Hi I have an uncle that passed away that handed down a 2021 Toyota corolla to his daughter. unfortunately she doesn't have her license yet and where we live she's looking at least 1.5 years before she can legally drive it. Right now the battery keeps dying as it should because we are in cold climate and its not being used.
My question is how should we maintain this car if its not going to be used for a full year. She lives in a complex where she can't store it indoors. Would just removing the battery will just be fine?
Well go ahead and remove the battery. What the heck. Just realized minor cars aren't made to sit all that long. You probably have to buy another battery and of course the tire is sitting flat for a couple of years. No probably start either dry rotting or have flat spots on them
I'd also put some fuel stabilizer in the tank and run it through the fuel system. Modern ethanol-contaminated fuel starts decomposing in about six months otherwise.
As Scotty says, cars don't like to sit unused. You can remove the battery but it would really be best to start the car periodically and let the engine come up to operating temperature. Better yet, take the car out for a drive once in a while if it's registered and insured. (Probably the apartment complex would not permit an unregistered car to just sit in their parking lot for a year and a half.)
Thank you guys for the responses