JamesTabletop

I plan on purchasing a C63 very shortly, but I am concerned about the storage conditions the car will be subject to while parked.

I am currently living in La Jolla, California and the only areas I can park in are outdoor locations. I am concerned about what the salty sea air and constant outdoor parking may do to this car. I keep my X5 outside and it has faired perfectly well, but at the same time I'm not as concerned about the X5 as I would be a C63.

Am I overreacting, or should I really be concerned about outdoor parking by the ocean? Any tips about keeping the car in a perfect condition would be greatly appreciated.

dchl21

maybe a car cover

CoolBDPhenom03

My gf's parents live in SF about 3 blocks from the beach. They both drive Honda Accords, of different years, but you can very dramatically see the difference in what parking so close to the ocean does to the cars. The 2002 is in the garage and the 1998 is parked outside everyday.

The #1 thing is corrosion and rust. A car cover will mitigate that, but try ACF-50. It's aircraft grade rust inhibitor. I got some for my moto.

The #2 thing is cracks in the seals or leather. The sun, especially in SoCal, takes its abuse. The car cover will play a much bigger part here, but you'll want to condition your leather more often.

#3 is reckless people dinging your car. Again, a car cover will help, but if you're on a weird part of the street where your car feels like it's sticking out, use a cone. I've seen trucks and vans in SF parked on the street with little cones to help people see the edge of the vehicle.

That's all I got.

khmergod

Especially #3. I have a few indentions in my hood from someone keying it to the metal. My passenger rear quarter has a small indention from someone opening their door, even though I like to leave about a meter of space when I park somewhere. Literally. I could go on with the idiocies of people, but...you get the picture.

MercPlease

+1 for #3. I love La Jolla, but the tight parking and constant traffic is a complete hassle.

m a x i m u s

door dings drive me nuts. as an aside, unless you leave enough space for someone else's door to swing all the way open without touching your car at all, i find it better to leave less space bc it usually forces the other driver to be more careful when opening their door, unless of course they are a complete a-hole. if you leave too much space (but not enough to completely clear their door), i've found that they think they have room and fling the door open haphazardly and end up leaving a door ding. i've tested this theory, and it seems to hold up.

khmergod

Your theory makes sense maximus. I sometimes like to watch people open and close doors in parking lots and notice that what you said is true. People take the open space for granted and swing their door open dinging other vehicles.

GRam

Bird droppings is another major concern for outdoor parking.. Again a cover would certainly take care of this...

cloverfield

Of course, the counterpoint is that with not enough space, they'll open their door till it hits your car, and then ding yours with the weight of their body as they squeeze out of their car, putting pressure against your car's panels.

Car designers should be flogged for removing door ding strips, and beaten repeatedly for introducing character lines to the middle of a car's belt line.

JamesTabletop

Yea, #3 is just a fact of life that I'd have to deal with even if I kept the car in my private garage all the time. Unfortunately I'll just have to deal with it.

And thanks for the recommendation for ACF-50, I'll look into that.

On the subject of car covers, does anyone has any outdoor car cover recommendations?

Adarah

Whenever possible I park at the back of the lot - I've become very fond of the longer hikes to wherever I'm going.

I unfortunately have to park outside as well now, and I'm in the process of purchasing a NOAH custom fit car cover from Covercraft. It uses some kind of tri-layer technology that prevents water droplets from penetrating, but was treated so that there are microscopic holes that allow water vapor to escape. I did research here and on other sites and it seemed to be highly recommended - it was what my Mercedes dealership used as well when I asked about it. I would think they would make one to fit your C63. I'm getting mine for about $250 online.

Nice idea about the cones too - I think I'll have to invest in a pair.

CoolBDPhenom03

Choose your car cover based on how long you plan to park there. Some of those weatherproof covers can actually trap moisture under it and quicken the rate of rusting. If you drive often, then it shouldn't be a factor. Conversely, a thin cover that isn't weatherproof can leave a residue if it does happen to rain in La Jolla, but then you just have to wash it more often.

If that Covercraft cover is really that good, sounds like the best of both worlds.