Q How long can owners leave a hybrid without starting it?
TOYOTA recommends that owners of hybrid cars start their engines at least every two weeks to charge the batteries. How are these owners supposed to go on holiday or the like? It seems a gross inconvenience.
Terry North, E-mail
A
WE asked Toyota for in-depth guidance on this issue, and the company advised us that newer hybrid models could potentially be left for closer to three weeks without being started. For older vehicles, however, the brand said the issue hinges on how new the car’s 12V battery is. If an owner can’t get someone to start their car for them while they’re away, trickle charging is advisable to keep the 12V battery in good condition.
Q Doesn’t it make sense to fit a dash cam in all new cars?
WITH all the technology fitted to new cars nowadays, I find it hard to understand why manufacturers don’t fit dash cams to all their new models as standard. Surely this wouldn’t be difficult – why not do it?
John C, E-mail
A
SOME new cars, such as the Tesla Model 3 and Citroen C3, are available with dash cams. There are numerous reasons why this isn’t standard practice, though. One is cost – not all drivers may want to pay extra for a cam, for example. Another point to consider is different rules around the world on privacy and audio/video recording; with cars often built for global markets, a built-in dash cam could present problems with some nations’ legislation.
Q Is petrol going off a bigger issue with E10 fuel than E5?
I’VE heard that E10 petrol has a much shorter “shelf life” than E5, and has the potential to cause mechanical damage if it goes “stale” inside a petrol tank. Is this the case and, if so, do I need to use an additive to keep it fresh?
Mike Burton, E-mail
A
THE Petrol Retailers Association says that water saturating the ethanol in petrol – which, when occurring in a petrol tank, causes phase separation and can lead to mechanical issues – is less likely to happen with E10 petrol than E5, because more water would need to find its way into the tank for this to happen. Ethanol can be corrosive, though, so anti-corrosion additives are advisable when laying up a car.