Serious charge - every car will need one
 

Dropped my wife off at the station this morning. She works in a care home in London, but this might well end today for various good reasons. Fortunately, she doesn't give hands-on care any more, but there are still safer environments to be in. I'll be very glad to have her back home. We'll then have to self-isolate for a couple of weeks.

On the way home I took a very long high speed detour of around 30 miles on dual carriageways to clear out the DPF and charge the battery in my 2014 V70 D4. This is in anticipation of it sitting largely unused for quite a while, and only doing occasional very short and bad-for-a-diesel journeys.

I'll try to do the same with my wife's V60 D3 either later today or early tomorrow.

When restrictions lift, I imagine that there'll be a massive demand for vehicular resuscitation.

There will soon be a large demand for battery chargers and maintenance chargers as people’s cars sit unused on driveways for several weeks at a time.

I have the JZR on 'maintenance' charge most of the time, as it’s not used very much. I’ll have to think about getting the extension lead out so it’ll reach the other 2.

But we don’t have a shop within walking distance, so at least one car will get the occasional use. It won’t be the Volvo though, being diesel, DPF and short journeys, so I’m thinking of SORN-ing it, more's the pity, as we seem to be having some top-down weather!

Mine sits idle for 13 days out ff every 21 (part time, semi retired worker) so already sits on a maineptenance charger when ni in used. The charger is permanently installed under the book floor adjacent to the batter, and theres a discrete socket in the lower rear bumper valance to plug in the extension lead to power it up.

But fundamentally the OP is likely correct. Most drivers are wilfully ignorant and don't lift the bonnet between services, and will then act surprised when their car fails to start after its hot been used for a spell.

Ooh. That was bit harsh about most drivers.

Yeah, they'll be surprised but, then again, this whole situation is a bit of a nasty surprise for all of us, and none of us - apart from those who have lost their licence in the past or who live abroad for half the year - have ever had to plan for a 12-week lay-off for their cars. These things just don't come onto our normal radar.

I think I am going have to go "shopping" at least once a week.
I have also got brand new disks and pads installed, the last thing I want is for them to corrode if the car is sat for too long.

‘......the last thing I want is for my discs to corrode..’
Apologies for being blunt, but the last thing you should want is to increase the risk of catching/spreading this virus and passing it on to your loved ones and others, in preference to looking after a couple of brake discs.
Having a responsible attitude to others is the key here in this present situation, and sorry, but your suggested action is not in anyone else’s interest.

Obviously, but taking my car out for a spin on my own, isn't going to increase the risk of getting the virus.

There are things outside your control. You may need fuel - contact with cashier and touching the fuel nozzle and key pad for you card, breakdown or accident etc.

Surely a weekly trip to the shops for your food will be enough to keep the car ticking over

LTEcactus is worried about his brake discs. I understand that worry and it's going to be difficult to prevent them from rusting.

We're all car owners here and we're all facing the same concerns.

So instead of getting all high and mighty and outraged, please can we accept that some things are just figures of speech, and that because someone writes something about driving their car on the road that they're not automatically going to rush to a filling station and leave Coronavirus on all surfaces.

I think that we need some serious problem-solving ideas more than we need condemnation of individuals for wanting to preserve their cars in good order if they can, and for using common figures of speech that we know shouldn't always be taken literally.

The whole of the nation is now struggling with this situation and we need to help each other, not assume that everything that someone says is going to be their last thought on the topic. If anyone has got this all fully sussed then I'd love to meet them.

As Bob Dylan wrote - "It Ain't Me Babe".