Is it bad for the engine if you don't turn your car on for a long time? - Toyota Yaris Forums

YarisSedan · 08-15-2013, 10:10 PM

It is certainly not good to drive the car that infrequently. This the main reason a lot of people shy away from buying a used car that has abnormally low low miles. That means it has sat a lot. When the vehicle sits for weeks at a time the oil drips down the cylinder walls and makes it way down to the bottom of the pan. Which causes a dry start which explains why your oil light is on for a few seconds. you have low oil pressure momentarily For a few seconds you are causing engine wear doing it consistently for a long time can eventually cause your engine to wear out faster than normal. Also when the car sits like that it causes moisture build up in the oil. If you dont take it out on the freeway and give it a chance to burn off it keeps building up. Which is why manufactures give not just a mileage interval but time so even though say for 5 months you dont even drive 2 thousand miles you still need a oil change. Also your car has a slight parasitic drain if its not driven over extended intervals your battery will get heavily discharged which is going to cause it to fail sooner. Try to take out out atleast once a week if possible.

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08-15-2013, 10:10 PM	#10
YarisSedan Drives: 08 Yaris Sedan Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: California - Bay Area Posts: 2,773	It is certainly not good to drive the car that infrequently. This the main reason a lot of people shy away from buying a used car that has abnormally low low miles. That means it has sat a lot. When the vehicle sits for weeks at a time the oil drips down the cylinder walls and makes it way down to the bottom of the pan. Which causes a dry start which explains why your oil light is on for a few seconds. you have low oil pressure momentarily For a few seconds you are causing engine wear doing it consistently for a long time can eventually cause your engine to wear out faster than normal. Also when the car sits like that it causes moisture build up in the oil. If you dont take it out on the freeway and give it a chance to burn off it keeps building up. Which is why manufactures give not just a mileage interval but time so even though say for 5 months you dont even drive 2 thousand miles you still need a oil change. Also your car has a slight parasitic drain if its not driven over extended intervals your battery will get heavily discharged which is going to cause it to fail sooner. Try to take out out atleast once a week if possible.