It is that time of year again where the question is should I rent a storage place, or keep the Fiero in the garage for the next 5 or so months.
I would like to keep it here so that on the days I am in the mood, and the weather allows, I can sit in it, start it up, do little things, etc.

My garage does not have very good ventilation, and the cats love to sit on any car we put in there, so I have been searching for something to protect it.

In my searching I ran across this....
http://www.autoanything.com...lter-car-storage-bag

From the website:
"Description

Leave a loaf of bread out on the counter untouched long enough, and it'll sprout mold and spoil. Unfortunately, the same thing happens to vehicles left unused too long. In your driveway, a parked car bakes in the sun and corrodes away by rainy weather. In a garage, gritty dust and humidity will wreak havoc on every inch of your car. For the ultimate indoor automotive armor, wrap your ride inside the protective folds of the Rhino Shelter Car Storage Bag.

Because the Rhino Shelter Car Storage Bag completely encloses your vehicle, it delivers a greater defense than traditional car covers. Moisture, dust and bugs can't get in, so you're ride is left safe and sound.

Your Rhino Shelter Car Storage Bag is built from premium 8 oz. polyethylene with quality zippers on all three sides. It comes with renewable desiccant bags to suck out any moisture, and a storage bag. 1-year warranty. "

For $250.00, seems like a wise investment.

Has anyone had any experience with these?
Thanks in advance,
Dave

Cats.
Clear plastic bag.
I see no problems here......

Buy a nice cover and throw some moving blankets on top to keep cats claws off. Or get a car capsule.... one you inflate. ???

quote Originally posted by railshot: ...the cats love to sit on any car we put in there

So... how much damage can that possibly cause?

I have a large cedar tree in my back yard that the raccoons love to sleep in. I occasionally park my cars under it. One day I noticed a slight dent in the roof of my Elantra. I eventually figured out what happened several days later when I observed a family of raccoons jumping from the tree onto the roof of the car! (The raccoons here are big.)

[This message has been edited by Patrick (edited 10-08-2016).]

Bubble then can't run w/o problems. Repeatedly Moving in/out the bubble to run the car will likely damage the bubble.
Most cats might sleep on but won't claw many types of covers.
Cover on Fiero can fail first at back roof edge. No support for a big area and wind etc can put a tearing load at this spot. (Shouldn't be a problem for storage inside...)

Run a car in "winter storage" can cause problems because Most don't run them long enough to:
get moisture and fuel out of oil and lower end and other places.
charge the battery.

Oil and bottom end takes awhile to purge moisture etc.
When you start a engine, some fuel gets by Piston rings etc and attack the oil w/o enough heat to boil fuel out.
Oil pan area is a big Moisture Condensing zone and w/o enough heat and wet weather can be bad. Bad cases, Even look like have coolant going into oil.

Low battery isn't good but Low battery can freeze... Big problem when Connected to ECM etc can drain the battery and then cold weather can easily freeze and destroying them.
If garage isn't heated can freeze a low battery. Better off to disconnect or even remove the battery. Store them full charge at >50°F to <90°F Max, "room temp" for people is best.
If not connected to anything they Do Not need a charger connected full time. Good battery will stay at full or very close to it for months when storage temp is good.


------------------
Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should.
(Jurassic Park)

The Ogre's Fiero Cave

[This message has been edited by theogre (edited 10-08-2016).]

Saying the same thing I say all the time...Ive always driven everything Ive owned year round. The only thiing I do different with collectible cars is not to drive them in snow or on salted roads. Ive never had any mechanical issues. Everyone I know ends up with problems when they get their cars out of extended storage. You car dont know if its a sunny summer day or a sunny winter one. Unstored cars dont end up with flat spotted tires, leaking oil and brake seals, stuck power windows and locks, or plugged up fuel systems among the many things that happen to unused mechanical things. Theres a lot of truth in the old saying 'use it or lose it'. Perfect example is a guy I know with a gorgeous, near perfect 64 Pontiac Gran Prix. He parked it last fall after a summer of cruising. Last spring when he was getting it out, he started it, put it in gear (4 speed) and car wouldnt move, just stalled the engine. He called me when he couldnt figure out what was going on. I noticed when he let out the clutch the body tweeked a bit but rear wheels didnt move..sort of like what happens when you brake torque it. His car had the high end factory rims where the wheel bolts to the brake drum and the drum remains the visible part of the wheel center. The rear brakes were seized. no amount of gassing it, banging on them would get them loose. We had to go borrow torch, remove the rims and heat the drums red hot while beating them with a big hammer. We finally got them loose, but ended up ruining the chromed drums. It took him months, and a lot of dollars to find replacements...so he lost most of that summer using it.

quote Originally posted by Patrick: So... how much damage can that possibly cause? I have a large cedar tree in my back yard that the raccoons love to sleep in. I occasionally park my cars under it. One day I noticed a slight dent in the roof of my Elantra. I eventually figured out what happened several days later when I observed a family of raccoons jumping from the tree onto the roof of the car! (The raccoons here are big.)

Ouch!
Some of the raccoons around here go well above 20 to 30 lbs..... sure would not want that jumping on any of my cars from a tree.

Thanks everyone for the input and feedback.

Trust me, I don't leave a car set idle for more than a few weeks when I do store them over the winter.
Usually I wait until the roads are dry enough for any salt to be gone from them, and take it out for a pretty good cruise, then, if it gets crappy out again, I park it until the next opportunity arises.

My Fiero will be in an enclosed garage, and the cats really don't destroy anything...... they just leave small footprints on the windshield and paint.
Easily cleaned off when needed, but I am trying to avoid that part, and keep it tidy by enclosing it.

Over my 63 years of breathing, I have seen so many people park their cars for winter as Roger said, and have nothing but problems when they get them out of storage.
Cars were made to be driven, and all of mine are driven a lot.

Here is a shot of my last Formula...... notice anything about the ground?



Just got back from a February cruise of 60 miles.

I think I am going to order one of these "bags" and see how it all goes.

I totally agree with Roger. I drive my Formula daily and have fun with it. It sees storage only for a few months with a standard car cover and take it out when ever I get the itch.

The ad dont say if its breathable. If its not, its going to take a big box of moisture absorbers to keep off the gallons of water that will condense and be trapped inside for 5-6 months. every piece of bare metal will rust.

quote Originally posted by railshot: Some of the raccoons around here go well above 20 to 30 lbs..... sure would not want that jumping on any of my cars from a tree.

Seeing as how you're in Wisconsin... yeah, I suspect the raccoons there can probably get quite large as well. The scrawny ones I see pictured occasionally online are probably from warmer southern climates.