New guy with Mustang Mystichrome

HPLouis

New member
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Hello,
In my search for info on detailing I found this forum and it`s a wealth of information. My car is at Detailing Dynamics in New York and I`ll be getting it back this weekend. It`s a 2004 Mustang Cobra with only 4,600 miles (bought it last year with only 2,600 miles) and it`s been sitting in a garage for 10 years by the prior owner.

After it comes back, I`ll be storing it in my unheated garage for the winter. The cars doesn`t see snow, salt, rain, etc. but it will be exposed to the cold. Nobody goes in the garage but the car does get a layer of dust on it. /Should I throw a cheap car cover on it since it`s indoors?

Thanks
 
I would advise against car covers if its indoors, car covers are some what okay outdoors, but will mar the paint if not careful... just grab a few nice microfiber towels and good quality spraywax/quickdetailer and dust it off when you`re ready to take it out again.
 
Thanks for the advice Raymoche. I`ll leave it uncovered. Nobody goes in the garage so it should be safe. It`ll be dusty, but I can wash that off when I get it out of winter storage
 
Welcome to the forum .. if you are going to put it in a garage for the winter months get some ply wood and park on it .. not concrete or dirt .. need to keep moisture from going under the frame ... if there is electric you might also try a dehumidifier

<---- hates car covers

tough decision between bird droppings and tree sap or a car cover... (sometimes)...

yeah that`s when they do pay and people who work near industrial fallout ..
 
Awesome car! I don`t know much about storing things for winter...today will be a high of 97*!!! The cobra looks amazing, good find.
 
Thank you Poorboy. I noticed that people would do that and I always wondered why. I`ll get some planks today.
 
Having had I don`t know, a dozen car covers over the years, I would always vote for a good soft inside, cover that is light, breathe able, and fits tightly around the vehicle..

It will totally keep the car dust free and the better soft covers do not mar anything in my experiences..
Look at California car cover dot com for some examples..

The lighter ones are great for not only keeping the dust off ,but also able to keep moisture from developing between the cover and the paintwork inside..

I always had car covers in California and Washington State and it was so nice to pull it off and the vehicle is dust/dirt/bird bomb/etc., free...

I think the reason it might mar for some is because its a big dorky, heavy one with several layers, and if its not ever washed, dirt will get under it, and rub on the paint, etc...

I never had that issue with the more modern lightweight, 2 layer covers..

Good luck with storing that beautiful Mustang !
Dan F
 
I would get a very light/soft dust cover for indoor storage over the winter (flannel is good). I don`t see a downside if it is put on and taken off with care. There should be no marring if put on a clean/dust free car. There will be no wind to move it around to induce marring and when you take the cover off in the spring it should be clean and almost 100 percent dust free. There is an amazing amount of dust collected after 3-4 months of storage, and the dust winds up in the most unexpected places.
 
HPLois- Welcome to Autopia!

I always seem to have a few cars stored/unused/mothballed, often for a year or more...never a big deal IME and I don`t do anything special to prep them for the period of inactivity other than hook up a trickle-charger (there are some fancy ones on the market these days!) or just disconnect the battery.

Unless you`ll be using "flat stoppers" (special pads that go under the tires), you might oughta overinflate the tires (I`ll set to ~50psi) while it`s stored so they don`t get too out-of-round. It`s usually not a big deal (drive for a while with the overinflation and they`ll almost always get round again though some times it takes a while, and *NO!* it`s not dangerous according to guys who know from such stuff) but every now and then it is a problem; I did once have to replace a set of very soft Summer Compound tires that were on a heavy car, but that`s one time out of many cars over many decades.

I`ve never had any problems from storing in concrete, but "better safe than sorry!" and all that.
 
Beautiful car, and Welcome to the forum! I`ve always loved the color shift paint and really thought they would have taken off more..I guess they are expensive though. :/


When I had my show car I used a cover over the winter storage and during the times I knew I wouldn`t be driving it for a while. I ALWAYS wiped the car down with a good slick detail spray before putting the cover on and never had issues with marring. I liked that I could take it off and go without a build up of dust. It was a soft, tighter fitting cover but it was back in the mid 90`s so I can`t recall who made it. I would never use one outside though and the car should always be dry and completely clean before it`s put on and then stored in a clean sealed contained when it`s off the car.

Just my $.02
 
They`re compounding, polishing, sealing, waxing, etc. the car. There were several light scratches that need to be taken care of. Also, the car sat in Washington State for 10 years so there are water spots, bird droppings, etc. that left impressions in the clear coat. They`re also going to restore the water repellant on the top since that is gone too. I`m replacing the headlamps since those are faded and they`re also knocking out some cobwebs, leaves and a freakin` bird`s nest in the transmission tunnel. They`re pretty confident at Detail Dynamics that they can restore the car.

I bought the car with 2,700 miles on it and it sat for all that time. I`ve been slowly restoring it, replacing rotted and worn parts, etc. but the paint thing, I had to leave that up to the pros since that is definitely not my strong suit. The car was never waxed and when they sold it to me, they ran it though an automatic car wash and that got the paint since it wasn`t protected.

Henry
 
Hey man- gorgeous car! I think I can give some info for ya and hope you have some use of it:

I`ve got a 1999 trans am ws6 that came with the exact same tires as your car did when new.

I have been storing this car since I bought it 8 years ago. Sometimes just for the winter months and at other times for up to two years.

It was always stored on concrete in a NON heated garage. Cars don`t need heat :)

Here`s what I`ve done and noticed no differences with either:

- put a tarp under the car and some out door carpet( this would be soaked in water when I would take it out beneath the car)

- I tried foam insulation under each tire.

- car jacket. Google is your friend but a car jacket zips up and over your car and you throw some moisture desiccants in it and zip it up quick. When you take it out it`s just like you left it.

Truth be told, I never had any issues with simply throwing down my tarp. Throwing down my our door carpet. Driving car over it. Tank full. Fuel stabilizer in. Battery in the basement. Done and done. Fires up on first crank no joke.

People will try to reinvent warm water for no reason. There`s no need for you to do the same. Car is beautiful. A custom car cover (cover king makes beautiful ones) and you`re golden!

So: tarp under car (optional) leave tire psi alone. I`ve never ever had flat spots. Ever. These good years aren`t like the tires built in the 70s and 80s. Full tank. Cover. Done :)


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..leave tire psi alone. I`ve never ever had flat spots. Ever. These good years aren`t like the tires built in the 70s and 80s.

Huh, see how that !YMMV! applies?!?

It always takes at least a good 25 miles for the S8`s current tires to get round again even with the added psi (took a lot longer without it and the Summer Compound tires were just too soft for the car to sit). But OTOH, the (simply *terrible* ) Goodyear RSAs on the Crown Vic never get out-of-round no matter what.
 
This applied to both my mustang and my trans am. Never had a single tire issue. Biggest issue is replacing them due to age. Not wear.


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Striker- Ah, OK..never had any problems with my Pony Cars either. Or the Jag for that matter, and it sits for years at a time.
 
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