LIFE AFTER LOCKDOWN

Most of us have driven less since the start of 2020. While some cars have sat idle, the vast majority have suffered an increased frequency of short journeys. Yet, many owners take some convincing that pottering to the shops and back is harder on many of the car’s parts than undertaking longer journeys at higher speeds. This is highlighted by the higher rate of post-lockdown MOT failures, which supports the theory that infrequent use dictates more regular technical attention, not less.

Therefore, whether you perform full services from home, or rely on a garage to do it for you, do not think that a relatively low mileage means that you can skip maintenance tasks this year to save money. The temptation is false economy. If anything, the car requires even more attention now that winter is behind us. Your aim must be to eradicate any harm that lockdown conditions wrought so that the issues do not compound and cause a breakdown over coming months.

To help understand why cars have suffered more during the recent lockdown era, especially since most of the UK experienced a colder winter than usual, this feature looks into specific components that require extra attention at service time. Our advice is not intended to replace your carmaker’s maintenance schedule but supplements it with additional procedures and technical reasoning. You need not be scared, because a confident DIYer that is armed with sufficient knowledge can conduct most of these extra tasks on a domestic driveway.

BATTERY

Virtually every production car employs a lead-acid battery, including hybrids and electric vehicles. They do not like harsh winters for several reasons. Firstly, batteries rely on chemical reactions to deliver electrical energy, the rate of which slows by as much as 30% under freezing conditions. While under this disadvantage, they also have to deliver more energy on demand, due to the engine being harder for the starter motor to turn in the cold. Furthermore, the extra stresses placed upon the electrical system, from lights, heater/demisters and diesel glow-plugs, can mean that it may take over 20 minutes, or around 10 miles of driving, for the car’s alternator to replenish the power that was needed to start the engine. Reduced ambient temperatures also increase the battery’s internal resistance, making the alternator work harder and for longer. Newer cars, fitted with smart alternators and Stop-Start technologies (including micro and mild hybrids), can charge at higher voltages, rather than a constant 14.4 volts, which means they need less time to return the lost charge but they are not miracle workers. Yet, vehicles thus-equipped also tend to possess EFB (Enhanced Flooded Batteries) or AGM (Advanced Glass Mat) types, compared with the standard SLI (Starter Lights Ignition) battery.

As most lockdown journeys tended to last fewer than 20 minutes, the battery is likely to have suffered from voltage walk-down, which is when the energy taken from it is not replenished before the next engine start. This