Keeping a Boxster outside?

[SlipStream77]

How would a 986 fair if it were kept outside over the winter? It would be in quite a damp area near trees, is it likely to cause mould in the roof? (no hardtop). Is the dampness likely to cause any other problems?

Would a cover be the best bet or would it also trap moisture inside?

Thanks.

[threespins]

I find the hard top lets in a small amount of water at the windscreen top joint whereas the soft top does not let any in at all. If you give it a good two coats of fabsil you should be ok.

[mikees]

Wife's boxster has been outside for 4 years. No probes.

[ghamer]

mikees said:

Wife's boxster has been outside for 4 years. No probes.

There,s a joke there somewhere

[khushy]

ghamer said:

There,s a joke there somewhere

"probes"

LOL

[Helen Goff]

make sure the roof material has been treated with a water repellant. to keep the water from soaking in the material and this will stop the mold growing on it.

[Shoestringracer]

i left mine outside and unused over a very harsh winter (had 4 inches of snow several times). Was very slightly damp inside only real impact was that some mould grew inside the hood which brushed off once I'd used the car and it had dried out. No puddles, just an air of dampness.

[ukgatecrasher]

I had a boxster as a dd for four years and it was kept outside at all times.

I never had any problems other than moisture on the inside of the windscreen on really cold wet mornings which took a couple of minutes to clear with the blower on full before I set off.

I did treat the hood with a sealer once per year (it didn't need it this often but I'm a bit OCD with car cleaning lol).

Snow and ice caused no issues whatsoever.

[nickfrog]

The other things I would do are :

- if pre-FL car, treat the plastic window with Plexus (found in pilot shops or online).

- regularly check the drains are clear.

- treat all the rubber seals with a dedicated product like AG rubber care or Gummi-Plfege

- treat the paintwork with a good quality sealant 4 times a year or as soon as it stops beading.

- as suggested, Fabsil is your friend for the roof, this is my procedure with it (3 times a year):

1 - clean the hood with normal shampoo and a "stiff" sponge (the one in the Autoglym kit is perfect but you can throw the rest away).
2 - let it dry.
3 - Hoover it carefully with a brush attachment (not sharp plastic or metal ends).
4 - Use a lint roller for the residue.
5 - Apply Fabsil as a liquid (not the spray) with a 2 inch paintbrush (not previously used for decoration obviously) in one direction
6 - Let it dry for 5/6 hours.
7 - Repeat Fabsil application in the other direction.
8 - Let it dry for 5/6 hours.

[UVB]

Of course none of the above will prevent a cat using the hood as it's expensive new scratchy-post...

Is it worth looking at using something like a Keter plastic shed for it?

[Roberty]

I'd imagine the majority of Boxsters live outside just like any other car.

Clean it regularly and don't worry about it.

[stegefal]

It might be worth considering a good cover as well?

I had a Weathershield one for my TVR and it was excellent, really looked the part as well.

[celticstevie]

Make sure the drain holes under roof are clear, especially if around trees. I came home to a 987 trying to open its roof by itself with alarm blaring and all lights going. Water under carpet and blew the electrics. Over 2k of remedial work to fix.

[SlipStream77]

Thanks for all the advice.

[falkster]

mikees said:

Wife's boxster has been outside for 4 years. No probes.

Mine too and it's been fine, garage is for my cars!!

[Rockster]

SlipStream77 said:

How would a 986 fair if it were kept outside over the winter? It would be in quite a damp area near trees, is it likely to cause mould in the roof? (no hardtop). Is the dampness likely to cause any other problems?

Would a cover be the best bet or would it also trap moisture inside?

Thanks.

Avoid parking car under/near trees. Leaves fall and these can plug the water drains. If this happens water runs into the cabin and that ain't good.

Then there is the risk of a falling branch. While the branch may not be large enough to seriously damage the car it can damage or even worse ruin the top, poke a hole in it. If this happens and you don't notice it right away water can then get into the cabin and add to the damage.

Also, birds can roost in the tree and make a mess of the car. Bird mess on paint is bad enough if left on the paint a while (I wash bird mess off of the car as soon as I see the mess) but on a soft top bird mess can cause the rubber sheet underneath the canvas to rot and leak. It doesn't help the canvas any either.

BTW, it is the rubber under the canvas cover that keeps moisture and other stuff out of the cabin. The canvas is just there to protect the rubber.

I leave my 02 Boxster out all the time -- only one covered parking space and that's reserved for the Turbo -- and the Boxster has not suffered any. The top is still water tight and the canvas is in real good shape.

I do not treat the canvas with anything. Many do treat the canvas top with something water repellent because they like to see water bead up on the canvas but it is hard to keep the top evenly treated to ensure no water gets through or under the canvas. Also, some of the top treatment is not good for plastic windows. And maybe not even for the rubber underneath the canvas. So, I don't use any top treatment.

So while the top is untreated and water soaks it, what I then see after the weather dries up a bit is though the canvas gets wet it dries right out. Any canvas top treatment probably won't keep all the water out away from between the canvas and rubber, but what it will do is partially seal the canvas and make it harder to the water to evaporate. So the top stays wet or damp longer than it would if the canvas were nto treated.

I have a full outdoor Boxster cover but have seldom use it because I use the car almost daily. It is a bother to always have to remove the top, store it, then put it back on again when I put the car away for the night. Also, I do not like to use the cover unless the car is clean and dry. In the winter months this is almost impossible.

Anyhow, I think with care in avoiding trees and always making sure the drains are clear the car will be fine. You can treat the top canvas or not. I like not but up to you.

These cars have very robust tops and frankly I'm a bit amazed that mine has held up so well. Just one cracked window which after some years is almost guaranteed to happen due to the plastic aging and getting brittle but the rest of the top looks quite nice. Hard to believe it has been parked outside most of its 9+ years of use.

Sincerely,

Rockster.

[RobM77]

If it's any help, my Elise lived outside for the first 5 years of its life. The only issue I got was a small area of paint peeling off after snow and a very cold spell (down to -10C). The issue there was with the quality of the paint and the way it adhered to the fibreglass, and I doubt that would ever happen with a Porsche (paintwork on metal and I expect it'd be much higher quality than the Lotus). I also kept a race car outside under a cover for a winter, and the only issue that got was a bit of mould forming on the steering wheel.