What working from home means for your undriven car

COLOGNE: You intended to leave your car for just a short time, but for one reason or another that turned into a few weeks. Now it won't start, it's started to rust.

It's a sorry tale, and one that's easily avoided.

The pandemic may mean that you're using your car much less than usual and if it remains parked in the same place for weeks, that can take a toll.

If there's a chance you might not be using your vehicle for a while take a little time to prepare it for the break - and find a good place to leave it.

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Hans Gerd Brauneiser, the owner of a car maintenance business here, recommends increasing the tyre pressure by 0.2 bar, filling up the fuel tank and waxing the washed vehicle before parking.

Then it's off to find a suitable parking space.

"Under trees, the vehicle will get dirty very quickly," says Brauneiser.

"Leaves and bird droppings take their toll on the paintwork, and leaves can clog up drainage gullies - that can cause corrosion and dampness in the interior."

When you eventually come to move the vehicle Brauneiser advises light braking manoeuvres for the first few metres - always paying attention to the traffic behind.

After a period of weeks rust can form on the brake discs, which reduces braking performance. Owners should ideally then drive directly to a petrol station to adjust the tyre pressure to the prescribed level.