Has your car been largely sitting idle in the garage for the past six weeks, perhaps taken out only for the odd jaunt to a Wimmera supermarket?
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Did you wake up one chilly morning last month to find that when you went to start your car the battery was, well, kaput. You weren't alone.
RACV figures for the Wimmera show that more than half of call outs last month were for batteries that need a little love and attention.
In Horsham in April of the 209 incidents RACV attended, 118 were battery related (56 per cent), while in March of the 279 incidents, 97 (35 per cent) were for batteries.
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It was a similar story in Stawell, where of 52 incidents in April, 29 (55 per cent) were for car batteries, and in March of 95 incidents, 28 were battery related (29 per cent).
The slowdown also stopped drivers in Ararat. Motorists in April called the RACV out 115 times, 60 for battery (52 per cent) and in March 196 times, 95 for their battery (48%).
RACV Senior Vehicle Engineer, Nicholas Platt said that as a general rule it was best to take a car out for a run every two or three weeks.
"If your car has a newer battery, a month between drives should be fine, but a car with an older battery, let's say three years, needs starting and running at least once a week," he said.
"You don't have to go for a long drive, a 10-minute run to the supermarket and back should suffice."
Mr Platt said that brake rotors and pads and tyres would also benefit from a drive that's long enough to warm everything up to operating temperature.
"Again, a 10-minute trip to the shops to collect your groceries will be enough to give your car a workout," he said
Mr Platt said to bear in mind that batteries have a finite life.
"This is usually about three years but will vary depending on the type of car and how it is driven," he said.
Mr Platt said that the RACV reminded motorists that stage three restrictions were still in place and urged all Victorians to obey Government directions to stay at home unless travel is absolutely essential.
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