Parking vehicles in the garage

Is it true that if you park a car in the garage in the winter time it can rot out a lot quicker than if it were parked outdoors? rot out meaning = rust.

If this is true and the car is undercoated and rust proofed, shouldn't this be enough to prevent it from rusting even if parked indoors?

Whats your opinions on this?

Originally Posted by dvdrsi

Is it true that if you park a car in the garage in the winter time it can rot out a lot quicker than if it were parked outdoors? rot out meaning = rust.

If this is true and the car is undercoated and rust proofed, shouldn't this be enough to prevent it from rusting even if parked indoors?

Whats your opinions on this?

I believe that the reasoning behind that is the salt residue on the surfaces of your vehicle will start to chemically change as the temperature increases, this change in state contributes to corrosion.

Rust is a chemical reaction and the higher the temp the faster it rusts.

Even you rustproof / undercoted your car the salt can still find some place unprotected and eat into it.

However you have to consider how fast it rusts is too fast.

Are you talking about a heated garage here? Then yes, every night when you bring it in, the ice and snow melt, get the car wet, and activate the salt stuck to it.

Or did you mean for storage over the winter? In that case, then a garage is definitely the place, I store my Mustang like that. It's never seen snow, so the problem above is not an issue.

its all good as long as you a start the car up at least once or twice a week and make sure it goes through a good cleaning before it is stored, making sure there is no salt on your paint.

thx guys
BTW, I meant driving every day in the snow and then parking the car in the garage over night. My garage is not heated unfortunately .

if it is not heated then it is fine, and you have nothing to worry about.

http://www.americascarshow.com/tc/?a...ing_Conditions

"A 1992 Cornell University study shows that most rust action is the result of road salt, and it is 20 to 30 times greater in spring than in winter. The reason is rising temperatures which, like humidity, trigger salt-caused oxidation. Cornell researchers warn to keep your car out of heated garages during the winter because heat increases salt corrosion."

As P90Puma mentioned, if your garage isn't heated then it's not a big deal.

i believe the thinking that .... " dry " salt will indeed rust a vehicle quicker than " wet " salt ......

Originally Posted by dvdrsi

thx guys
BTW, I meant driving every day in the snow and then parking the car in the garage over night. My garage is not heated unfortunately .

I've seen 'Jaguar' stored in an old barn for many years... rust to death without seeing water or salt.. has something to do with condensation and enclosed metal compartments.

They all rust... cept maybe a few of the plastic cars, even the Fiero (plastic) had it's substructure rust. Corvettes get really expensive to restore the substructure when it rots. I had a collectors car many moons ago and used vaseline on the bumpers, and hand undercoated everything... the rockers still rotted.

The best lasting cars, are those that get repainted every 5 years (the paint shop never tells you about the body work they did).

Most people will tell you to park your car outside during the winter (if you are driving the car in the winter). The reason is the salt that is on your car will start to eat away at the metal. From my recollection, salt stops working at a temperature of -10 degrees celsius. If it is -11 or -12 degrees outside, it could be warmer inside your garage.. say -8 degrees. This is why you should always park your vehicle outside.

wow, some nice info to know
and am I glad our garage is not heated (it's 1st floor/basement type, pretty open)

Originally Posted by dvdrsi

Is it true that if you park a car in the garage in the winter time it can rot out a lot quicker than if it were parked outdoors? rot out meaning = rust.

If this is true and the car is undercoated and rust proofed, shouldn't this be enough to prevent it from rusting even if parked indoors?

Whats your opinions on this?

Leave it outside.
Use a block heater if you're worried about starting it.
Heated garages are a no-no, and even with undercoat, exposed parts like brakes, exhaust pipe and even trunk edges will rot.
An unheated garage is fine, but we leave ours on the short driveway, because that way there is less snow to clear before we drive away in the morning...

What would happen if u left it in the garage for a few days with no heater. Garage Temp is 5 degress celsious. ..say 4 days with all that salt snow underneath the car, on the brakes,,muffler,,,etc,,etc

Would u see alot of corrosion after the 4 days....about what percentage of corrossion ....My rough guess is .30%....Anybody???

My family has always parked our vehicles in a garage heated to about 1 degree C, just enough so that snow melts. It is much more comfortable than parking outside. No abnormal rust problems compared to other vehicles, just make sure to wash the vehicle every month or so (no risk of freezing if you're parked in the garage)