September has arrived, which means you are either packing your bags for the flight back to Dubai or will be doing so in the near future. In the usual rush of arriving, sorting things out and planning what is next, it is easy to walk up to your parking spot, hop in and carry on as normal — forgetting that your car has actually been sitting there for the last 30, 60, or maybe even the full 90 days.

So what actually happens to a car after spending months in a hot parking spot without its engine running? Is it fine to simply drive off, or could it genuinely be risky? Could starting it without any preparation cause damage? And what is the bare minimum you should check before getting back on the road — without turning it into yet another job after you land?

Let's figure it out together.

First things first: my aim here isn't to scare you or pile more anxiety onto your day. This is simply about what can genuinely fall apart when a car sits unused for a long stretch — and the following tends to suffer the most:

Even when a car is switched off, it is never fully powered down. The alarm, immobiliser, keyless entry, trackers, telematics and various electronic modules keep drawing a small amount of power in the background. Forget to switch off your sidelights for a night or two and you will find out the hard way (I did).

The battery is always losing a small amount of charge — the difference is that when you drive regularly, the alternator replenishes it. Leave the car sitting for weeks, and there is nothing to replace that lost energy. Add Dubai's heat, which speeds up battery ageing, and those 60 days start to matter. A relatively new, healthy battery will usually still start the car after two months, but if the battery is already three years old or more, there is a much higher chance you will come back to find it flat.

So what do you do if the battery's dead?

Firstly — don't panic. In Dubai, this is an extremely easy problem to fix. You don't even need a second car or jump leads. Here are your options:

One thing worth knowing: the jump-start itself takes minutes, but if the battery has simply drained while sitting, it still needs time to recharge. Driving the car is generally better than leaving it idling, though exactly how long it needs depends on the battery and vehicle.

Good news first: if your tyres were in decent condition, properly inflated and the car has been sitting in a covered or underground car park, they should be fine. The main thing to watch for is flat spotting — when the car’s weight leaves a temporary flat patch on the part of the tyre that has been resting against the ground for weeks.

So, before you drive:

If the pressure is just slightly below the recommended level, simply stop at a petrol station and top it up — it is usually free of charge.

Brake discs are made of exposed metal, so moisture in the air can cause a thin layer of rust to form — and a humid Dubai summer gives it plenty of opportunity. Normally, you barely notice: every time you brake, the pads rub against the discs and clean that surface layer off. But after a few weeks or months without moving, the rust gets to stay.

That means your brakes may look rusty and sound a little squeaky, scratchy or gritty when you first drive off. The good news? In most cases, a few gentle, low-speed brakes will scrub it straight off. If the noise disappears, you are golden. If it sticks around, that is your cue to get the brakes checked.

Important note: don't make your first brake test after two months a dramatic emergency stop. Give the car a few easy brakes first, see how it responds, and take it from there.

Petrol doesn't stay exactly the same forever — it gradually degrades while sitting in the tank. The question is how quickly, and this is where things get surprisingly debatable. Some sources put its comfortable shelf life at around 30–45 days; others say 3–6 months, depending on the fuel and how it is stored. Helpful, right?

Luckily, despite the wildly different numbers, the practical conclusion for our 60-day scenario is pretty much the same: there is usually no reason to drain the tank or panic about "old" petrol. If you are running low, simply stop at a petrol station and top up with fresh fuel. Left with around three-quarters of a tank? Just drive as normal and fill up when you usually would.

Two months baking in Dubai heat sounds like bad news for anything liquid under the bonnet. Surely the oil has cooked, the coolant has evaporated and everything needs changing? Not quite. Car fluids are designed to operate at temperatures far higher than the air outside, so 60 days in the heat doesn't automatically earn you a trip to the garage for a full fluid change.

What the heat can be less kind to are the hoses, gaskets, seals and connections keeping those fluids where they belong. Over time, they can deteriorate and eventually cause leaks — although we are talking more about the cumulative effect of years in Dubai than one particularly long summer holiday.

Short answer: yes — but only if they actually drive it. A proper 20–30 minute spin every couple of weeks gives the alternator time to recharge the battery, gets the tyres moving, circulates the fluids and puts the brakes to work.

Why isn't simply starting it enough? Because starting the engine uses battery power first, and a few minutes of idling may not be enough to put that energy back — especially with the AC and other electrics running. Ironically, repeated short starts can leave the battery worse off than if you'd left it alone.

The bottom line? For a healthy car sitting for around 60 days, this isn't a must — more of a nice-to-have, particularly if the battery is getting older.