Keeping cars near the ocean

[Grima]

Hi everyone

I'm new to the forum and I have a question that I really need some help with. We're getting lots of different opinions and I thought I would try to get a few more

My husband and I have a few cars in our collection and we are thinking of purchasing a property that is around 1km from the bay. The property is not on or near the actual beach and we will not be driving the cars near the beach.

Of course our first concern is that the sea air may affect the cars and cause rust.

Most of the cars are not driven and will be kept in a sealed garage. They are kept meticulously clean and maintained.

I guess I'm wondering if the sea air is a factor and if so, can we prevent any rust from starting? Are there products that we can use, do we need to wash/wax more often....?

Any advice would be appreciated



Thank you

[editor]

Hi Grima,

I would certainly consider purchasing one of the Carcoon covers which retail for around $1200.00. I do not own one of these covers but they appear to be 'the' thing to buy if you are serious about storing a car properly. Go to their website www.carcoon.com.au.

I have posted some information of their system below.

JEff - Editor

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Taken from the Carcoon website:

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How & Why the Carcoon Works

The Carcoon Airflow System is the only system in the world that actively isolates, cleans and ventilates the air around the vehicle whilst garaged
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Dampness in the average garage is often the result of a build-up of condensation. This, along with poor ventilation, can create the worst environment to keep any vehicle, even for a short period of time.

Extremely dusty conditions, this Carcoon has been operating faultlessly in these conditions for over four years The vehicle remains virtually dust free even in these extreme conditions, the vehicle has not been cleaned for 14 months.

Carcoon Drying Vent

The moisture problem is exacerbated each time the air temperature within the garage drops below the dew-point (ie. the temperature at which dew begins to form, which varies with the humidity and temperature of the atmosphere), when a little more moisture is absorbed into the building.

Later, as the air temperature starts to rise again, the potential for drying is greatly reduced, usually entirely due to the poor air circulation and inadequate ventilation within the building.

Imagine it working like this: Equate the air within the garage to a large sponge. The warmer the sponge becomes, the more water it can take on. Conversely, the colder it becomes, the more water it has to dispose of.

In the mid to late evening, as the air cools and drops below the dew-point, it immediately starts to rid itself of excess moisture. The colder it becomes, the more moisture will be expelled. Several hours later and it’s a new day. The sun starts to rise, and the air temperature within the garage starts to increase, and begins soaking up some of the moisture deposited only a few hours earlier.

Poorly insulated garages (in reality, most) will be subject to increased temperatures, sometimes even higher than the external ambient temperature. This means that the air within the garage will not only take on moisture from inside the garage environment, but under certain climatic conditions it will also take on moisture from outside, as the external ambient air finds its way into the building.

Under these conditions there will be more moisture supported within the air in the garage than is outside in the open air. Poor ventilation will keep the moisture locked within the building. Over ventilation will let in more moist air than necessary early on in the proceedings. Subsequently, again, as the temperature starts to drop, the garage environment will be the first to reach the dew-point, and could end the day with more moisture than it started with.

This is all part of the normal 24-hour cycle during wintertime. Some people simply heat the garage in an effort to keep it dry, or more importantly to keep the vehicle dry. As long as the garage doors remain closed, and the temperature is maintained throughout the 24-hour cycle, this is an adequate - if not ideal - solution.

However, heating the garage doesn't remove water from the air. The resulting drop in relative humidity after turning on the heating simply demonstrates the extra capacity of the air to support moisture.

A garage heated to, say, 26°C with a relative humidity (RH) of 50% will have 5.5 grams of water for every cubic foot of air. A typical unheated garage with a temperature of only 5°C, again at 50% RH will contain 72% less water - only 1.5 grams per cubic foot.

Therefore the rule of thumb has to be: If you heat your garage, keep the heat low and heat it day and night. Or alternatively, don’t heat it at all!

One thing is perfectly clear, the higher the humidity, and the greater the temperature drop, the heavier the condensation. Historically, only governments could afford the expense of pressurised temperature and humidity controlled buildings. These buildings cost millions to build, and are very expensive to run and maintain.

Running a dehumidifier in the average garage without controlling the airflow can be an expensive and futile attempt at controlling the moisture content within the garage. Sometimes it’s more like an attempt at dehumidifying the whole neighbourhood! If you really want to protect your car properly, keeping it dry is the obvious one, but in this modern industrial age there are also other important considerations.

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Traditional Car Cover

In most garages the floor is the first place to collect condensation. The problem when using an ordinary car cover is that as the moisture starts to dry, it's allowed to rise up into the vehicle. It can then become trapped under the cover itself.

Most manufacturers of ordinary car covers have considered this problem, and claim that their cover will breathe and let the moisture pass through. The fact is, if the cover didn't let the moisture through, it would have serious implications. As it is, moisture is very slowly passing through the cover, and this now-damp cover is resting directly on the vehicle.

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One of the Active Carcoon Air Treatment Units, showing the washable outer dust filters and constant return carbon filter mounted on the fan unit.

Vital Ventilation

It is also worth noting that the condensation you can see, on the outer panels is less than half the story. All double skin box sections, chassis sections, doors, reinforcing panels and the like are ventilated, and it’s absolutely essential that they are. You may ask why is it so important that all these places are ventilated? Well the answer is fairly obvious. When the air drops below the dewpoint and deposits its moisture on the external panels, the inside panels soon follow. Without adequate ventilation, trapped moisture inside these sections would reap havoc, destroying these essential panels within a very short period of time.

Ventilation holes of all shapes and sizes are there to help draw out this moisture as the vehicle flows through the air whilst being driven. The latest generation of cars make great use of ventilation throughout the entire structure and this is a very effective anti-corrosion solution.

If the vehicle is not being driven on a regular basis, protecting against condensation becomes even more important, in fact essential to the life of the vehicle.

The Carcoon Airflow System is the only system in the world that actively isolates – cleans and ventilates the air around the vehicle whilst garaged.



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Step 1:
Simply drive the vehicle onto the base mat.









Step 2:
Cover with the separate top half, and zip up around the base.









Step 3:

Then plug into the power! The triple filtered fans inflate in approximately 5-10 minutes.



Carcoon fact

Your vehicle is now preserved, no dust, toxicants or moisture to damage your vehicle. Carcoon’s battery management system monitors your car battery recharging it when required. Carcoon also protects your vehicle from impact from car doors, bikes, and handbags and deters rodents. Total protection that’s what the Carcoon provides.

[Dylen]

Hi Grima.

I had the same issue when i moved to Port Melbourne, near the Beach.
Some friends put me on to a mobile Detailer that specializes in this.
I learned that as long as the vehicle has a good polish and the right sealer wax on it, you will not need to cover the vehicle.

My 664 gets detailed once a year and it is always looking great and not affected by living near the beach.

PICTURES OF MY CAR ARE POSTED ON THEIR WEBSITE, FEEL FREE TO VIEW THIS LINK. HOPE THIS HELPS.
http://www.final-finish.com.au/gallery/porsche964bweb/index.html

[bear]

i use meguiars polish and high tech wax on my car as you can get the same results without having to pay someone to do it .we often get asked what we use to keep the car in such good condition the answer is a good polish and wax both meguiars and a good detergent also meguiars also use only microfibre on your paint as it does not scatch.for a quick clean we use speed detailer from meguiars hope this helps keep your pride and joy safe and shiny

works for me!!!!

[JohnWaugh]

Dear Grima..

This what my concern too.. and I think what admin has suggested is correct. Thanx admin for your suggestions and detail information. Looking forward to get such cover for my Car.