How to Protect Your Parked Car During Eid Homecoming Travel
All risk and TLO are top car insurance types, but they are no excuse for carelessness. Here is how to protect your parked car before a trip home for Eid.
All risk and Total Loss Only (TLO) are the two best types of car insurance available today. Even so, owners should not get careless just because they feel the insurance has the car covered.
One example: in the weeks before the Eid homecoming season (mudik, the annual trip home for Lebaran), many people choose to leave their beloved cars behind and take public transport instead. The reasons are simple but sensible, such as not wanting to be worn out from driving or because the roads are often jammed.
You may already hold the best car insurance policy, but giving your car some special care is still the right thing to do before you leave it behind for the trip home. This matters because the car you leave at home is a valuable asset.
Before you leave the car, it is best to wash it first. If you will be away for a long time, dirt stuck to the body can cause serious problems for the paint surface. Dirt inside the cabin is another matter. So before you go, clean the car and then wash it.
Open some of the windows slightly, no wider than 1 cm. A slightly open window keeps the air circulating steadily, so the interior does not get too damp and musty.
After the car is washed and dried, cover it with a car cover. This keeps dust and dirt from settling on the paint again. Do not forget to disconnect the battery cable. Modern cars do not really need this, unlike older cars, where it is a must because current keeps flowing. But to avoid anything unwanted, such as a short circuit, it is best to disconnect the battery cable anyway.
When you park, an automatic (matic) car only needs the gear lever in P. There is no need to pull the handbrake. For a manual car, put the gear lever in first gear. There is no need to pull the handbrake here either; just chock the tires with a stone.
If the car will be left for a long time, using the handbrake is not recommended. This prevents the brake pads from sticking to the brake discs.
Security also needs attention. Do not ignore it just because the best car insurance already covers the car. To avoid theft while the car sits at home for too long, it is better to leave it at a neighbor's house, at the office or even at a police station.
READ ALSO: Understanding All-Risk Car Insurance and Its Other Aspects
