Car service - do what after 2.5 yrs no driving??

"Him at home" wrote

It needs the basic service, plus cambelt change (if it has one) and also coolant and brake fluid should be changed. Neglecting these items could cause expensive problems down the line.

Yep - thanks, hadn't thought of the cambelt. Tis almost 8 years old too .. .. ho hum....

Change the cam belt also the other belt and dont forget too do the brake fluid replace it all.check all the tyres before u take it for that thing nobody likes(m,o,t)if it passes give it a good service.. from Chris Addlestone Surrey

"Him at home" wrote

8 years old! I would view it with the gravest suspicion. It is ready to fail at the slightest provocation.

The coolant change is also essential- although it will still be resistant to freezing, the coolant will have lost its lubricating properties and this will lead to water pump seizure (on some Peugeots the water pump is driven by the cambelt and failure spells expensive disaster) and the brake fluid absorbs water which will lead to rusting of the calliper pistons and seal failure.

I'd also check the state of the alternator belt as well as the tyre sidewalls.

[...]

After 2.5 years as a minimum, change all fluids.

If it's been stood unmoving on it's tyres, change 'em; if on bricks check carefully for perishing and expect to change 'em... If in any doubt, change 'em.

You might get away with cleaning and deglazing the brakes but I'd be inclined to replace disks and pads. Check them by doing a full emergency stop from not less than 40mph (away from traffic!) - any shuddering or pulling; they're goosed.

Inspect all rubber gaiters - CV joints, suspension ball joints, etc. - and replace any cracked ones, expect to replace what they're protecting too if the cracking is bad.

Lubricate *everything*.

It will benefit from being "run-in" again as all the grease will have settled and there may be minor corrosion to be scrubbed from all the wear areas - 2.5 years sitting will have been harder on it than 2.5 years use.

A

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember Alistair J Murray saying something like:

Yup. I had my Tranny off the road for 12months and when I started using it again everything was a bit stiff. It had only done 35K at that point, so I was fairly sure it wasn't wear and tear - just idleness.

Check bricks for perishing and expect to change them? How much is a new full set of bricks? Are remoulds ok? :-)

Last year I restored a car that had been sitting outside for 4 years. Main things were cracked perished tyres and the brakes all rusty. Changed the oil and filter straight away - made a big difference. Scrubbed up the brakes and they appeared fine (passed MOT) for the first 1000 miles or so but their gradually worsening shuddering soon made me realise that the inside of the discs were all corroded and pitted even though they looked fine on the outside. Exhaust'll need changing soon too as its actually rusted from the outside in. Under the bonnet things had been remarkably preserved, apart from all the spider's webs! Some Safecut brought up the bodywork a treat.

Z

try a Reclamation Yard

most encouraging Zimmy.

Thanks for things to check folks. Looks like brake fluid, coolant, cambelt, full service approach will be best bet. The tyres were at full/normal pressure and are in good condition.