Re: General Maintenance Questions

[spowers@spdg.COM (Steve Powers)]

Dan responded:
> 
> > 1.   How often should I be washing my car in order to remove the salt and
> > thus reduce the likelihood of it transforming into a rust ball?
> 
> As often as feasible.  Of particular importance is the undercarriage,
> the insides of the fenders (especially the lips) and the door sills.
> 
> > 2.  I have been told that in the winter it is preferable to leave the car
> > outside over night rather than park it in a garage (especially when it is
> > covered with snow) as the dampness of the garage contributes to its
> > transformation into a rust ball.  Is this corect?
> 
> Basically true for a heated garage.  The theory is that moisture/salt
> will go through temp. cycles and cause more damage than if it
> was just outside.   Personally, when I can leave my car in the (unheated)
> garage, I always do so.

sounds reasonable...

Here's what a former boss did... He had a nice car back east where they
salted the roads and wanted to keep his car in a heated garage. He
rigged a photocell and a solenoid valve to run a spray blast when the
photocell triggered.

He hooked up a water supply and basically rinsed off the underside of
his car every time he went into the garage. He had a floor drain which
would carry the water away. Did it work? I guess, because he had the
nicest 'older' car of any that I ever saw in the Boston area.

what I did...

let the company lease me a Taurus whilst my 4000Q was resting in
Seattle for a year. Rental cars have the right of way in Boston -
especially in rotaries. Just plaster that contract against the
window and keep nosin' in!!! Even cabbies and other POS's will
yield the right of way!!

Mine's rented suckah, how 'bout yours!?!

-steve powers   '95.5 S6 ... '95 620RX/C ... '91 K100RS-16V ... '88 R100S
spowers@spdg.com

"I must tell you that these are strong Bavarian beer-carrying horses,
not the smaller ones of Italy" (Ferdinand Piech, when asked why Michele
Mouton's '82 Quattro only had 330bhp to Lancia's 310bhp)