty a little from the first drive you actually take it out more as you aren't worried. Then once clean again you'll be back at the start and not wanting to take it out again LOL.
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Ha ha. Agreed. But I’m not driving it this week because I fancy having Saturday off from having to clean it :laugh:
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Been a home worker for a year now - started when the Golf was 3 months old - I look for excuses to go for a drive - it’s a car, enjoy driving it ( and if you’re like me - cleaning it)