Due to medical problems, I can't drive my Fiero any longer so I bought a 2008 Grand Prix that I can enter and exit easily. My Fiero is for sale but I fear as long as it sits, things will go wrong with it and already, I had to replace the battery but it was two years old and the brakes seem to go much farther toward the floor than before I parked it. I think the front rotors are rusty because when I drive the car, it now has a perceptable shimmy. They need replacing anyway so I'll do it when I do my work. I will also replace the front calipers when I do my repair work. The rear were replaced about two years ago.
My medical condition is improving but with the rain here in Oregon, I can't work on it outside so I plan to repair the brakes in the spring/early summer when the rains stop. The car has sat outside since June of this year and I've only been able to drive it once. (I really like the 3800SC power ) My question is how long can I reasonably expect to store the car outside under a tarp in this wet climate and not have problems? Has anyone had this experience? I had no mechanical or electrical problems when I stored it in the garage.
Due to medical problems, I can't drive my Fiero any longer so I bought a 2008 Grand Prix that I can enter and exit easily. My Fiero is for sale but I fear as long as it sits, things will go wrong with it and already, I had to replace the battery but it was two years old and the brakes seem to go much farther toward the floor than before I parked it. I think the front rotors are rusty because when I drive the car, it now has a perceptable shimmy. They need replacing anyway so I'll do it when I do my work. I will also replace the front calipers when I do my repair work. The rear were replaced about two years ago.
My medical condition is improving but with the rain here in Oregon, I can't work on it outside so I plan to repair the brakes in the spring/early summer when the rains stop. The car has sat outside since June of this year and I've only been able to drive it once. (I really like the 3800SC power ) My question is how long can I reasonably expect to store the car outside under a tarp in this wet climate and not have problems? Has anyone had this experience? I had no mechanical or electrical problems when I stored it in the garage.
Having a car sit in wet climate is going to kill it. It's different if the car was say, in a car-port and didn't get any direct rain on it... but a tarp is going to destroy the car. A tarp will actually trap the moisture in and actually cause more damage than it would if you were simply to leave the car exposed to the rain. If there was any way for you to raise the tarp ABOVE the car so that it functioned like a roof, rather than a wrapping, that would work well.
I had a Fiero that I kept under a tarp for about 2 years, and the paint was destroyed. The car was damp everywhere and it was just never the same again.
EDIT: You might be better off getting one of those really nice car covers that allow the car to breath. You'll have less damage that way.
[This message has been edited by 82-T/A [At Work] (edited 11-16-2013).]
Originally posted by 82-T/A [At Work]: EDIT: You might be better off getting one of those really nice car covers that allow the car to breath. You'll have less damage that way.
Yup. Tarps can rot a car fast because keeps wet air trap underneath.
------------------ 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)
It rains here a lot. I've stored several cars under tarps for years and not had much of a problem... except for the tarp rubbing the "shine" off the paint.
Possibly I've not had problems with the cars "rotting" as first of all, my tarps hang relatively loose and don't go all the way to the ground (as I can see that causing a problem)... and secondly, I open the doors on nice days every once in a while to air the cars out. I just need to watch for cats and/or raccoons and occasionally a skunk! (when I leave the doors open) who might wish to investigate the interior of a Fiero.
[This message has been edited by Patrick (edited 11-16-2013).]
I agree, Tarps and especially Plastic will "do in" your car. At the very least, put something ON the car (hood/roof/ trunk to kind of "TENT" it (Let some AIR "Flow". also ya gotta do something to keep the mice out ! I've got my project in a open end garage and the mice have already tried to chew a hole in my harness that's not even finished yet !
I've never used a plastic tarp...but I've used a proper car cover without any issues. Unlike a tarp, they are designed to breath and don't trap the moisture.
Thanks for the advice. I knew this would be the place to come get smarter. Luckily, I have a very good car cover designed for my '53 Chevy pickup I sold a few years back and I also have one for my Grand Prix but both are simply too big for the Fiero. I'll get creative with it, though. Mice have already built nests in the front, and something brought a ton of seeds and decorated the 3800.
Thanks again for the suggestions. I'd keep the car if I had a place to store it but I only have a two car garage in this new house,
Put a tarp under the car with a 4x4 lengthwise to drain off the rain water. That will help keep it dry underneath instead of the ground soaking up rain & having it evaporate onto the car. ~ Paul aka "Tha Driver"
If you can afford it, get one of those hoop garages, they are all over for anywhere from a few hundred on up, think greenhouse type/style buildings but with dark coverers instead of clear to keep the sun off it. arch type roofs are the best style because they are the strongest for load bearing, that will protect it best from the suns rays. if you don't get much snow a cheap one will holdup just fine. up here we have to get them that can hold a snow load. so heavier steel pipes and fabric. being a Fiero a small one is also all you need so even cheaper, unless you want to store more than just the car under it. if you can find one on Craigs list that was a green house and fell down or had a tree fall on one section and still has a big enough section to house the Fiero then just buy the fabric cover to cover as much as you need.
Steve
------------------ Technology is great when it works, and one big pain in the ass when it doesn't
I used a regular car cover on mine for a few years; even though it was supposed to be for year-round outdoor use I liked to take it off on sunny dry days in the winter to make sure the car wasn't staying moist sight unseen. And if the cover got really wet I took it inside and hung it from the rafters until it dried out.
) My question is how long can I reasonably expect to store the car outside under a tarp in this wet climate and not have problems? Has anyone had this experience? I had no mechanical or electrical problems when I stored it in the garage.
