An Englishman’s home is his castle. And his car his most-loved toy. This would be a rather crude assessment of what is more, much more, than just a fleeting fancy or a child-like fantasy – it is a deep, ingrained passion for fantastically-engineered and beautifully-crafted motorcars which stir emotions and – yes, it must be admitted – pluck at the strings of the heart. The beauty, the power and the elegance which veteran, vintage and classic cars embody can cause grown men – and of course women – to tremble with excitement and pleasure and to bemoan a bygone age of glamour and style as they look back on slowly-fading but fond memories. Which is why these wonderful vehicles need to be protected, not only against carjackers and car thieves, but also against the ravages of time, the elements – and the indoor climate.
The effect that the wrong indoor climate can have on the car in your garage:
As any real car enthusiast knows, the indoor climate plays an extremely important role when it comes to preserving the car of your dreams and to protecting it against moisture and the effects which moisture can have on the bodywork, the chassis and the fittings of your prized possession. High humidity levels provide the ideal breeding ground for rust and corrosion. In fact a relative humidity of only 60%, which, depending on where you live, what time of year it is and what the weather is like, is quickly reached can eat at the metal and the spotlessly shiny chrome and cause damage that not only spoils the aesthetic value of your car, but can also transform what was once a dazzling gem into a rough diamond. That’s why you can’t just park your car in the drive or leave it to rust at the kerb, what you need is a proper garage for your car so that it retains its value and you retain the pleasure you get from it.
But there more hidden dangers lurking in your garage than you might think:
Moisture is not only present in the ambient air, it can also work its way through walls and penetrate seemingly solid or leak-proof brickwork. And not only that: if you’ve been out for a spin and been caught in the rain or if you have been unlucky enough to end up in a snowdrift during the harsher winter months, then there will be more than enough moisture on your wheels, tyres and the car’s undercarriage to cause corrosion and considerable damage to your car when you drive it back into the relative warmth of your garage. In such cases, the moisture contained in the relatively warm air can also settle on the paintwork of your car or seep into tiny cracks between the various body parts where it can quickly become a serious and costly problem. And that’s only on the outside. The material or leather upholstery and the trimmings in the interior of your car do not take kindly to moist air and can in some cases adopt a musty smell which is a sure sign of mould. Cars have always been wonders of technology. They can be packed with motors which power the windows or adjust the seats and seemingly miles of cable. Moisture is not just bad for the electrics in your car, it is Enemy No.1. When the electrics don’t work and your car doesn’t start, then the cause could well be moisture.
How to make sure that you and your car remain together a life-time:
You can ensure that you get the most out of your Morgan Plus, your E-Type Jaguar, your Porsche 911 or quite simply the car you are proud to call your own by following a few simple steps:
Make sure that your car is dry before you close the garage door. This way the excess moisture can escape to the outside rather than condense on your car in the inside.
Install a dehumidifier. This may sound a little drastic or over the top, but a dehumidifier like the ones in the TTK S Series from Trotec can monitor and control the climate in just about any room – or garage –and regulate the relative humidity so that the problems described above do not occur and you can be sure that the next time you fetch your car out of the garage all you have to do is turn the key for the motor to gun into life and then purr contentedly as you appreciatively let your eyes and fingers glide over the exquisitely designed, sleek interior and soak up the pleasure of owning your very own personal dream car.
Like we said before. A car can last a life-time. And you can decide if it does.
Trotec. The name in dehumidifiers and climate conditioning.
