Sun damage

[Pilgrim65]

Morning folks 

Extremely hot day here in Cyprus yesterday 43 (110) in the shade so probably 50 in sun. Didn't venture out with my bright red Buick.

As I have lived in Uk most of my life , heatwave is infrequent and usually lower 30s so car in sun rarely a problem and haven't had a red car for 30 years , so no experience of this sort of heat.

Took Ruby to local village this morning and temperatures heading same way , out for about 90 mins , wondered if she should be covered when parked up . Have you folks who live in hot parts of states noticed any damage caused by sun , particularly any effect on bright colours and interior on convertibles. Also what precautions do you take?

i have a car port so usually out of sun , thinking of buying a cover,  but would feel a bit silly putting a cover on at restaurant when stopping for lunch , but if necessary will, or should I only drive after sunset or cloudy days.

cheers

pilgrim

Edited July 3, 2017 by Pilgrim65
Addition (see edit history)

[capngrog]

Here's a thread from this forum on car covers: 

 If that link above doesn't open, you should be able to find the thread by searching the General Discussion Forum under the title:  "Outside Car Cover".

 

I wouldn't bother with a car cover when stopping for short periods such as for lunch etc.  Parking in your car port is the best thing for reducing sunshine-induced paint aging, and if you cover the car in the car port, that will keep the dust and animal (cat etc.) tracks off.  Drive it and enjoy it.

 

Cheers,

Grog

[C Carl]

Pilgrim , just so I don't forget : Make sure your car is dust free and clean , well waxed , before deploying the car cover. It is a chafe thing. That being said , I am the most obsessive heliophobe you have ever seen. If I am rolling up to a red light , I look for shade in order to wait for green. Shade tree by the side of the road ? Hey ! If there is a large truck or bus I can tuck in tight to : well , that is one less minute of solar U.V. !  Now in my universe , solar radiation and salt water are the most destructive enemies to cars. A Summer day at the beach ? Whew ! I'll find a shade spot well away from wind blown salt , or go do something else somewhere else. I will drive around for sufficient time to find shade if I will be spending a fair spell at any destination. If I absolutely MUST park in the sun , (and we are talking short duration here - no long term sunbathing for my rides) , it is top up , preferably facing  directly away from the Sun , steering wheel covered , front , rear , and side windows for the short duration all have shades inserted. ALWAYS !

 

Does it pay off ? I have owned my '76 Cad Eldo conv. for over 30 years. A 22,000 miler when I got it. Daily , and long distance cruiser. Crossed the USA many times. California. Southwestern deserts. On the road months at a time. Black interior has fooled folks from time to time. I have been accused of having had a new interior put in it. Leather soft and supple. All rubber seals intact and pliable. Dash panel and door window sills supple and uncracked (!!!). Faux wood steering wheel inlay still intact (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!). Well then , does my extreme care pay off ? I'm here to tell you !   - Cadillac Carl 

 

P.S. : Toneau covers properly engineered are a superb "quick draw" solution. I used to own a company which defined the state of the art in industrial sewing. Had a toneau cover made for my then '57 Eldo drop top. It went over the windshield and fastened to the windshield wiper shafts. NO MATTER WHAT SOLUTION YOU EMPLOY, ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS COVER THAT STEERING WHEEL EVERY TIME IN ADDITION !   - CC

[Guest BillP]

I had my Jeep Wrangler in the Caribbean for 15 years. It toasted the top and side curtains and marginally faded the clear coat. I initially had a cover on but a couple of hurricanes put paid to that scheme. No other damage. 

Edited July 3, 2017 by BillP (see edit history)

[Spinneyhill]

We have a extreme UV levels in summer (up to 14 or 15). I used to drive an MX5 to work and park it on the street. After only two years there was noticeable damage to the vinyl folding top.

 

In my case, I have to keep out of the sun because immuno-suppressant drugs reduce one's ability to repair UV damage (no more open cars for me, damnit). The UV index here is above 3 between about late October and early May, so I cover up, slop on SPF 50+ chemicals and avoid the sun during that period. Severe damage to other things will occur in the same interval.

 

Between May and November, I don't worry about it so the car is probably in far less danger then too.

 

So the moral here is the car will degrade most in the sun over the summer and half of each of spring and autumn.

[capngrog]

C Carl,

 

What is an "obsessive heliophobe" doing driving around in a convertible with a black interior?  Other than this seemingly basic contradiction, the rest of your post is right on the money.  Your caution about taking the car to the beach especially rings true to me.  When I lived in Miami, some of my friends who frequently participated in local car shows used to complain about having to WASH THE SALT OFF of their cars after a show on South Beach or Hollywood Beach, etc.  Needless to say, I never took my car to any of the beach shows.  I now live near Daytona Beach, and shiver a bit when I see collector cars driven on the beach.  Oh well, to each his own!

 

By the way, the bit about a car being clean and well-waxed before being covered is excellent advice.  A car cover continuously moves, even in a light breeze, and if there is dust, grease, grime or grit between the cover and your car ... well think "orbital sander".

 

Cheers,

Grog