How to maintain a garageless car in Texas?
 

Unfortunately for me, I will not have the luxury of parking my BRZ in a garage like most of you. Seeing how my 5-year-old VW SUV has aged over the years with 24/7 exposure to the elements has me extremely concerned of my soon-to-be Limited SWP BRZ. I plan on keeping the BRZ for a long time, and being that it is the first car I'll own that I actually admire, I'd like to ask my fellow enthusiasts for tips on extending the aesthetic lifespan of the car. Keep in mind the following:

-I've been parking in front of the house next to a lawn sprinkler.
-Texas weather is super hot and humid most of the time.
-A car cover isn't an option. My neighbors will definitely report me to HOA for "ruining the neighborhood image" as they've done in the past for other small, anal things.

So far, I have a few plans in mind. I'm getting a full Huper-Optik ceramic tint done (windshield included) as soon as the BRZ comes in. This should keep the interior away from heat and UV damage. In addition to the tint, I also plan on using a windshield sun-deflector (yeah I'm serious about preventing heat/UV damage). Finally, I also plan on waxing the car once a week. This hopefully will prevent the sprinkler water from leaving "hard-water" stains all over my paint like it did to my current SUV.

Having said that, I'm also extremely interested in some sort of high-tech clear coat that has hydrophobic/anti-UV properties if any exist. I've briefly searched for one online but have only stumbled upon a product called Five Star Shine. Wish someone made a product like the following for cars. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7is6r6zXFDc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7is6r6zXFDchttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7is6r6zXFDc

Please comment if you have any insight to my dilemma. I'm sure some others out there might benefit from the tips as well.

After detailing the car once, I'd probably apply Opti Seal - check on Autopia.org for some info

Yep. Living in the high desert of California exposed to 350 days of sun, 115-120 degrees F in the summer (near zero humidity though), high winds blowing sand and dust clouds, any advice would be very helpful :w00t:

I would go out of my way to keep the lawn sprinkler water away from the car. That water is very hard and with the sun drying it on the surface you are asking for paint damage. Once a week waxing probably won't help much with the water spray.

If you could keep the car away from any water spray I think with the window tint and just a waxing every now and then the car will be OK.

If your HOA has bilaws against car covers, you may need to look into a lawyer because thats just retarded.

If you can't adjust the sprinkler, could you put a piece of plastic in the ground next to it, preventing water from spraying towards the car?

As for the car cover - can you approach the HOA first and ask permission? It's a new car driven daily, not some run down junker with flat tires. A form fitting car cover looks nice, not a blue tarp.

Also, I'm not sure I'd coat the windshield if you're putting a solar reflector on when you park anyways.

Not sure about your HOA, but mine allows car covers to be placed over cars as long as they aren't permanently parked for extended amount of time. My HOA is notorious for being the community gestapo and even they can bend a little if you are willing to be as well. I'm sure that if you contact you HOA first rather than waiting for them to hear about it from your pesky neighbors, then it will look better for your side. If your serious about being deligent about the care of the car, then just be prepared to cover/uncover everyday.

When it comes down to neighbors, fuck 'em. You have the right to protect your property from damage.

My one silver car got water spot damage from a sprinkler like that after only a couple of weeks of usage. And my cars are well taken care of and have lots of wax on them. It didn't help. It took a lot of polishing to get rid of those marks.

Get a car cover..

I would definitely try to rig something up to try to prevent the water from constantly hitting your vehicle.

if its a spray, can you just coat your rims and windshield with it?

Have you considered putting it in a boat/rv storage unit during the summer months?

Would this be okay if I have a roofed parking stall at my apt too? SoCal weather btw, so it never gets that bad.