Zed living outside

Z

zeddy

Member
Due to circumstances out of my control, ( boat consuming garage space), my zed is living outside.

Whilst working on the OH to do something about his boat (hasn't left the garage in 4 years, but doesn't want to sell it :evil: ) should I be doing something to help preserve the roof waterproofness etc?

Or doesn't it wreck/damage it if it gets rained on?

Its winter in Aus, and the weather has been testing the water tightness of my zed. Fortunately I haven't found any leaks yet.


Zeddy.
 
So what is that boat worth in relation to your Z? If it were my boat it would be outside under a good well made fitted canvas tarp.. It obviously is not used whereas the Z would be available and clean at any time. I would be more concerned were the Z mine about sun damage to the top,paint, exposed interior parts than about rain. I would think if the car is outdoors all the time you should apply cleaner and a water repellant such as Raggtopp or 303 fabric proctedtant regularly. At the very least cover it when parked at home with a properly designed cover. Mine is in the garage with a cover as well to keep the dust off. But then I am anal about my baby.
 
Mine is outside all the time with no adverse affects noted so far :) After all it is a car...

Keep it treated with RaggTop, AutoGlym Hood treatment or similar...

Watch the area round the base of the hood can get a little green down round there if you are not careful.
 
I think exposure to the element be they sun in a warm climate (which I assume you have in Aus?) or rain in the UK, it's no place for a canvas roofed Zed, long term. Mine is strored in a garage dried and then each night left with the roof down to allow air to the lower part of the hood canvas. Before purchasing I noticed several examples even in dealerships with serious rot/green algae in that area.

Personally I would not have purchased a soft top unless I could store it inside.
 
I did intend to put it in my garage, measured the length of the etc and fully cleared the garage ready for it. Forgot about the width though, and although I could probably get the car in the garage.... getting out of the car would be nigh on impossible, so it has to live on the drive :oops:
 
Mine lives outside also.

I make sure the top is cleaned and keep it treated..

Also make sure your softtop drain holes are free of debris.. My driveway is also inclined and I ALWAYS park with the front pointed DOWN. This is due to the drain hole being forward on the car. This keeps any water away from the softtop motor....

SixSpeed has a good DIY on another forum that can be found here:
http://www.zpost.com/forums/showthread.php?t=63033

I also make sure I have good wax or some type of protectant on the paint.

Resently have now gone out and bought a really good car cover. This thing is great. I put it on at night and take if off in the morning, the car is clean, dust free and ready to drive..... Just make sure any cover you get BREATH's to allow any mosture to evaporate out from underneith it...
 
I haven’t had my zed convertible long, a week to be exact, but it will be living outside for the foreseeable future.

Of course its ideal to keep it garaged, the same as its ideal to never drive in rain or hammer the engine too hard…but in my opinion enjoyment of the car is first!

I will keep everything clean, maintain the soft-top with cleaner and protector of a decent quality and during the winter I might even invest in a cover of some kind to protect against the frost a bit, although I can see kids having that cover away!

I guess my point is that a car will deteriorate faster through the owner neglecting it and never cleaning or protecting it, as opposed to just being garaged. If you’re that concerned about the car just invest in a cover which will almost act as a garage in somewhere that gets little cold weather.
 
My car is also kept outside and as above a good hood treatment will be fine i used the AG kit and the hood looks great plus the car is washed regular and lots of protection polished sealed and waxed.
 
Toss the wife/girlfriend out in the cold outdoors. Bring the Zed in the house if you have to. It is not just a car, it is a BMW. I don’t understand a boat that is afraid of the water and being outside???? Must be a sissy boat. :poke: I couldn’t keep mine outside if I wanted to, as the Neighborhood Covenants Committee Goons would have me beheaded. Crap you can not even leave your trash can out too long here. :cry:
 
Mine stays outside all the time as well. It just gets cleaned and waxed more often. It also gets dirtier more often. I keep ragtop protectant on the top and don't have any problems.
 
Cars should always be kept inside.
Stored inside.
Washed and bathed inside.
Driven inside.

"inside" in this case, may be defined as "inside the Milky Way".

Or, get a car cover.
Those work too.
 
Mine lives outside under a car cover, mainly to protect it from local cats who love to do their courting on the soft top. At my age it's the only pussy my car seems to attract! :roll:

I check the lower hood for debris and keep it clean, good wax every now and then for the bodywork. Only downside with a cover is when it gets windy. I tie it down with a couple of bungee straps to stop it flapping about.
 
Thanks for the replies... I'll try and find some ragtop stuff in Aus. It does get very hot in summer, so the UV will be a problem with the soft top.

I'm negotiating on the boat... sentimental attachment problem methinks...

btw, I am the girlfriend.... its my partner that has his boat in the garage, along with his fancy car, tools and stuff collection, and a few motorbikes (although one is mine)
 
2 Zero said:
Mine stays outside all the time as well. It just gets cleaned and waxed more often. It also gets dirtier more often. I keep ragtop protectant on the top and don't have any problems.
Click to expand...

Exactly the same for me. I have no garage so it must live in my car park exposed to the elements, and even under a tree that just LOVES to drop pollen and leaves on it every day. I wash it when I can and just make sure it gets a nice detailed cleaning and waxing every now and then.
 
Haven't got any decent pics yet - its been raining so much here.

I did notice there were Zymol stickers on the windows.
 
Mine stays outside under a uhm overhang. It's mostly in the shad depending on which part of the day and how I park it. Generally some part of the car is always in the sun. I haven't noticed any sun damage yet except for my steering wheel getting slightly faded in some spots :?
 
Mine definitely lives in the garage! Winter here is no place for a rag top to live outside. A foot or so of heavy wet snow wouldn't be good for the top I'm sure.
This is what my 05 Mustang looked like less than a week after bringing it home for the first time (garage was full of stuff at the time and got cleaned out shortly afterward).
MVC-742F.JPG
 
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