Ask the Mechanic: What are the dangers of prolonged parking?

Hello John, driving a car allows different systems to rejuvenate as well as self-maintain. Prolonged car parking will not allow fluids to flow around the different applications, which can cause corrosive damage. Mechanical components will get corroded while rubber components such as seals and tyres will develop cracks or tears from not being used while laden with vehicle or car panel weight.

All car maintenance fluids today are designed with performance and protection enhancing additives such as corrosion inhibitors. In addition, fluids such as engine oil will age with time irrespective of mileage driven. Plan to service your engine oil after parking the car for six months whether you have covered the service interval mileage or not. Engine oils degrade as they age; the mineral grade (not fully synthetic) type degrade faster.

Long life fluids such as brake fluid and coolant will also become harmful to their respective applications if not serviced after prolonged parking. The molecules that are composed to provide performance and protective benefits in these fluids such as anti-sheer or metal surface wear, cleaning, resealing, anti-corrosion and cooling will age and become less effective. Mechanical systems such as parking brake calipers, door hinges and levers may jam due to corrosion and break down when you attempt to re-use them. Ensure they are well lubricated and fluids are serviced before long parking.

Some drivers will park the car on a flat surface, brace the wheels and release the parking brake to avoid jamming. Asking someone to change the parking position of the car or opening the doors for a few minutes once every few days helps to prevent tyre and door seal damage. Finding a shelter will protect the paint and car interior from damage occasioned by ultra violet sun rays. Batteries tend to drain after prolonged parking. You can ask someone to run the engine for 30 minutes twice a week or disconnect the battery terminals correctly and safely.

CAN A FAULTY GEARBOX STOP A CAR FROM STARTING?

Hello Paul, I was told by the mechanic that my Mercedes ML 4matic engine failed to start because of a gearbox problem. Is that possible?

Bikanga

Hello Bikanga, your Mercedes ML W164 might have had a faulty automatic transmission Intelligent Servo Module (ISM). This is the common gearbox-related cause of failure to start. ISM failure is often caused by corrosion damage. Your mechanic needs to share with you his detailed diagnosis and defect report. The ISM control unit is designed to recognise the gear stalk shift position when you shift from Parking to Reverse or Drive. When the ISM fails, it will perform as if the gear stalk shift is in Reverse or Drive instead of Parking or Neutral. This will prevent you from starting the car. Often, it will activate the “Drive to Workshop without changing Gear” warning message.

Intermittently, ISM will prevent the car from starting as it assumes the shift stick is in gear not in parking. You will also not be able to shift from Parking.

A computer diagnosis will quickly confirm ISM failure. Initially failure to start is intermittent and sporadic. A diagnosis and erasure of the fault may restore seemingly normal operation for a short time.

 Eventually, when ISM fails completely you would need a new one to fix the problem. A replacement ISM ought to be programmed online by the Mercedes dealer. Diagnosis of your car at any independent Mercedes garage is the first step to rule out any other causes of failure to start such as faulty electrical circuits or the electronic ignition system (EIS).

HOW CAN I DETECT COUNTERFEIT ENGINE OIL?

Hello Paul, I sometimes buy affordable engine oil from a spare parts shops in Wandegeya, Kampala. How can I know that the oil they are selling is not counterfeit? What is the effect of using counterfeit oil on my engine?

Deo

Hello Deo, fake or counterfeit engine oil is manufactured to look like genuine oil but does not have the protective and performance enhancing attributes. Counterfeit or fake engine oil is either recycled old engine oil or low grade oil passed off as high grade. Counterfeiters have invested more money in duplicating packaging than the contents of their product, so it is rare for one to be able to identify counterfeit engine oil by observing the poor quality packaging and sealing.

To the casual observer, the counterfeit engine oil will look as clean as the new genuine one. It would take a laboratory analysis and tests to determine counterfeit oil. Therefore, you should consider buying engine oil from an appointed or authorised dealer of the oil brand in question.

Genuine car engine oil is produced by an expensive fractional distillation process before it is blended with additives to protect and improve your engine performance. Good engine oil prevents frictional damage and seizure between fast moving metallic parts, cools the engine by carrying heat away from hot moving parts, cleans sludge, inhibits corrosion, improves sealing and remains in suspension over the drain interval.

Fake engine oil does not provide the above functions. Use of fake or counterfeit engine oil results in engine damage from overheating, warping or frictional metal wear or seizure. Oil sludge develops and blocks oil passages which will not only lead to poor engine performance but possibly catastrophic damage such as engine knocking due to damage of fast moving engine parts.

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