The "calm" before the rust belt storm...

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Originally Posted by Buzzinhalfdozen
Originally Posted by Railrust
Anyone else trying to hold on to that last bit of sunlight and preparing their vehicles for 6 months of torture? Would love to hear some winterizing techniques and winter commuting horror stories.


I once drove 14 hrs on a trip that normally took 8 through multiple blizzards and never left Michigan.

That's awful, and I know how you feel...did that once driving from Washington to NH...hit a snow storm in Connecticut, another in Massachusetts...then finished it off with one more in New Hampshire, before pulling into my driveway that had two feet of snow in it (that I had to snow blow after that 14 hour, edge of my seat ride). Fun!
 
Originally Posted by eljefino
Originally Posted by Onetor
Out of curiosity, why don't people use their garages? I'm not in the NE at this time.....ignorance on my part...but, I certainly understand the lack of sun. Pacific NW living is interesting.....


Wife uses the garage, and every time she goes in she brings 1/2 gallon of "car water" that was slush stuck in the fenders and rocker area.

Only luxury is not having to scrape frost or snow off. Doesn't help the car any, and may hurt it by keeping it warmer (closer to freezing) and more humid.


Yeah I've read that letting the car defrost and melt away ice in the garage is actually worse for it...accelerates the activation of the road salt into the metal.
 
over 10 years in salty + NO rust on my fully galvanized body panels or anything else on my traded 200 thou mile VW jetta!! not a fan of winter but easier being retired now. i dont like extreme heat or humidity but it is what is or RELOCATE, easier said than done for sure $$$$$$, job-family-job etc
 
Just put into service the 2019 JGC and the 2019 RAV4 Hybrid.

Winter prep as follows...

Bought Studded Hakka 9s for both, with OE steel wheels for both
https://www.nokiantires.com/winter-tires/nokian-hakkapeliitta-9/

Had Krown rust control applied to both vehicles
https://www.krown.com/en/

Had PPF applied to front fascia/bumper, full hood, A pillars, bother front fenders, mirrors, in front of sun roofs - both vehicles
Used this on the 2016 KIA and it still looks perfect
https://www.suntekfilms.com/paintprotection/ppf-c.aspx

Both vehicles are parked inside in the garage

Snowbrush / scraper ready

Driving habit check on first snow/ice.

Drive as defensibly as possible.....

As ready as I am going to get.
 
We buy new and keep the ones we like 10 years then give them to family. Wifes car gets the unheated garage my 95 GMC gets oiled and waxed about this time and has no rust. The 77 shortbed gets put up for 6 months of misery. Spent February last year in FL but wife missed home. Now that we are retired we can pick and choose when to go out.
 
I see a few folks claim that they don't like the heat and humidity. But it's not all that bad once you're used to it, and it doesn't destroy cars and trucks.

On the other hand I'll be driving the 442 in January with the top down enjoying the 70 degree days. And I'll enjoy the pool in October and November. If I toss the solar cover on I'll enjoy it in January, February and March. In November and December we'll spend a few days at the condo in Orange Beach and enjoy the beaches of the Gulf.

Seems a pretty fair trade off for a bit of sweat in the summer months.
 
The same can be said for the winter cold and snow, once you're used to it. It's really personal preference and choice. I love ice fishing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, skiing (both types). Staying active in the winter is key to enjoying it. Spring opening trout season and morels are hard to beat. Summer on the Lake Michigan beaches is as close to ocean front experience one can get in the midwest. The fall color change, harvesting the final garden crops, and the November deer hunt on a crispy morning... priceless.
 
My wife puts it this way: she'd rather live in a cardboard box under a bridge here in northern Az than move back to NW Pa were we were born and lived for the first 48 years. I agree. Cars that don't slowly self-destruct is one reason. You can own a car for 20 years if you choose and never put a wrench on a rusty bolt. Not for everyone but for us the likes far outweigh the dislikes.
 
Might be buying a family member's cheap, zero-rust Trailblazer soon and will swap in a rear axle with a locker, plus new winter tires.

I do Fluid Film in the door and body cavities but am switching to just spraying fasteners on the underside. Spraying everything makes too much of a mess. I just swapped springs/dampeners on my Fluid Film coated Focus and it was a slimey mess - although not a trace of rust on coated surfaces.
 
I keep hearing "new cars don't rust". Living in rural northern Minnesota, I say non-sense.

Here's a 2013 (at the OLDEST) Nissan Altima I saw a few weeks ago. Trunk lid starting to rust significantly.

Also recently saw a 4th gen Subaru Forester (2014 Model at the oldest) with rust and bubbling paint on a rear wheel arch (I only could see one side, so maybe they both were rusting).

[Linked Image]
 
Lived in Idyllic Coastal California weather most of my life, then went to school in central California where it got up to 110 in the summer. Live in Michigan now. While I don't like the extreme cold, I'd rather take it then the heat and especially the humidity. Winter, you can bundle up. Heat, the only thing you can do is go swimming, but how often would I be doing that? I can tolerate extreme dry heat, but humidity just feels absolutely torturous to me. Sticky sweat and stubbornly warm nights keep me away from the south.

The only thing I hate about winter is driving. Walking in it, playing in it, snowboarding in it, snow is not a terrible thing. But yes, I could not live up here sanely without a winter beater.
 
like others , I can't stand the thought of another winter..64 years of them, the road dept. around here is salt happy a few flurries coming down , they salt the crap out of the roads... wife has one more year then she retires, I've been retired for 2 years now and we are planning a move down south somewhere when she retires or possibly to Arizona , wife has relatives out there, if I don't see the cold and snow for the rest of my days , it's ok with me
 
Originally Posted by AZjeff
My wife puts it this way: she'd rather live in a cardboard box under a bridge here in northern Az than move back to NW Pa were we were born and lived for the first 48 years. I agree. Cars that don't slowly self-destruct is one reason. You can own a car for 20 years if you choose and never put a wrench on a rusty bolt. Not for everyone but for us the likes far outweigh the dislikes.

I'm the same way. And if you figure new vehicles at close to $50K a pop, along with how fast the rust belt turns them into junk, what you save by not having to buy new cars every few years will more than pay for any relocation costs.
 
Originally Posted by E365
I keep hearing "new cars don't rust". Living in rural northern Minnesota, I say non-sense.

Here's a 2013 (at the OLDEST) Nissan Altima I saw a few weeks ago. Trunk lid starting to rust significantly.

[Linked Image]



That's actually pretty common on Nissans because of how they're assembled. That chrome trim piece (Nissan calls a finisher) digs into the paint causing rust. Had it happen on our 2016 Nissan Quest when it was barely 2 yrs old. Nissan covered over 90% of the repair cost which included putting 3M protective tape behind the finisher.
 
Originally Posted by Danno
Just put into service the 2019 JGC and the 2019 RAV4 Hybrid.

Winter prep as follows...

Bought Studded Hakka 9s for both, with OE steel wheels for both
https://www.nokiantires.com/winter-tires/nokian-hakkapeliitta-9/

Had Krown rust control applied to both vehicles
https://www.krown.com/en/

Had PPF applied to front fascia/bumper, full hood, A pillars, bother front fenders, mirrors, in front of sun roofs - both vehicles
Used this on the 2016 KIA and it still looks perfect
https://www.suntekfilms.com/paintprotection/ppf-c.aspx

Both vehicles are parked inside in the garage

Snowbrush / scraper ready

Driving habit check on first snow/ice.

Drive as defensibly as possible.....

As ready as I am going to get.



Always wanted to try the Krown rust proofing, it's just not readily available in my area. I guess I could order it and spray it on, but I already have a five gallon bucket of Fluid Film. My lord does a five gallon bucket last a long long time! I've barely put a dent into it after doing my truck three times, plus a couple of my friends.

I've never tried a paint protection option...always thought they were pretty expensive and wasn't sure if it was worth it (I've seen some of these things look worse than worn and chipped paint after some time). So I never did it...be tough to apply something on my truck anyway...it's mostly grill and bumper in the front.

One thing I despise....I despise the scraping...the ice. I might try a spray bottle with an ice preventing windshield washing fluid in it to kind of loosen things up this year. I've heard it helps a bit.
 
Originally Posted by benjy
over 10 years in salty + NO rust on my fully galvanized body panels or anything else on my traded 200 thou mile VW jetta!! not a fan of winter but easier being retired now. i dont like extreme heat or humidity but it is what is or RELOCATE, easier said than done for sure $$$$$$, job-family-job etc


I was thinking about the relocating thing...it'd be real tough. Kids in school, have a nice job, wife does too...family in town, friends. Be tough to do, but it does cross my mind.

Last year I was in San Antonio Texas for a week for work...it was early December. It was 3:30 and I face time my son back home...it's pitch dark where he is...meanwhile I'm sitting there at the Alamo, it's 75 degrees, little birds and squirrels are running around...sun on my face...drink in hand. Right then I thought...I'm crazy to live up in New England. This is no way to live. I mean there's so much sun and happiness to be had all year long. Why do I have to live indoors 6 months out of the year in darkness and freezing painful cold? I know I'm exaggerating a little bit but I'm not that far off when you see how the other half lives. And you should see these cars and trucks down there! There's no rust! There's people driving around in 20 year old vehicles like it's nothing! They look brand new! 300,000 miles on these cars and they're putting an engine in them because "it's cheaper than buying a new one, the body is fine". I'm like, what??!! A new engine in a 300,000 mile car? My subframe would have holes the size of my fist if I tried to do that where I live. The pinch welds would be rotted into the doors. The suspension would be falling out of the car because the supports rusted right off the car. The engine mounts would have to be rewelded to the frame - if there was a frame to weld it to - every nut and bolt on that car would need a torch taken to it to loosen it up. These people don't even use torches, there's no need...they don't spray WD-40 down there...they don't even know what it is! Haha. Turning on the heat? Rear window defroster? What's that???
 
Originally Posted by E365
Might be buying a family member's cheap, zero-rust Trailblazer soon and will swap in a rear axle with a locker, plus new winter tires.

I do Fluid Film in the door and body cavities but am switching to just spraying fasteners on the underside. Spraying everything makes too much of a mess. I just swapped springs/dampeners on my Fluid Film coated Focus and it was a slimey mess - although not a trace of rust on coated surfaces.



The Fluid Film does make things a mess underneath, it's even worse when dealing with a GM truck because they use frame wax, and that stuff is absolutely nasty...you get it all over you. I'm certain that the wax is seriously detrimental to your health. The fluid Film makes it worse because the wax gets tacky. I'd hate to be a GM Tech at a dealer, you'd get this stuff all over you. My truck is only a year old so luckily I don't have to do anything but fluid changes, but even then I can't help but get it all over my arms.

I find the Fluid Film does a decent job, however it does wash off rather easily, so I apply it twice a year. And I do some touch up with white lithium grease on spots that are high traffic areas where the fluid Film gets worn off quickly, it tends to stick a little better/longer.
 
Originally Posted by Kurtatron
Lived in Idyllic Coastal California weather most of my life, then went to school in central California where it got up to 110 in the summer. Live in Michigan now. While I don't like the extreme cold, I'd rather take it then the heat and especially the humidity. Winter, you can bundle up. Heat, the only thing you can do is go swimming, but how often would I be doing that? I can tolerate extreme dry heat, but humidity just feels absolutely torturous to me. Sticky sweat and stubbornly warm nights keep me away from the south.

The only thing I hate about winter is driving. Walking in it, playing in it, snowboarding in it, snow is not a terrible thing. But yes, I could not live up here sanely without a winter beater.


Humidity is terrible, you're right, I think however I'd put up with it for two months out of the year opposed to some of the weather we get up here six months out of the year. I imagine air conditioning goes a long way in the summer (and a pool).

One thing to consider...summers aren't exactly a cake walk in New England either, I mean my central air conditioning is on from June until September, easily, all of the time. July is brutal. August is brutal. Half of June is either raining or brutal. And the first two weeks in September are pretty darn humid nowadays, especially the last two years (this year hasn't been bad), but this past July was BRUTAL. And last summer we had over 22 days above 90 (it was a record).

There are some things I really like about the fall...football, food, cooler weather, leaves. But then it gets dark quick, and COLD. November rolls around and everything is dead...every leaf is gone, grass is dead, sky is gray for the next three months. It's getting dark by 3:30...youdrive to work and it's dark...you drive home and it's dark. You feel like you never see the light of day. You step outside your door and a gust of wind takes your breath away and blasts snow right in your face. Your sinuses dry up. Everyone is sick. Flu, sinus infections. Waiting room at the doctors office is packed. Then spring comes and it rains till June, then you go outside and it's 90...what happened to spring? Don't we get a spring anymore? Did they take that away? Did they send a letter? Factory recall notice? What happened to it? Lol.

Honestly you're right though, there are some good things about fall and even winter - I guess I'm finding those things to be few and far between - and spring used to be my favorite but something happened up here with global warming or something...it's like it's gone, it's now monsoon season instead. Then summer rolls in. I do mountain bike in the winter...keeps me sane...although people think I'm insane for doing it....sometimes I wonder if they're right. Lol.
 
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Originally Posted by Onetor
Out of curiosity, why don't people use their garages? I'm not in the NE at this time.....ignorance on my part...but, I certainly understand the lack of sun. Pacific NW living is interesting.....

Winters here you go to work in the dark and go home in the dark..if you don't get outside for lunch you're nuts!...‚
 
I am 72 years old I have lived in northen new York all my life.the winters are brutal.
but when I think of the poor people this year who went through these terrible storms
I thank god when I wake up in the morning my house is sitting where it was went to
bed and the roof is still on just a ton of snow to move.
 
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