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My Honda Ridgeline was recalled for airbags. It has been sitting on a lot in oh-so-hot South Carolina now for a month. They say it could be August till I get my truck back. (shortage of parts) Now - after a month of sitting on black-top at 80+ degree what could go wrong and what if it is till August?

I know in the past if it is a month or more without rain in the hot summer my wiper blades dry-rot from non-use/water so you see my concern.

Thank you to everyone in advance!

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  • You could put a car cover on it, if it's really going to sit that long. maybe take off your windshield wipers as well.
    – Ben
    May 15, 2016 at 12:35
  • Someone will steal the cover. Just drop by every now and then and check up on it. Make sure they return the truck in the same conditions you left it. Dealers hate having to store cars like this and will usually just throw them in the back of the lot.
    – race fever
    May 16, 2016 at 19:42

2 Answers 2

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What can go wrong,

  1. Your battery will go dead, then you will need a new one, full discharge of the battery for any length of time ruins a lead acid battery.

  2. Possible vandalism or theft of the vehicle (yes cars get stolen off of dealership lots all the time)

  3. Severe weather damage, tornado, hail, flood, etc.

No good reason to store it at the dealership for that long, take it home until they have the parts.

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  • They probably wont let the OP take the care home for liability issues.
    – race fever
    May 16, 2016 at 19:40
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Yeah. Gotta be way careful with Air Conditioning (A/C) system as well. If the car is facing a particular direction when parked, the sunlight can heat up the Air Conditioning condenser in front of the radiator. Hot in the day, cool at night. With this hot / cold cycle the refrigerant slowly migrates around the system. Unfortunately, your automotive air conditioner requires oil be cycled throughout the system to provide lubrication for the A/C compressor. If this goes on for a long time, all the oil in the system migrates to a single place, and the compressor will be absolutely dry of oil. If somebody starts up the air conditioning at high engine rpm, wham. Good-bye A/C. Have a nice day. I know Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) have seen this problem in the past for cars parked for an extended period of time (generally around 60 days or more.)

Unfortunately I don't really know the best fix.. I'd request the dealer to start the car up once a week and run the A/C at vehicle idle speed for a few minutes.

I would ask the dealer for a copy of their written procedure for storage of a customer's vehicle on the premises for a period of more than two weeks. I'd be willing to bet a steak dinner they have a written procedure. The dealer may not have one, but Honda OEM certainly should. If the dealer says they don't have a procedure, immediately ask for the name and telephone number of the regional Honda service rep who monitors that dealership.

And hey, for my steak, is Outback Steakhouse okay with you?

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