Creating the Ultimate Garage Car Storage

Creating the Ultimate Garage: Car Storage

Words: Will Beaumont What is the most important criteria when buying a house? A fancy kitchen? A lovely garden? An impressive frontage? Even, just simply a roof? Or, maybe, more important than all of that, a garage.

Not all garages are born equal, however. We’ve all seen pictures of bright spaces with slick floors and crisp white lights, places that look cleaner and more clinical than sterile operating theatres, that some very lucky people call their garage. Perhaps you’re more of a fan of the cosy spaces with walls adorned with old garage signs, vintage fuel pumps and where rust is called patina.

Yet, because most housing developers don’t consider their cars vital members of the family as we do, most of us make do with dingy, cold and cramped boxes tagged onto our houses like a tumorous afterthought.

It’s about time that changed. It’s about time we treat our cars to a lovely, pretty place to live. Because we probably haven’t already spent enough time and money on them. Or was it too much time and money? I can’t remember what exactly I’ve been accused of, if there’s any spare cash it must be the former.

Over the forthcoming months, we’re going to delve into every aspect of garage life to find out how to create the perfect space for your car. We’ll find out what the ideal flooring is, and where to get those charming decorations.

But first, we need to tackle the important and pressing issue of storing your car over winter. The weather has turned, the roads are muddier than ever

and, horrors of horrors, corrosive rustinducing salt has been scattered all over the tarmac. Out there is not a place for delicate classics and pristine motors.

They want to be tucked away in a garage. But rolling your pride and joy into a brick box and forgetting about it until April is not the best way to care for your car. There’s preparation to be done first.

You’ve got to clean your car. You don’t want it sitting there dirty, salt or mud built up in the arches and brake dust caked on the wheels. It’s worth taking the opportunity, when cleaning your car, to protect it too. Mark Wibberley, Managing Director of More Than Polish, who knows a thing or two about paintwork, adds: “I’ll be making sure my own car is fully protected with a couple of coats of RaceGlaze 55 wax and the wheels also waxed. I use a product called RaceGlaze Nano Wheel Sealant which is made for the job.” Plus he has this helpful tip: “liberally spray all touch surfaces within the car with an anti-bacterial spray, wipe down then respray again. Steering wheels, gear knobs, paddles, door handles, indicators and other areas you touch will have grease from your hands on. Airborne bacteria will grow on that and mould can form.”

James Files, Director of JFL Car Nest, a premium car storage facility that makes it their business to know how best to store cars properly, has this to add: “Something that people believe the best thing to do is run the fuel down. That’s never a good idea. If you have very little fuel in your tank, all the gases fill the space and these are the most ignitable. Should there be a fire, it’s gonna go off quickly. So actually, a full tank is better.” But as we know with new ethanol-based fuels, an additive to neutralise the corrosive effects of the hygroscopic ethanol is a good idea on a car that sits around.

With your car ready to be stored, you need to start making the environment, the garage, suitable. And the cold is what James Files is most concerned about: “I wouldn’t want to have outdoor conditions, or very cold conditions or even conditions where it gets hot and cold. Because you get condensation and moisture buildup. Therefore, your brake discs start getting rusty, and, obviously, corrosion also gets to loads of components that you can’t even see. It’s ideal to have underfloor heating or just really a well-insulated building.”

Warmth is to counteract moisture, so humidity is something to be aware of as James explains: “We have two sections in our storage, non-dehumidified and dehumidified. Even in the non dehumidified, we’re at a humidity level that would mean that your car is never going to rot away, we’re not going to get a buildup of moisture because it’s a dry building. Then in the dehumidified section, we keep the humidity between 50 and 53 per cent, which is perfect even for old cars with woods. At that, the wood doesn’t dry out, but it doesn’t absorb more moisture either. So that’s the perfect level you want the humidity to be. That can’t be controlled in just a garage, because you have to have quite expensive dehumidifiers.”

You might not be able to control the humidity in your garage to that level, but a cheaper non-professional dehumidifier still has its uses, as Mark explains: “A lower relative humidity will mean that condensation should not form on the metal of tools and car or bike parts. Your cars will benefit from the lower humidity in that the mould and fungus will not form on the cloth and leather, too. But you need a dehumidifier with a humidistat so that you do not over-dry the air which could crack the leather, rubbers and veneer. Provided it’s a fairly well-built garage, and thus airtight, you can keep rust at bay without working too hard.

“There are two types: desiccant and compressor dehumidifiers. A good rule of thumb is to use compressor dehumidifiers above 16°C and desiccant dehumidifiers below this point. Seal the garage up so that you have as few air changes with the outside as possible, too.”

One part of your car – well four parts, actually – that don’t like to sit still are the tyres, they can deform. Nigel Winfield, Pirelli’s service engineer, knows how to look after your tyres. “The best way to store tyres is to remove the wheels and keep them in an area that doesn’t suffer from extremes of temperature and away from direct sunlight or UV light, because of the corrosive effect of ozone on rubber. Storing them in black plastic bin liners can help with regards to UV exposure, but you need to ensure the tyres are dry before storing. Also, remove any excess air in the plastic bag to prevent further build-up of dust and moisture. However, tyre covers are good and now readily available.”

If you aren’t lucky enough to have a spare set of wheels purely for parking, there are still solutions, like tyre savers that cup the tyre. “Tyre savers are good but can be difficult to position, however, they do help eliminate deformation and take the weight off the units. Please note this is not a complete solution, the car still adds pressure to the tyre. A simpler solution is to over inflate the tyres on the car, an additional 20 to 25 per cent extra pressure is suggested. It’s a good idea to make a note in the car to remind you that

the tyres are overinflated, especially before setting off to drive. Another simple way to keep the tyres from deforming is rotating them by moving them a quarter or half turn every couple of weeks.”

Your choice of garage floor can help your tyres too, as the guys from Garage Style Ltd, fitters and creators of high-end garages, explain: “Our tiles are better for your vehicle’s tyres than a bare concrete floor, as they help to prevent flat spots if the vehicle is not often driven. They also help to insulate your garage so help to keep your vehicle in a warmer environment over the winter.” Two birds with one stone, as they say.

The next thing you need to worry about when your car is dormant is the battery. One thing everyone is sure about is that a battery conditioner is best. Mark explains: “Battery conditioners are much preferred over simple chargers as a conditioner will respond to the battery rather than just pump in current. There are plenty available now for not much money though reputable brands are best and will pay themselves back in extended battery life.”

In James’s experience, such devices are much better than disconnecting the battery. “All that really does is stop the battery from keeping the car ticking over.” Not the engine ticking over, but all its systems. “Even disconnected, the battery still drains naturally, just sitting there. I would say on any supercar, anything modern, anything that has computers and electronics, if you can leave them connected, just don’t disconnect them at all. We recommend CTEK conditioners, because they are the best that we’ve used, and probably one of the best on the market.”

So your car’s clean, its tank is full and it’s in a warm and dehumidified garage. You’ve taken precautions to look after the tyres and it’s hooked up to a battery conditioner. There’s one more step, a cover. If it’s inside, in this perfect environment, why do you need a cover too? Mark knows: “Indoor covers will keep dust off, prevent knocks, scrapes and accidents, but they won’t keep cats off. Breathable materials are usually best, so I recommend our Peachskin covers or Soft Stretch covers as they won’t scratch and will allow air to get to the car. I don’t like cheap nylon ones for these reasons.” And with that, with your car all tucked up, you can guarantee it will be just as lovely when you take it out as when you locked it away.

But what if you don’t have a garage? There are a few options. An outdoor cover is one, but beware it needs to be breathable; it’s not worth using a cheap one. Even better is a temporary garage. Machine Mart supplies a range of Clarke bolt-together durable structures with waterproof covers that you pull taut with a ratchet.

Or there are bubble-like pods that can be used outside. Mark approves of them, but says you need to be cautious: “You need to take care it doesn’t scratch when you inflate them for the first time as you have to lay the material on your roof. It’s best to stick a blanket on the car temporarily. Rigid frame alternatives like AirChambers cost about £450 but are only suitable for indoors. You will also need to allow a little for running costs.”

But, honestly, the ultimate solution to a lack of garage is professional car storage. In fact, there are advantages to sending your car away even if you have a perfectly nice garage and all the kit. James gives us a run-through of what JFL Car Nest provides: “All cars are constantly monitored in a dry environment. They’re valeted so they’re perfectly clean when they go in and valeted on the way out. We do twice daily checks for our Carcoons.” The indoor inflatable bubbles. “As well as on the CTEK conditioners. We make sure they’re constantly working because you can have a fuse blow and if you don’t check it for a month, you might not know. We’ve got round-theclock CCTV monitoring and a fire system that is linked to the police or fire brigade. Should anyone try and steal a car, we will know about it before they can even get in the building. Unless you spend millions or a lot of money I should say,

you’re unlikely to have that. Our buildings are fully insulated and, as mentioned before, we have two sections, nondehumidified and dehumidified. We have insurance, as well. Obviously for cars when they’re in the storage facility, and also on the road. Something that we can do is drive the car on the road to get all the oil and fluids circulating, allow it to get up to temperature nicely, go through all the gears and just make sure the car is running perfectly. So when someone wants to use their car, we’ve done all our checks, everything we’ve noticed we’ve reported back so it’s ready to go off and you can be confident to just drive away.”

Clearly, this solution is going to be more pricey than running a dehumidifier and a battery conditioner, but it’s not as wildly expensive as you might imagine. “We start our pricing at £35 plus VAT a week. Which again, is fully insured. Because that’s part of the process as well, our insurance covers your car whilst it’s with us, so you don’t have to insure it, so you’ll save on that. We offer a discount for club members, too. It’s five pounds per weekly package.”

The fact it’s not at your house isn’t much of a problem, either, it seems. “Given a day or two’s notice, we’ll be able to bring a car out of storage. We can transport cars in enclosed transport to the customer’s house or wherever they want it. So they literally don’t have to lift a finger. We do all the checks, give it a clean, pop it in the enclosed trailer and deliver it back. So I guess one thing I’m trying to say is, we can basically save you loads of time.”

I don’t know about you, but all this advice and knowledge solves many problems. You can store a car happily in your garage, keeping it pristine. While at the same time storing another one, or more, hassle-free somewhere out of sight. Somewhere where no one knows you’ve bought yet another car…

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2. 1.

1. Carvault Co.

A full-service turnkey storage and car care solution.

Located 40 miles from London, covers Henley-On-Thames, Reading and Oxford

www.carvaultco.com

contact@carvaultco.com Ben Willis: 01491 714 055 Instagram: @carvaultco

2. The Classic Motor Hub

Bespoke car storage and care facility

Located in the Cotswolds, covers Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire

www.classicmotorhub.com/storage/

info@classicmotorhub.com 01242 384 092

3. JLF Car Nest

Exceptional storage solutions.

Fully insured, secure car storage with the latest car care and maintenance. Special Offer £5 off all package prices for BMW Car Club GB Members Located in Norfolk, covers the South East & East Anglia Regions and all of the UK.

www.jlfcarnest.co.uk

info@jlfcarnest.vo.uk Olly: 07521 568 881 Josh: 07856 952 383

4. Store My Car

Secure car storage, maintenance, servicing, valet and detailing, car transportation

Located in Sutton Coldfield, covers Little Aston, Birmingham, Litchfield, Solihull and the West Midlands

www.store-my-car.co.uk

info@store-my-car.co.uk Miles Redman: 07863 540 064

5. Weaver Car Storage Limited

Professional, discreet, secure car storage.

Located in the South Liverpool area, covers the North West Region. Weaver Car Storage Limited. Weaver Industrial Estate. Blackburne Street Garston Liverpool L19 8JA

www.weavercarstorage.co.uk

info@weavercarstorage.co.uk 0151 329 3390 Anthony Weaver: 07534 101 504