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Drove past a storage facility in Nashville that changed my mind about open air lots
I always thought covered storage was a waste of money until I saw a whole row of cars sitting in the sun at a Budget Storage lot off I-24 last weekend. The paint on a '67 Mustang was already starting to fade and the dash on a newer Camry had this nasty crack running down the middle. It hit me that even if you aren't storing something fancy, that UV damage adds up fast over a couple years. Has anyone else switched to covered parking after seeing something like that?
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noah2481mo ago
I get where you're coming from with that '67 Mustang, but I actually see it a little different. I've had a few old project cars stored outside under a tarp for years and the real killer for me has always been moisture and dirt getting in through the seams, not the sun. The paint fade on that Mustang is probably from years of neglect anyway, not just a few months in the lot.
I've seen plenty of beat up cars that sat in garages their whole life but still have cracked dashes from the heat that builds up inside a closed space. So it's not like covered storage is some magic fix either. Plus paying extra for a covered unit when you're just storing a beater or some furniture seems like a waste unless you're keeping a show car or something super valuable.
Honestly the biggest issue with those open air lots is more about people not cleaning out their junk before storing it. I've pulled stuff out that was in perfect shape under a tree in my yard for three years, then watched a friend lose a whole box of photos to mold because they sealed them in a plastic bin that trapped moisture. So I just dont think the cover matters as much as how you prep what you're storing.
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perry.jessica1mo ago
My own storage game is so weak I once put a box of Christmas ornaments in a shed that had a leaky roof... came back to find tinsel growing out of a Santa hat. But yeah, the moisture argument makes sense, I think prep matters way more than I ever realized. I'm the type who just chucks stuff in and hopes for the best, which is probably why my storage unit looks like a crime scene after a few months.
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