Car Cover Questions: Outside Storage.

MarcSpaz

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Spaz is sad today. Though, my co-inhabitants are not as heartbroken as I am... its time to put the Mustang up for the Winter.

I don't have enough garage space to keep all my cars inside, so unfortunately this car is staying outside for now. I am putting the car cover over it to help protect the paint, but because it is outside, I am worried about the cover buffering in the wind. Obviously, that can cause paint problems too.

I was thinking about buying two boxes of cling wrap and wrapping the car, but I don't know if the cling wrap is bad for the paint after extended periods of time.

A buddy of mine also said he puts blue painters tape on any sharp edges, but leaves the flat panels uncovered.

Any input on experience with the cling wrap or any other solutions that have worked for you?

GT350SleepyTime.bmp
 

MarcSpaz

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Nah... Its not getting winterized. I'm going to start it and drive it around the block every couple of weeks. I never had problems with mice in my GT500, while doing the same thing, and that sat outside for 2 winters with a cover over it.

That's actually why I am asking about protecting the paint. The GT500 got some buffing marks from the cover and it cost my $5k to get the clear re-sprayed and replacement stripes put on it. The GT500 stays in the garage year round now, so I don't cover it any more.

The Hellcat and RT/STP both have All Season tires on them. So those will be driven almost all winter. The two Mustangs both have Summer time extreme performance tires, so they are staying mostly parked.
 

MarcSpaz

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Hmmm... that might work. I actually have sheets of magnetic pads. 12x8 sheets. I can just put some on the outside. That could be a good idea. one side has a light gray film on it, so they even match the color of the cover.
 

Dynobrat

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earth magnets are VERY powerful and tiny. It's a regular magnet on steroids. I don't think any regular magnet or strip would have the strength to compete with these tiny things. You'd really only need a dozen and they are about the size of the head of a pencil eraser. Lots of them on ebay for sale. Just make sure they don't get into childrens hands, they are dangerous to children of course you knew that already but had to say it.

If you use a big strip you are enabling the possibility of trapping moisture.
 

Cattivo

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Not that it answers your question much, but I'd rent a storage locker rather than leave it out like that.
 

Weather Man

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I would not put a cover on it outside. Seems like no matter what, a 20-40 MPH wind in a winter storm will have the cover rubbing the paint. Put some of the small enclosed poison mouse bait traps near the car. They are cheap insurance against the wiring nightmare of mouse chewing. They only need a few days of being in your car to **** it up.
 

GT Premi

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If you have other cars that you drive all winter, why not leave one of those outside and park the Shelby in the garage? That's what I'd do.
 

MachME

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Just find a heated storage unit for a few months. Those tires aren't supposed to see cold. This is just easier too.

Not that hard to winterize, fill up tank, put stabil, change oil, let oil run at idle for a minute and be done. Put month balls around car. Park on carpet squares. Don't start until you plan to drive it again.
 

IamRacerX

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I cover my Boss whenever I drive it to work with the factory car cover. I have learned to leave it off in any kind of breeze. The weather proof aspect of the cover makes it not so soft. Any moment of the cover will put surface scratches in the clear over time.
 

MarcSpaz

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I appreciate all the feedback. Maybe I'll just leave it uncovered for now. I don't have the room in the garage because I only have a two car garage. The GT500 is on one side and the other side is storage.

I was thinking about warehouse storage, but physical security is a huge concern for me. I might just buy some wheels and all season tires and drive it. This sucks. :-(
 

GT Premi

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So... You're thinking about getting warehouse storage to store your car but not the stuff you're storing in your garage so you can put the car in it??
 

oldbmwfan

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^^^ I had the same thought. Another (perhaps obnoxious) question: how is garage space configured? Can you add a bunch of wall-mounted cabinets or overhead racks to get the stored stuff up and out of the way? If you are just setting the car there and not working on it, you only need 5-6 feet of vertical clearance.

My tiny garage got a full wall of cabinets prior to taking ownership of the GT350R so there would be guaranteed space for it (my wife's TT gets the other spot, which is silly because that means the DDs are on the road all winter and require a lot of scraping - but hey, it's her call).
 

MarcSpaz

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So... You're thinking about getting warehouse storage to store your car but not the stuff you're storing in your garage so you can put the car in it??

^^^ I had the same thought. Another (perhaps obnoxious) question: how is garage space configured? Can you add a bunch of wall-mounted cabinets or overhead racks to get the stored stuff up and out of the way? If you are just setting the car there and not working on it, you only need 5-6 feet of vertical clearance.

My tiny garage got a full wall of cabinets prior to taking ownership of the GT350R so there would be guaranteed space for it (my wife's TT gets the other spot, which is silly because that means the DDs are on the road all winter and require a lot of scraping - but hey, it's her call).

The stuff taking up space in the garage are not things I can put in off-site storage because of frequency of use. There are things like spare refrigerator full of food, 4 mechanics tool boxes full of my tools, all of my gardening and lawn care stuff. I also have a massive snow thrower (and it is winter in a few days).
 

CO Mack

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How about a storage shed? I got an 8x12' dropped on the property recently and it swallowed all my outside stuff with ease.
 

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