Parked on Driveway/Street?

[MattyB_]

Probably a commonly asked question, but the search isn't throwing any results...

Does anyone keep their Tam/T350 either on the driveway or on the street? If so, do you bother with a car cover? Especially come the winter, I'm wondering how detremental it is for it to be exposed - I have memories of having to scrape the inside windscreen of my Elise on frosty mornings, and have to wait *ages* for the heater to clear the screen

I notice alot of people use battery conditioners - again, Elises were notorious for draining batteries, I wondered what kind of period of inactivity would lead to a flat battery on either Tam or T350?

[shep1001]

MattyB_ said:

Probably a commonly asked question, but the search isn't throwing any results...

Does anyone keep their Tam/T350 either on the driveway or on the street? If so, do you bother with a car cover? Especially come the winter, I'm wondering how detremental it is for it to be exposed - I have memories of having to scrape the inside windscreen of my Elise on frosty mornings, and have to wait *ages* for the heater to clear the screen

I notice alot of people use battery conditioners - again, Elises were notorious for draining batteries, I wondered what kind of period of inactivity would lead to a flat battery on either Tam or T350?

Kept on the drive, cover it in winter, 2-3 wks for a flat battery unless on the C-Tek then its fine. My car looks great and its been kept outside for 2 yrs & it does not leak. Regular clean/polish protects it.

[parvs]

Sagaris kept on drive throughout the whole of the winter, also driven over whole winter! Ice, rain, snow, it's been fine. Windscreen takes even longer to demist than my Elise and exige did, so be prepared to sit there for quite a long time.

I always covered it at night, and considering getting one of those engine warmers.

Didn't have too many scary moments in the snow, but I've relented and yesterday bought a 'sensible' car for the winter. I don't really want to push my luck this year....

[sidewayz]

I leave mine out in the street in all weather - have done so for 5 years. Only time I have had a problem was this winter when is was really very cold and it wouldn't turn over, otherwise it's been fine. They are not that fragile in my experience - just need regular maintenance.
You might want a cover for snow and I give mine a good waxing before the weather really turns.
Not sure if that's needed but I like to know it's been given the extra care.

[DonkeyApple]

The only thing I would say is to have a think about why so many of the Chimps and Griffs out there are seemingly rotten underneath.

The tops are fibreglass so minimal care will keep the car looking nice but it's what is going on 24/7 to the metalwork under the plastic mac.

[Targarama]

DonkeyApple said:

The only thing I would say is to have a think about why so many of the Chimps and Griffs out there are seemingly rotten underneath.

The tops are fibreglass so minimal care will keep the car looking nice but it's what is going on 24/7 to the metalwork under the plastic mac.

Mostly because the factory did not coat these parts well enough when they were new.

However a good underseal will help prevent the onset of any rust.

[DonkeyApple]

Targarama said:

DonkeyApple said:

The only thing I would say is to have a think about why so many of the Chimps and Griffs out there are seemingly rotten underneath.

The tops are fibreglass so minimal care will keep the car looking nice but it's what is going on 24/7 to the metalwork under the plastic mac.

Mostly because the factory did not coat these parts well enough when they were new.

However a good underseal will help prevent the onset of any rust.

Or seal it in and hide it.

Just playing Devil's Adv, but generally these are not cars best left out to the elements as we are seeing with the older cars and will be starting to see with the newer ones soon.

[MattyB_]

DonkeyApple said:

The only thing I would say is to have a think about why so many of the Chimps and Griffs out there are seemingly rotten underneath.

The tops are fibreglass so minimal care will keep the car looking nice but it's what is going on 24/7 to the metalwork under the plastic mac.

Is this an issue with T350s/Tams? Surely they were being thoroughly undersealed in their era?

[DonkeyApple]

MattyB_ said:

DonkeyApple said:

The only thing I would say is to have a think about why so many of the Chimps and Griffs out there are seemingly rotten underneath.

The tops are fibreglass so minimal care will keep the car looking nice but it's what is going on 24/7 to the metalwork under the plastic mac.

Is this an issue with T350s/Tams? Surely they were being thoroughly undersealed in their era?

Even if they were, all underseal does is slow down basic chemistry, rather than halt it.

There's no escaping that in the idal world it's better to park in the dry.

Early Tuscans are hitting 10 years old and it's very unlikely that they will not be having the same issues as the Griffs and Chimps.

It's just natural and anything they did or we can do to slow it down is of course important.