[XutvJet]

My M235 has always been garage kept since getting it back in 2016. I live in Kansas City so we see super hot summers and cold, somewhat snowy/salty winters. A couple of weeks ago I bought a 2011 Porsche Cayman as a fun car and I'm also keeping the M235. Because the Cayman is older (i.e., more prone to German car rot) and will remain on summer tires all year round, it will be in garage and the M235 will be outside in my driveway. The wife takes the other garage spot and there is no way I'm getting that spot. My garage isn't tall enough to stack cars with a 4 post lift either

For those that park your cars outside full time, can you tell me what I need to watch in terms degradation of exterior and engine compartment parts. I wash the car often in the winter sand that won't change. I'll likely wax the car way more than once a year now.

[Jelly_Belly]

Originally Posted by XutvJet

My M235 has always been garage kept since getting it back in 2016. I live in Kansas City so we see super hot summers and cold, somewhat snowy/salty winters. A couple of weeks ago I bought a 2011 Porsche Cayman as a fun car and I'm also keeping the M235. Because the Cayman is older (i.e., more prone to German car rot) and will remain on summer tires all year round, it will be in garage and the M235 will be outside in my driveway. The wife takes the other garage spot and there is no way I'm getting that spot. My garage isn't tall enough to stack cars with a 4 post lift either

For those that park your cars outside full time, can you tell me what I need to watch in terms degradation of exterior and engine compartment parts. I wash the car often in the winter sand that won't change. I'll likely wax the car way more than once a year now.

Yea so i dont have a garage hence my F22 is in the driveway all day, rain or shine.
Instead of waxing once a week or whatever, i decided to bite the bullet and get the car ceramic coated. A lot of shops will issue warranties on their coats. so you can have piece of mind for the duration. Personally i got a fireball ceramic coating which is guaranteed for 3 years.

As for mechanical parts, i mean as long as theres no salt on the roads your fine. I live in canada where the moment theres a single snowflake on the floor they slap enough salt on the roads to turn your car into a Rat rod overnight. So i store the beemer over the winter.

But assuming there is no salt on the roads, just have the paint ceramic coated, if you dont wanna throw down the cash thats fine. Just make sure the car is always waxed.

Other than salt, Tree sap will absolutely, possitively ruin your paint over time, same for bird droppings. so give the car a nice rinse here and there.

For the interior that really up to you, I have a no jeans policy in my car funny enough, but thats only because i worked in the autoshow industry for a couple years and saw what 10 000 people going in and out of a car over 7 days did to the interior... spoiler alert, jean dye rubs into leather.

[John in VA]

A sealant will afford longer protection than wax. Try a product like Jescar / Menzerna Power Lock:
https://www.detailedimage.com/Jescar...-P443/16oz-S1/

[freakystyly]

Random steel bits like the downpipe clamp, non-aluminum suspension bits, and areas the plastic undertray doesn't quite cover will be the first to show rust. The body itself shouldn't be a big worry if you keep it relatively clean on a weekly basis.

The trunk lid gathers salt dust pretty bad, clean around the license plate area too.

[overcoil]

my 235 has been outside since new (august 2014).
driven on salted roads seldom in snow
wash in winter after roads melted - rinse underside with each wash.

[WolfGTI]

I have my name and deposit down for a Cayman GT4, once it arrives about 1 year from now the M240i will be on the driveway and the Cayman will be in the garage, next to my 2002 Mini Cooper track toy. My wife's X1 lives on the driveway also.

[XutvJet]

Thank you, everyone. My M235 has been driven through 6 snowy/salty Kansas City winters now. I wash the car, wheel wells, underside, door/hood/truck frames and crevices, etc. often in the winter. Luckily the car sits in a well-lit driveway with no overhead trees. I always make sure to remove bird droppings on all our cars as soon as possible. The only areas of rust are on the shocks/strut actuator housings (as depicted in Caravaggio photos) and on raw iron parts. I've worked on the suspension, brakes, etc. a number of times and everything always comes a part nicely. I'll continue to do the same now that the car sits outside. I'll also consider ceramic coating it next spring.

[leftoverture]

These things are cars. They are meant to be driven and enjoyed. Reasonable cleaning/waxing intervals make sense but I have learned to accept that no matter what I do, the car will everywhere show signs of use. Those signs are the car's way of saying, proudly, I get used and enjoyed like I should.

[Jelly_Belly]

Hypothetically,

If money was no object. Carbon ceramic brakes don't rust and you can grab some off ECS Tuning hehe.
I know salt and winter is rough on winter bushing, maybe consider swapping to polyurethane bushings if ever you have bushings due

[Cos270]

Originally Posted by leftoverture

These things are cars. They are meant to be driven and enjoyed. Reasonable cleaning/waxing intervals make sense but I have learned to accept that no matter what I do, the car will everywhere show signs of use. Those signs are the car's way of saying, proudly, I get used and enjoyed like I should.

Shout it from the rooftops baby.

[Nickies]

I live on the Pacific Northwest where our winters are mostly rain and occasionally a few inches of snow that are gone after a few days. From new, my car has always been outside.

During winter, I wash the car every week including the undercarriage. During summer we don't have rain and it is very dry so I just use a California Duster and a high quality Quick Detailer as Meguiars Ultimate.

I am very picky about crystal deep gloss finish. I wax 3 times a year using Hydrophobic Polymer Meguiars Ultimate Liquid Wax which is considered the best on the market. I always do a clay bar at spring, give a second wax mid summer and a final one at fall. Absolutely nothing sticks to my paint job..... tree sap, pollen, bird droppings, no water spots either.

I have excellent results and I am always asked why my car always looks so shiny no matter the season and it is just a daily driver.

[Jelly_Belly]

Originally Posted by leftoverture

These things are cars. They are meant to be driven and enjoyed. Reasonable cleaning/waxing intervals make sense but I have learned to accept that no matter what I do, the car will everywhere show signs of use. Those signs are the car's way of saying, proudly, I get used and enjoyed like I should.

Thats fair, but theres also a difference between use and abuse. Mind you the weather down south where you guys are is much more reasonable than the god forsaken place I call home. Cleaning/Waxing only gets you so far when temperatures drop below -35F, theres freezing rain and the roads are caked with salt.

So yea I try to reduce wear and tear on the car

my winter beater could pass for a Mad Max extra at the rate things are going

[freakystyly]

The places that are consistently way below freezing (-20-30C) wont be seeing repeated applications of salt. It's the temperature swings that cause the melt and freeze which call for more and more salt... Would be nice to live in a place that doesn't salt their roads but that isn't here unfortunately.

[leftoverture]

Originally Posted by Jelly_Belly

Thats fair, but theres also a difference between use and abuse. Mind you the weather down south where you guys are is much more reasonable than the god forsaken place I call home. Cleaning/Waxing only gets you so far when temperatures drop below -35F, theres freezing rain and the roads are caked with salt.

So yea I try to reduce wear and tear on the car

my winter beater could pass for a Mad Max extra at the rate things are going

Dude...I live in Minnesota.

[leftoverture]

Originally Posted by freakystyly

The places that are consistently way below freezing (-20-30C) wont be seeing repeated applications of salt. It's the temperature swings that cause the melt and freeze which call for more and more salt... Would be nice to live in a place that doesn't salt their roads but that isn't here unfortunately.

They salt our roads like the world is ending at the first sign of a snowflake.

[freakystyly]

Yeah, they published our region's salt budget at $3.8 million / year using 43,000 tonnes of salt as of 2019.

And then complain to the businesses to cut back on salting sidewalks because it's getting into the water systems....

[GoldfishRT]

I used to be really meticulous about my car's paint, but, honestly these days I just try to hand wash it once a month with a combo wash/wax like Chemical Guys and not worry about it.

[leftoverture]

Originally Posted by GoldfishRT

I used to be really meticulous about my car's paint, but, honestly these days I just try to hand wash it once a month with a combo wash/wax like Chemical Guys and not worry about it.

This! I have a car wash just around the corner and just run it through as often as needed. Hand wax in the fall before winter because with the convertible top I can't have the car wash's wax sprayed all over. My car still looks really good after 6 years.

[Opie55]

My 650 convert has been outside - on the street - for 4 years. Nothing about parking outside will affect anything under the car or under the hood. Those parts are affected by driving, not where they are sitting. There are two things about being parked outside. One is sun/UV, which honestly is more of an issue for rubber trim etc than it is for paint. The second issue is the combination of snow and dirt/grit. Your car will always have some grit on it from being outside. Then it snows on that grit layer. Then either you have to clean off the car to go to work or it warms up enough the snow slides off. Either way, the snow is dragging that wet grit across your paint. No wax or ceramic coat will prevent the resulting fine scratches.

[mbd23]

What product is good to preserve the rubber trim around the windows?

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by mbd23

What product is good to preserve the rubber trim around the windows?

As recommended to me by at least one other forum member, I use this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078MQSFDL/.

[cooolone2]

Just keep it detailed, get a good cover, keep the salt off it in winter.

I have mine since late 19, still smells new, covered always when not driving it. That's it...