I should get my shipment from autogeek on Monday so i can begin detailing, but before that i was wondering if anyone parks their car outside. The s2k is well protected in my garage, but my Celica (the daily beater) has to rough it outside now. I plan to fully detail each car, but I am concerned about the upkeep with keeping the Celica looking nice. Does anyone know how long the protectants and wax last in rainy/mild weather? What will happen when it rains? I can't always run home from work to dry the car off after the rain stops . Can i just wash the care every 2 weeks, or do i need to wax it more often? I am assuming it also depends on how often it rains, with fall/winter coming up. I live in Sunnyvale, CA so just sun, rain, and wind. Oh yeah, there are a lot of trees/leaves/pollen on a busy street so lots of debris from the road. The Celica is black and practically yellow after 3 weeks.

If it is too much work I might have to just accept the Celica's fate

 

protectants last longer inside than outside... uncovered wax should last a few weeks. a synthetic will go a few months.
either will be removed anyway cause an outside car will need to be clayed more often unless its covered.

i would at least find a good cover, and actually i would rent a garage (which is what i do for my extra cars)

 

Anyone have any experience taking off a car cover in the rain then stuffing it in your trunk?

 

yup- its a pia, especially when you recover it!!
and also taking it off in the rain is not fun...

tip- put a tub or some sort of plastic liner in the trunk... too much rain in the trunk is a problem you dont want to have to deal with!

 

Thanks for the advice wanabe. Autogeek is giving 15% off of covercraft car covers right now, thinking about getting one for the upcoming rainy season.

 

Super Weave car cover from California Car Cover company.

Cost me $300 something with tax. Best car cover on the planet imo. Well worth it.

 

How about carport / canopy cost only 1 to 2 hundreds this will do.

 

Great idea, but live in a house with 2 of my friends. Ran out of room for cars in the garage/drive way.

I am going to detail then wait and see how dirty the car gets outside. If I can maintain it with regular washing and waxing, then I don't think I will need the car cover. I'll let you all know how it turns out.