8 common mistakes to avoid when selling your car
The 8 most common mistakes when selling your car privately in Australia — from overpricing to the Notice of Disposal most sellers forget to lodge.
Is it bad to leave your car parked for weeks at a time?
It's one of those things most drivers only find out the hard way, after a holiday that ran long, or a working-from-home stretch that quietly stretched into months. You head back to the car expecting it to fire up normally, and instead you get a flat battery, a brake pedal that feels strange, or a tyre that doesn't look quite right. A modern car sitting unused for two or more weeks is dealing with several problems at once, and they don't all happen on the same schedule. Here's what actually happens, when it starts, and what you can do about it.
The battery is on a clock
Modern cars draw a small but continuous amount of power even when switched off. The alarm, the clock, the infotainment memory, the remote-entry sensors: all of it adds up to what's called parasitic drain. In a healthy car with a healthy battery, this is manageable for around two to four weeks. After that, the battery starts losing enough charge to cause starting problems, and if the car sits much longer, the battery may drain completely.
Older batteries lose charge faster. Cold weather accelerates the process. A battery with a history of being flattened or one that's simply coming to the end of its service life may struggle within a week. If you want to understand what to watch for before it becomes a breakdown, our guide to the early signs of a dying battery covers the warning signs in detail.
This affects all kinds of cars. A used MG ZS with a standard electrical load sits within the two-to-four-week window. A car with aftermarket accessories, multiple screen systems, or a battery that's already weakened may sit at the lower end of that range.
