# Caring for a car while away **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** mitsubishi, diamante\ **Created:** [November 16, 2010, 5:56pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/caring-for-a-car-while-away/57638 "2010-11-16T17:56:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![goingtoSpain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e95f7d/32.png) [@goingtoSpain](https://community.cartalk.com/u/goingtoSpain)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2010, 5:56pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/caring-for-a-car-while-away/57638/1 "2010-11-16T17:56:54Z")
I’m going to be out of the country for 7 months. What is the best way to take care of my car while I am gone? If a friend will start it up, how often should he do that? ---
**Author:** ![mcparadise](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mcparadise/32/32_2.png) [@mcparadise](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mcparadise)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2010, 6:07pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/caring-for-a-car-while-away/57638/2 "2010-11-16T18:07:09Z")
7 months is not a long time. You could probably do nothing and be OK. However, adding fuel stabilizer to the tank before you park it would be a good idea, and you may want to either disconnect the battery or use a Battery Tender to keep it charged. If you choose to disconnect, make sure you have the security code for the radio, if that’s applicable to your car. Starting the engine is NOT a good idea unless the car will be driven. Starting and letting it idle does more harm than good, and won’t keep the battery charged anyway. If someone can DRIVE the car for 20-30 minutes every three or four weeks that would be good. Otherwise just park it and leave it alone. When you park the car, do not apply the parking brake. Seven months is long enough for it to rust and it could be hard to get it to release later. Block the wheels if you’re worried about the car moving. ---
**Author:** ![goingtoSpain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e95f7d/32.png) [@goingtoSpain](https://community.cartalk.com/u/goingtoSpain)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2010, 6:17pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/caring-for-a-car-while-away/57638/3 "2010-11-16T18:17:40Z")
Thank you very much for this helpful reply! I do appreciate your time and help. ---
**Author:** ![lion9car](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/59ef9b/32.png) [@lion9car](https://community.cartalk.com/u/lion9car)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2010, 6:23pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/caring-for-a-car-while-away/57638/4 "2010-11-16T18:23:31Z")
If no one will be driving it, don’t forget that you can suspend the collision part of your insurance. ---
**Author:** ![goingtoSpain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e95f7d/32.png) [@goingtoSpain](https://community.cartalk.com/u/goingtoSpain)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2010, 6:41pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/caring-for-a-car-while-away/57638/5 "2010-11-16T18:41:36Z")
Good point! Thank you. (There are many things to suspend when going away – newspapers, magazines, etc. – so I appreciate this valuable reminder.