Not everyone has the luxury of storing their beloved ride in a garage, or experiencing the benefits that come along with it, such as preventing some of the incidental dings and dents that come along with a street-parked car.
Today, we’ll take a look at some of the benefits that come from storing your car in a garage as well as any issues that may arise from outdoor storage by answering some of the most popular and important questions we hear.
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How Garage Storage Benefits Your Car
1. Storage keeps your car’s resale value high.
If you store your car in a garage, the body has a far better chance of staying pristine, a huge plus when reselling your vehicle. If you do a KBB (Kelley Blue Book) search, you can search your car’s details with an “excellent” body versus a “good” or “okay” condition and see the difference in price. Although what’s inside counts too, people want their cars to look great no matter the age, especially if they are paying top dollar.
2. It protects your car from the sun.
Not only can UV rays damage the paint job on your car, but the sun can also overheat your car and put pressure on the engine as well as the cooling system and fans. Keeping it garaged keeps the sun off your paint and keeps your car’s parts from wearing prematurely due to heat and humidity (or lack thereof).
3. It prevents unnecessary water damage.
Storage reduces the risk of water remaining on your car and in your car’s engine, which can lead to rust and to deterioration of car parts. Always make sure no sitting water is on your car if you come into the garage from outside during a storm.
Even if you store your car, there are things to avoid when coming into the garage from outside, especially if you live in a region with inclement weather. Here are some tips to help keep your car in the best possible shape in storage:
- Avoid road salt. Road salt affects a car’s paint job, causing corrosion. Rust will begin to form underneath the paint, and eventually will bubble up—that is when the metal becomes brittle and flakes off. Road salt can also affect the mechanics of a car if it gets into the engine, wheels or other parts that are exposed while driving. Make sure to clean off any salt from a car whether it’s stored or not.
- Stay away from too much water. Again, rust is the natural enemy of a car retaining its value so make sure no water sits on the car for any length of time to keep rust from forming.
- Stay out of the sun. If your storage still has natural light, make sure to use a car cover or at least a sun shade to keep the sun from damaging your paint over time.
- Wash your car regularly. This helps keep dust and debris from building up and damaging the paint job, and helps rinse of salt deposits and other environmental elements.
If you do not store your car, you can avoid major issues if you:
- Purchase a car cover. This is a very economical way to keep your car free from rust, scratches and sun damage. It also reduces the amount of washes and maintenance you pay for yearly.
- Use a carport. If possible, a carport can do a majority of what storing a garage can do and you can have this in your driveway. It can cost a bit up front, but in the long run will save you a bit on storage fees if you continue to use it throughout the years.
- Wax your car. Garage or no, this is an easy way to keep your paint job protected while making your car sparkle.
Properly storing a car is the best way to keep a car in great shape, but you can avoid the biggest environmental problems by just keeping your car free from debris, salt and water. A little TLC goes a long way in keeping your car looking great for years to come.
Does your car need a refresh before storing?
JM Dent Repair has you covered. Our paintless dent repair services make sure that the finish of our car remains in great shape while we restore the body to its former glory. You won’t need to worry about mismatched or faded paint over time due to improper body work because paintless dent repair won’t touch your paint at all!
Interested in paintless dent repair or our other services? Contact us for a quote today and we will get your car looking great when you bring it out of storage for the summer or all year round!