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Covered Parking

4K views 31 replies 23 participants last post by  NoCoHc 
#1 · (Edited)
So I live in a small condo in Colorado with no covered parking let alone a garage ! I have been looking at buying a used Srt8 for a while now . I have seen what our winters do to my other cars and its not pretty . The cost of a storage place is about 200.00 a month average . which brings the monthly cost closer to a Hellcat for me . Does anybody not garage their car or have some secret car club that has covered parking . I just don't feel right leaving her outside all winter. Should I wait get a house and then buy a Hellcat ???
 
#3 ·
I'm parking outside in my driveway these days since my '79 T/A moved down from Detroit and took my garage space. I'm nice to my wife and am resisting the urge to ask her if I can park my DD in the other half of the garage, because that's her spot. ;)

In TX our winters aren't much to write home about, but it's not the snow or ice (which we might yet 2-3 days a year) that worries me...it's the sun. It destroys everything. My advice:

- Keep the car washed and regularly waxed. I personally use polish (Zaino to be specific).
- Consider getting a car cover and keep it covered when parked. NOAH covers are pretty weather-resistant from my experience, but are bulky, expensive and hard to clean.
- To protect the interior, get window tint with UV blocking and heat rejecting properties. If you don't like the dark look, try something like 3M Crystalline which has great heat rejection without needing to be dark (it's $$$ though).

As for specific ways to protect the finish in winter...I'll leave it to others to provide advice there, as I left Detroit when I was 18 to avoid having to put up with that crap! :D

One thing I can tell you is that you'll want to avoid scraping ice off your car with a metal snow shovel, like somebody I know...ugh...at least it was only a Camry...
 
#5 ·
Sorry Covered Parking . So I live in a small condo in Colorado with no covered parking let alone a garage ! I have been looking at buying a used Srt8 for a while now . I have seen what our winters do to my other cars and its not pretty . The cost of a storage place is about 200.00 a month average . which brings the monthly cost closer to a Hellcat for me . Does anybody not garage their car or have some secret car club that has covered parking ./ I just don't feel right leaving her outside all winter. Should I wait get a house and then buy a Hellcat ???
I garage my car at night, but not really for the weather as much as for somebody that has no respect and sticky fingers. People have zero respect for other peoples stuff. I have a 2015 Yukon XL that easily surpasses the SRT pricetag and is actually in Hellcat territory. I leave it outside because to the average person it just looks like an everyday vehicle. The Challenger has that "special" appeal that I feel drives people to not care when they let their door swing out a little too much. Or maybe somebody just wants to put their boot in the quarter panel because they figure you have money with such a "special" car so its their way of sticking it to the man. Weather can be mitigated with waxes, sealants, and proper wash techniques. When I am at work my car sits outside all day in various weather conditions. If it gets too dirty I just clean it up when I get home using rinseless washes or a quick maintenance wash. If I were you I wouldn't worry about it too much. Just educate yourself on proper washing techniques including how to apply strong sealants and you will be fine. Everytime I wash my sealants make it extremely easy to just wipe and go. I can almost just spray off my car and the dirt just comes off. After a few washes I have to reapply and off I go.

I would say that if you are concerned with leaving it outside then just save up and get your house then go with a car. The newer ones will be cheaper and plus you will have a proper place to store it. I am active duty military so my work center is on a base. The chances of some jerk putting his foot in my door is pretty slim. At the end of the day, though, things happen and I anticipate walking out to my car one day and finding a good size door ding.

Any temp storage like covers or anything is fine, but just ask yourself could you really deal with that every morning? Everyday when you come home you put the cover on and every morning you take it back off. That much wear and tear plus scratching up the paint would get old. I think you would do that for a month or two and then say screw it.
 
#6 ·
Here in west Texas it's the opposite. Winter is the time to park outside and summer you keep the sun from destroying your vehicles by keeping them covered. If your worried I'd wait get a house with a garage. I spent a ton to keep my vehicles in the shade. And like others I feel the Challenger attracts attention so my 40k Shaker is in the garage and my 65K diesel dually and my 48k Z-71 is in the big ass Texas sized carport with my horse trailer
 

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#7 ·
I'm in Wisconsin, we use salt on the roads and battle poor road conditions several times a month during the winter. Not a chance in hell my challenger is gonna see winter: 1. Because of the salt leading to rust 2. How poor this car will be on winter snow and ice covered roads 3. Snow, ice buildup and removal may/can put clear coat scratches on the car regardless what wax or protectant you use (I have a black challenger) 4. your almost forced to use nasty car washes to get salt and debris off your car unless you have a heated indoor facility to wash your car.

You didn't say if your thinking about daily driving it in the winter or just parking it outside in the winter. If just parking it outside you probably could get by covering it real good with a nice soft car cover $$$$. I wouldn't even think of daily driving it the winter if your in a snowy climate.

I have a place to store mine and have a winter daily driver car.
 
#8 ·
A frozen car rusts much slower than a wet one. That's why heated garages destroy cars driven in the snow and salt. They are great for long term storage, though. When I lived in Syracuse, after the first snows I would hook my garden hose to the hot water heater drain port and thoroughly flush my newest car, especially underneath. Then I would store it in the garage for the next five months. Drive a cheap winter rat. If you park outside, just don't drive it. Frozen is good. Salt is bad. Stay way from the salt monster.
 
#10 ·
i store my r/t outside year around since i got it 3 yrs ago & is normal DD with my show car in garage. & do drive it in winter except for snow or ice. in MO they use a combo of beet juice & salt, can think of nothing worst for a car.
some tips:
cover is necessity coverall noah w/ mirror openings is a nice one, mirror opening are important for better fit
if cover gets rained on, take off & let dry before putting back on. no matter how weather resistant it is is going to be wet. while it's off if temp is ok atleast hit it with detail spray if possible. only downside of doing this, cover doesn't like to stay on, so a normal 5 min job takes twice as long.
if cover get snowed on brush off with soft brush, worst case soft broom.
most importantly if ice on, do not & i mean do not try to take cover off. first weighs a ton & cover will crack somewhere. leave it on, not hurting anything until ice melts then get off & go through drying procedure.
 
#12 ·
I waited until we moved out of the city and into a house in the country with a two car garage. I keep my Challenger garaged all the time. I take it to work 2 - 3 times a week, in clear dry weather only. She never sees rain or snow. Garaged for the winter months (usually December - March).

I think it all depends on how you feel about your ride. I am OCD about mine. :grin2:
 

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#13 ·
One of the first things I did when I moved into my new place was to make the garage usable. Our winters in North Texas aren't brutal, but we do get hail in the spring (which destroyed about 100 roofs in my neigborhood including mine) and very hot sun. I'm also a firm believer in "out of sight, out of mind." Garaged cars are away from prying eyes that mean to do your car harm. If you have a garage and your cars will fit in them when empty (some won't) I strongly suggest using them if possible.

It also makes it a pleasure to work in :thumbsup:


I took my garage from this:



 
To this:


 
#15 ·
So in Colorado we use mag chloride . So I wanted to avoid that **** if I can as much as possible . I don't think I would DD her in the winter but that brings me to another point . How often are you guys starting and running a car that sits for five months ? . Another issue in Co is hail , With this in mind and having a uncovered car I was thinking of getting her Plasti dipped . Has anybody done this ? How do they hold up to weather ? It is my understanding that you can get them in a gloss finish too . I was thinking I'd do this until we moved to Texas (where we will get a house with a garage ). John How is your SRT in the winter and what is your tire of choice for he winter ? Thanks for the info guys . The cost of local storage per month is about 200.00 a month and that is beyond my pocket book with the car payment and insurance added in .
 
#20 ·
Well, there is no wife (one of those was enough and if there was, I wouldn't be asking permission!). Ceiling is too low to put in a lift anyway and for what I do, a pair of ramps is plenty. Thanks for the compliment though! :thumbsup:
 
#17 ·
Not sure how bad hail in CO is, but around here in north TX it can get absurdly large. When you've got grapefruit sized hail smashing right through your windshield, Plasti-Dip ain't gonna stop anything, heh.

If you don't have covered parking & can't afford to rent a garage, you might consider the Hail Protector inflatable car cover. It looks ridiculous but it's just crazy enough to work.

https://www.hailprotector.com

I'm probably going to rent a local cube storage type garage and put my '79 T/A in it during hail season each year, just so I can get every car under a roof during the dangerous times.
 
#18 ·
Currently I have studded Cooper tires. I did have Pirelli Scorpion snow ice non-studded. I prefer studded d/t ice, people also swear by Blizzaks. As long as you use use traction control the car is fine on the road. Deep snow can cause an issue if hills are involved (say 6 inches or more of snow not hill). If you do start to slip and you are going slow get out of traction control stat because it is trying to maintain traction by braking which slows you down and you will get stuck. I get lots of practice
Because I have 1/4 mile driveway with a 10% grade and part of it is often glaciated. I also have a 4wd pickup if weather/roads are to bad. Ideally I would also go with 18 inch wheels (you have to shop carefully because most won't go over the front brakes (I don't know if any will on the 2015/16 SRT). Realistically if you can get around with a 2 wheel drive car now I don't think you will have an issue with a challenger.
 
#19 ·
An option to a garage is a good car cover. I don't have one so I keep my 2009 SRT covered with a Covercraft Noah custom exterior cover. It does a great job protecting my car. It is fairly heavy and does not flap in the wing. This is very important. Also, it provides some ding protection.

The only two drawbacks are the need to clean the car every time you install the cover (to prevent micro scratches) and its longevity (lasts about 2 years). Covercraft, however, has a great warranty and will replace your cover free of charge if it deteriorates within four years. The initial cost is about $248. I have received three free covers since 2010.
 
#23 ·
Hello everyone, I live in France and my garage is too small so she sleeps in a waterproof PVC cover all year. I hope that the paint will not be damaged with time ...
I would not recommend a generic PVC car cover. It does not breathe, will flap in the wind and will, eventually, damage your paint.

As I mentioned in my previous post, a high quality custom car cover (with mirror pockets) is the only way to go. You'll have to spend about $250, but you get what you pay for.
 
#26 ·
A huge factor in the timing of my SRT8 purchase was moving out of the crappy apartment I was living in. I had to find a house with a garage first. No way I was gonna drop that much $ on my dream car and not be able to tuck it in properly at night or during bad weather. Save up, wait, save up some more, find the right place and do both all at once!


Good luck with your search and decision!
 
#27 ·
When I moved to Colorado in '97 I bought a 3-car garage with an attached house. Those were my priorities as I gave them to the real estate agent. It's not so much the winter weather that takes a toll on the cars as it is the chemicals and kitty litter they put down on the roads when it snows, so keep a front wheel drive beater to go out in if you have to.
 
#28 ·
The single biggest thing you can do for a car is to park it indoors as much as possible.

Luckily, my car only sees the sun when I'm driving it or at a destination. Otherwise, day or night, it sits indoors.

Waxing is fine for the paint but the real issue is rainwater and how the sun attacks the rubber and plastic bits and pieces.

I don't own anything I can't keep indoors...even my tractor gets parked indoors. I'd like to buy a boat but I don't have room to park it inside, so I don't have a boat.
 
#29 ·
The Challenger has a design flaw (the injected foam) which will cause many to rust through in about 5 years if left outside in a wet environment. Even worse if DD where there is snow, salt, etc.
I love the Challenger but I would not buy one if I planned to DD it in this area and planned to keep more than about 4 years.
I suggest concentrating on getting to place where you have a garage and a beater to drive in bad weather.
 
#30 ·
Can you tell us more about this rust issue? Where on the car would you typically start seeing the rest? What can I do to prevent it. Mine is a 2015 daily driver left in my driveway, building a second garage (wife car in the garage) on my house would cost about $25,000. If I had that extra money lying around, I would have just purchased a Hellcat. Thanks for anything
 
#31 ·
If you do search you should find a lot of forum and other posts on the issue. They inject the rockers and the area in front of the rear wheel with foam at the factory. It blocks the drain holes and holds water. The rust I have seen in person and posted is rust through forward of the rear wheels and under the rocker covers. In particular my friend had a 2010 daily driver that rusted last year. The quote to properly repair it was $4200 I think.
 
#32 ·
A car that sits outside and isn't driven in Colorado during the winter isn't going to rust quickly. As you've mentioned it's the stupid hail I would be worried about. I drive my Hellcat on the weekends but I try to make sure I'm home by early afternoon if there is even the slightest chance of rain because it can quickly and often does start dropping hail. My house has been hit by hail ten times this summer. It's been pretty small fortunately but there has been big hail all around us. I've been out here for 22 years and the last few summers have been terrible.
 
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