Given your location “winter storage” shouldn’t be of your concern, Lew. Or is it?
Living within a half mile [0.8 km] of the Pacific ocean takes it’s toll. It’s definitely a “marine environment”; the salt is borne inland by the morning fog. If you hang clothes out on a line they get bleached; the tools inside my mechanics roller cabinet rust; the cadmium plated parts on my '73 BMW Motorrad rust, everything rusts. Even when it’s in the garage.
Over here classic cars with a Californian registration are sold as inherently rust free. Hmm
So how does the pacific air in Los Angeles differ from the air further north? Sales myth?
I know a few guys around here that have used storage bags for the winter months when they put their babies away. Seems to work out well. I dont know what brand one guy uses, but it had a few giant packs that looked like sandbags. I think they were actually silica gel packs to keep the moisture down. May be worth it to check out if you are in a moisture rich area and storing the car for a few months.
I’m not seeing any rust on the chassis or anything like that. Not even on trim. I’ve seen some vehicles that park outside with a little superficial corrosion on trim pieces but nothing that isn’t easily corrected. Also, if you go 5 miles inland this is just not a problem. I’m 1 block from the ocean so I’m getting the worst of it.
Where I’m having issues is tools in the tool box. Steel chisels for example. No Bueno. I thought being in a tool chest which is in the garage would have some level of protection but clearly it doesn’t. In my house, I have a vintage fan collection and a mid century chrome shelving unit and both are showing signs of corrosion.
I remember cars in junk yards in AZ with patina. When you can push the car with your feet out the bottom like Fred Flintstone, I think we can call it rusty. So many poor cars here in Montreal like that. crying
sorry for the delayed reply, I’m working out of town and having problems logging on.
Any tips Lew?
Who,me?!? I was the one that brought it up! Move to Phoenix, maybe?
But you all are right. It isn’t the same as the deep penetration, water-borne, corrosives like road salt; more surface oriented. Even pressure washing doesn’t seem to help, and in fact may exacerbate the problem by driving salt further into crevices.
Here in the Pismo Beach area the $0.25 car washes are required to use a percentage of water that is captured by their drain, filtered (for solids) and recycled. Considering that we have the only drive-on beach in the state, and most folks like to wash off their vehicles after exiting the beach, they aren’t the best choice for washing off beach salt; or anything else that you cherish. But not many people are aware of the situation.
1998 BMW 740iL. Originally from California. Individual Package with Limonit Metallic paint, Nappa leather interior and Alacantra headliner. Can’t wait to do some cruising… If only I could drive from the rear seats. More legroom (and footrests!) than Business Class!
How very Transporter of you - clean ride. Though I won’t lie I think I liked the E28 better, but at least now you get a decades worth of new features. As with all old BMW’s hopefully some of them still work.
I did like the e28, but it had it’s time. Was in good to excellent condition when I got it 6 years ago, but had a few things cosmetic and mechanical that were starting to go and not worth fixing. We fell out of love a bit over the years. I would love to get an e28 M5 one day (e28 needs to be stick I think to properly enjoy it).
e38 (fingers crossed) everything seems working (87k mi on it) and while I still have the W115 Benz for fun, girlfriend insisted on a car with AC, proper seatbelts and airbags. 98 seemed like a good compromise - new enough to be modern, but old enough to be unique.
Guy I got it from (who imported from Cali) is a BMW nut. Has a new M5, and previously had an e28 B7 Alpina, e34 Alpina, 850csi, e30 convertible among others…
The e38 is now sold. I will miss it for sure, but with a new baby and one classic Mercedes in the garage, it just won’t get driven and these classics deserve to be more than garage queens.
Want to hear something crazy though? That e28 I had previously has come back to haunt me. Twice.
I sold it as above in 2017 when I got the 7er. Nice guy, said he was going to restore it, knew BMWs, etc. Never thought of it again.
2.5 years ago (July 2021) I got a message on IG from a random guy. Told me he found the car, abandoned, and that apparently the registration was never changed so it legally still belonged to me (the buyer needs to do it after a sale). He wanted to restore it. Said he found it parted out near the docks someplace and gave me the address to take a look. Sounded crazy, but sure enough it was my car! I signed over the registration to the new new guy and never thought of it again.
Last week, just randomly scrolling through Facebook marketplace I see my car. My photo of my car! The last guy who I signed it to (for free! - he just had to tow it), is now apparently trying to sell it. Still gutted and parted out- for more than I originally sold it for! As if it was still good looking. LOL.
I don’t really care (waste of a car though), but sometimes I can’t believe people!
I replied to his listing and told him good luck. haha.
Whoa. What a bummer. Still a nice body. If the components were cut out of the electrics there is not much hope.
One time back in January 2016 my then beloved Audi A6 was nicked during the early morning hours from its space in front of the house. To cut a long story short 3.5 months later I got a call from the German police out of Poland, that they retrieved my engine. I had to tell them, that it was the engine of the insurance company at that point.
A perfectly specced and well cared for A6 Quattro with manual trans had been cut up and molested. Thankfully I did not have to view it.
Got a full payout but was feeling gutted about it, still.
If they had retrieved my Audi A6 like that e28 it would still have been built back by me. But I fully understand, that you were glad to sign the remains over, thus avoiding further legal hassle.
My neighbour brought a 911 as „garden art“ recently. …
My Honda del Sol was not the best car in any category, but it was stolen 15 years ago and I still have dreams about it. In fact, I’ve actually found myself confused thinking that I had it in storage.