john1r

Hi. My wife and I both work from home, and our 2010 Q5 used to be her car for driving around town, taking kids to preschool, etc... (so it still didn't get a lot miles/year but was at least used multiple times/day) but she now has a new car, and the Q5 is now mine (nice upgrade for me!). However, it basically sits in the driveway aside from me going out to lunch once in a while and a little use on the weekends.

Aside from trying to drive it more (especially some good highway runs), is there anything I should be doing to help maintain it (i.e. using a different oil (right now Audi does my oil changes so I don't know what they put in), using a fuel additive (even something as simple as Stabil), etc...)?

Thanks for your thoughts!

Redd

If gas sits in the tank for 90 days, it decays. Gasoline is a witches' brew of about 60 compounds including things like heptane and butane that literally boil off at room temperature, and it is blended for a use life of 90 days. Adding StaBil can push that up to 1-2 years with no problem, so if the car sits more than 90 days on a tank? Sure, StaBil.

Check the air, the factory tires lose about 1# per month no matter what you do.

And the battery can kill itself in less than two months. I'd suggest a good trickle charger if it sits within range of a plug, or adding a solar panel that ca sit on the dashboard if you don't want to run a cord. VW actually make a tiny panel for that purpose, but you can find a larger cheaper better one in many places. You just have to wire it into the ODB port, or directly to the battery, since the power sockets are disconnected when the engine is off. These cars have AGM batteries, and AGM batteries can last twice as long when they are kept FULLY charged, i.e. with solar if you aren't running the car. The panel needs a small charge controller unless the size is rather tediously matched manually.

Other than that, if it sits for long periods, you might invest in a cover that is snugged down, to prevent it from taking damage from bird droppings, leaves turning into mud under the hood, UV damage, all that good stuff.

And the brake fluid will probably still need to be tested or replaced every second year, that just absorbs moisture from the air and breaks down over time. Testers, two kinds, from $25 each online. Real easy to use.