There are times my FD can not be in a garage or under a car port, so I was wondering what hurts the FD. The sun directly, which I think is that, but then my other question is does the heat created by it being under the cover hurt the car? At all? Because the heat here in Miami is insane, its easily over 95F everyday and I know this cant be healthy for the paint much less the interior (those poor plastic pieces). I plan to get a cover anyways, but I'd like to know if I should try to find that parking space under a tree in the shadow even with the cover on.

 

yeah i know sun is def one of the killers, along with rain when its dried up and not cleaned right away and also bird poop and what not..

what i do is i have a everyday spot in my driveway that i park my car there, its always shaded for some reason, i just throw the cover on it and park it there. however, my paint is already starting to show wear in the front bumper and sides right below the doors, the paint is chipping and flaking a bit.. other than that, the paint shines nice..ill prob get another paint job next year.

o yeah, i think the solution you clean your car with also plays a factor..

 

Well the paint to me is the last of my worries being that its cheap (for me) to fix and/or paint new. Especially new paints hold really well to the sun. My problem is the interior, my dad just got a car with less than 55k miles on it, but the foam in the seats is "hard" right where the sun would poke through from the roof to the seat. It cracked .

 

A car cover will reduce heat significantly. Its a good idea if you don't mind the hasssle of putting it on/off all the time.

 

I dont mind one bit, I prefer to save the interior because those piece are more expensive to replace and more annoying.

 

The things that degrade the paint in order of importance:
1. Sunlight - specifially UV. It breaks the chemical bonds in the plastic (all modern paints are plastic).
2. Chemicals - air pollution, bird droppings, soda pop, beer, and some things that you allow to sit on the car, such as rubber bumpers. Also, agressive soaps used to clean the car will damage the paint. I think bare human skin is relatively harmless - so you ladies can rest naked on my car anytime .
3. Heat - this accellerates the natural aging of the paint, unless it goes above a certain level, then it melts parts of the paint. Melting is rare, aging is not.
4. Age - the paint slowly breaks down, even at STP (standard temp. and pressure, though more important than pressure here is humidity).

Damaged paint becomes brittle. Chemicals will remove the smooth coating on the outside, reducing the shine.

As for the interior, heat will slowly make the plastics more brittle. Agressive cleaners will damage the finish.

If you use a properly designed white car cover in the hot sun it will do an amazing job of lengthening the life of the paint. White will reflect more energy than any other surface, including metalic reflective coatings.

 

LOL i didnt have a problem doing it at least 20 times a week for the past 6 months

 

Got a link? I can only find them in tan.

 

Bump^
Can everyone post their mileage, driving frequecy and model of car. I know the 93s are a bit cheaper but how bad?!

 

check out california car cover. You can specify if it should fit an R1 lip and / or wing, and they come in various colors. Mine is blue, very similar to the OEM version.

Dave

 

Trees arent always a good solution to protecting your vehicle. The sap that the trees drop on your car can be very damaging and is a pain in the *** to clean off.

adam

 

Its like I mentioned before, I prefer to get new paint, or buff or w/e every 3 to 5 years than lose my interior. I just cant stand seeing a crappy interior.

 

so no one will mention car washes?

rinse your car really well before you start rubbing with a spounge, that way you can eliminate small scratch maks. also dont scrub in a circular motion. Always rub in a back and forth to avoid swirl marks.

also make sure you are using prducts (soap, wax, polish, etc...) that are safe for clear coats.

 

Last I checked, a good paint job will cost more than buying all new interior parts from Mazda. That's some serious coin. Unless you have a paint booth and tools - in which case you're a bastard.

Dave

 

I guess Im a bastard