So, faithful North Carolinian, Phase I is rolling out across the state and you’re getting back to driving. Maybe you’re going back to work for the first time in forever. Maybe you’re going shopping at a business that just reopened. Either way, your car is probably getting its muscles flexed for the first time in a long time. Oh sure, you got groceries and the occasional takeout in it, but when’s the last time you really daily’d your daily driver?

As you begin to reenter the world, here are a few things to check on your car before heading back to some sense of normalcy.

Battery health and life

Batteries are not particularly great at holding a charge if they’ve been sitting for a while, especially if they’ve been sitting in the sun or if they’re old. The worst feeling is getting into a car, turning the key or pushing the button, and then… nothing. Pop the hood and take a quick peek at your terminals and connections, and also the age of the battery itself. If you need to jump it to get it going, take it to a shop to do a quick battery health test to see if all that sitting did any damage.

Fuel

Ok, this isn’t something that’s particularly easy to “check,” but the quality of your fuel is important right now. The majority of fuel sold today is 10% ethanol, which has a bad habit of phase separation issues when it sits for extended periods, meaning the ethanol in your fuel absorbs water. If you’re having gas issues, be sure to have this checked out.