Florida is a wonderful place to own a special car and a hard place to store one. The same sunshine that makes for perfect Saturday drives works against paint, rubber and leather the rest of the week. If your car spends more time parked than driven, how and where it’s stored matters more than almost anything else you do for it.
Humidity is the real enemy
Heat gets the attention, but moisture does the damage. Humid air finds its way into everything: it encourages surface rust on brake rotors and exposed metal, mildew in carpets and headliners, corrosion on electrical connectors, and that musty smell that’s almost impossible to remove from a classic interior.
A typical home garage on the Treasure Coast tracks the outdoor climate closely, which means long stretches of high humidity and big temperature swings. A climate-controlled space holds temperature and humidity steady, which is the single most important thing you can do for a car that sits.
Salt air and sun
Near the coast, salt carried in the air settles on paint and chrome and speeds up corrosion. UV exposure fades paint, dries out rubber seals and cracks dashboards and leather. Indoor storage away from windows, plus a clean car going into storage, prevents most of this. Never store a car dirty: road film, bird droppings and bug residue etch into paint when left to sit.
Batteries, fluids and tires
- Battery: modern cars drain their batteries surprisingly fast while parked. A quality battery tender keeps the battery healthy and the car ready to start.
- Fluids: fresh oil before long-term storage is a good habit, because used oil contains contaminants. Keep the fuel tank reasonably full to limit condensation.
- Tires: tires can develop flat spots when a car sits in one position for months. Correct pressure and periodically moving the car help.
- Exercise: starting and moving a car on a regular schedule circulates fluids and keeps seals supple.
Hurricane season
From June through November, plan ahead. The questions to ask about any storage facility: How is the building constructed? Is it monitored around the clock? Is there fire protection? Are cars insured while stored? A purpose-built facility with solid construction is a very different proposition from a carport or a shared warehouse.
Insurance and documentation
Keep your own comprehensive coverage active while the car is in storage, and make sure the car’s condition is documented when it goes in and when it comes out. Good facilities do this as a matter of course.
How we handle it
At The Concours Garage in Stuart, every car is stored indoors in a climate-controlled building with 24/7 surveillance, fire-rated walls and sprinklers. Every car is on a battery tender, and condition is documented at check-in and check-out. See our storage options and pricing, or schedule a private tour.
The Concours Garage · Stuart, Florida
Storage, detailing and care for exceptional automobiles.