In a message dated 9/9/06 10:42:30 AM Eastern Daylight Time, thorgk@ACCESSCOMM.CA writes:
> Try and fing some where under cover to keep Matlda. From my experience > nothing ages these cars faster than sitting out in the sun and weather without > being used. All the plastic, fiberglass and rubber parts seem to deteriorate. > The canvas and the inside of the pop top get damp and discolour. Westies > like to sleep somewhere dark and dry. > > i second this. my 2 keepers i store indoors in my folks huge barn.. the parts vans sit outside, and i have watched them rapidly deteriorate from the elements. for example, it have a 90 GL parts van i have gutted and now use as parts storage shed. this is a Bordeaux (burgundy) color. the van had been rearended with 65k miles when i got it as a pars car about 6 yrs ago. the paint was in excellent condition when i got it, and there was no seam rust. now the clearcoat is totally baked off the roof, and the clearcoat on the sides is all crazed/spiderwebbed from the UV rays. i have also watched seam rust appear in the rear 1/4 panels where the horizontal seam is, and the seam above the front bumper rebar - which had none when i parked it. this is rust just from sitting outside. not to mention the mold and critters which call it home now..wasp nests in every orifice.. parking a vehicle outside 24/7 accelerates deterioration rapidly.. invest in a good quality breathable car cover or one of those pre-fab aluminum carports they can be had for under $900) if you dont have a garage.. chris |
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