Keeping a car dry outside

I've been having a look into the best way to keep a car dry outside, I would pay for a good quality car cover but I've read on some sites and forums that this can trap condensation writhin the car cover, rain from the ground rising up and resting on the underneath of the car.

Also read that keeping a car inside a warm garage can promote rot and rust??, now this is new to me but I don't disbelieve it, they say any dirt in hard to reach area's still damp or wet will cause the rot.

Only conditions like a museum will protect the vehicle, so with tbat in mind how have some of these car's survived so long, some never being parked in a garage ever, my 205 is nearly 30 year's old and not rusty at all bit that was galvanised,

What do people do on here regards protecting their cars? I don't think it's a Ferrari, I just don't want the already terrible rust and rot getting worse while I leave it parked up until I start the body work repair process.

Mine can't be the only one rotting this badly? Might be a good post for other's if a thread combating rust is started?or a group buy at a body shop haha

I’m seriously considering sending my Galant away to be thoroughly rustproofed and the paintwork deep cleaned and sealed, to prevent corrosion destroying it. Mine has already had weld repairs to the rear suspension area so I think it is a worthwhile exercise.

In my opinion, just leaving the car outside on the drive is the lesser of all evils for some of the reasons you mention regarding covers. I haven’t the luxury of a climate controlled garage so I’m happy for it to sit outside provided the birds stop using it for target practice..!

I don’t think ‘keeping a car dry outside’ exists in this country, precipitation is the only predictable thing about our climate.

Open seams and lumps of crud stuck to the underside are the worst culprits.
Parking on grass without a tarp underneath will also destroy it.
Only thing for a car left outside is to ensure its regulary cleaned underneath .
Also if heavy corrosion has set in between seams ,your in trouble unless its cut out and treated.

Apparently mine had £1100 worth of undersea and welding from eurospec or something like that, but looking underneath I'd say it's never had underseal ever, yeah a lot of people spend a lot of money and countless hour's polishing the bits you can see, the car looks amazing it makes you proud but underneath it's getting ever closer to going to the scrap yard,

It's such a shame because they are very good car's, excellent suspension which makes them really good handling, ayc to assist with over steer and grip etc, awesome engines which make them a shock to other drivers and they are rare as sin, nobody knows what my car is, they are a roomy family car that turns into a track car the moment you put tour foot down I like that, imprezas, evos etc are expected to be fast so no thrill there really, I just don't want to see mine go to the scrap yard at all but at the same time I'm not a millionaire so I can only do my best.

I think my best approach is to gut the car myself, remove the bonnet and doors etc, remove as much damage as possible and send the shell to the body shop, having done a lot of work myself surely theu can't charge me the earth.

If a good paint job is £3000 and they have to strip and rebuild the car, that's a lot of work there taken away, we will see what the extent of the damage is soon and I will update.

Once rust sets in its a hard and constant
battle

I think once I get rid of this 205 cti and build a 3meter x 5 meter shed in the back garden I may go as far as having it bead blasted if the damage isn't too bad, that way I can rest assured it will have no rust at all

That would be the way to go .
Hopefully it isnt too bad

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Layton1985

build a 3meter x 5 meter shed in the back garden

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You won't get around the front or back of the car if that's the size you go for. It's 4.8m long. A couple cm shorter if you've got bumpers off.

Shed would just be for the parts coming off the car plus bike's, bbq, lawnmower etc, my garage is a double garage