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Unfortunately, I do not have a garage for my shark. I do have a car cover though. Is it OK to just leave the cover on through the winter? I will be driving it occasionally if there is no sign of salt on the roads.
What is my best option if I can not find a garage to use?
I have mine outside with a cover, it's the waterproof breathable type but I remove it whenever there is a break in the weather to let the car dry fully. I also have a dehumidifier bag in the car to try and keep the inside from getting mouldy.
Ross - I rented a garage nearby for $55 per month, from some of my cars and coffee buddies (a few bought a garage for their extra cars). I have too many cars. Maybe check out your local car groups or PCA chapter and see what you can get.
I just rent a 10x20 storage container for it. If you're in a major city, I'd probably recommend checking the smaller neighboring towns - you can often find storage at a fraction of the price of what it is in the city.
Runs me a little under $100/month and gives me extra space to store all the other things I don't need for the winter.
Before I bought my 928, the previous owners had it stored outdoors under a car cover for a few years and it seems to have held up well enough. There isn't a huge risk of major parts rusting away on the 928. One thing to note is that cheaper car covers will cause scratches all over the car's paint.
Put lots of drier sheets throughout the car interior and engine to keep mice etc away ...lots, Also put them in the corners near the hood hinge. Block exhaust and intake to keep them out as well. Moth ***** work but the smell in spring lasts. If you get lots of snow put a soft cover on first then a waterproof tarp otherwise the paint gets abrazed from a heavy tarp blowing and rubbing on it.
Better to put it in a public storage unit.
Costco has one of those temporary car garage canopies for about $200 that work pretty well if you have a place it can go. That plus a car cover would be best to keep elements out. If you can get it to Rochester we can fit it in the warehouse somehow. Give my kid a guitar lesson or two and it's yours for the winter.
I contacted the Society for the Ethical Treatment of Vintage Automobiles, and they insist that you keep the car in a climate-controlled garage, covered, attended by 2-3 skinny cats.
I adhere to that advice, except my wife feeds the cats too much.
On outside storage, I have just theoretical musings: The main differences between indoor and outdoor storage are temperature extremes (dash cracks!), moisture, and (if you can keep them out) rodents, mud wasps and other pests.
If I had to keep a car outside I would put a small source of heat under the car, maybe inside the car, too. A 100W light bulb might be sufficient, run on a timer set for 4 to 10 AM. It just has to keep the car above the dew point to keep it dry. (Corrosion experts will point out that condensation occurs at a higher temperature in crevices.) I'd do this year-round, not just in winter. I may do it for a car I'm storing in an unheated, detached garage this winter (the Sprite - 50 watts ought to be enough).
I think I would also "double-bag" the car. Every year or two, toss the sun-damaged outer, move the inner to the outer, and put a new one on the inside. Breathable? That's a tough call, whether a waterproof cover will stop ingress 100%, or let some in and trap it. The waterproof strategy may be less risky if you provide a little heat.
Winter storage (non heated) I spray WD-40 on plated metal bits and CE/wiring, this will cut down or corrosion and only takes a few min's to do.
Actually I just douse the engine bay, suspension and any wiring I can see, it all cleans up easy in the spring. Then I move the insurance to storage mode and don't drive the car until salt is washed off the roads by the spring rains.
Your in Baltimore MD the weather is not to extreme there, I'm sure you have more driving days.
11-12-2016, 03:32 PM
outside winter storage? What are my best options?
