Garage Doors and Your Car
Does your garage door actually keep your car safe, or does it just serve as a car barrier? Most people probably never contemplate this. Usually a door opens, the car drives in, and the door closes. However, garage doors and the way you treat your car affect how long your car lasts and how safe it is.
Leaving a car outside causes long-term damage. UV’s fade paint and a respray can cost hundreds when a car’s clear coat is damaged. Bird droppings and other debris can ruin paint when left for long periods of time. Seal and trim deterioration happens quicker when the temperature is not as constant and Garage doors with moderate temperatures also cause damage. Leaving a car outside eventually shows when you come to sell.
Leaving a car outside can also cause safety concerns when a car is a target for thieves. Most thieves search for things to steal and look in plain sight. However, a car they cannot see easily or isn’t easy for them to reach isn’t worth the risk because a garage door is a real barrier that keeps things safe.
Seeing if your door actually works
People will remember to use a garage door but forget to check on one. Set a reminder to test the auto-reverse system every month. Put a brick in the path of the closing door. A functioning reverse system means the door will fully reverse the moment it makes contact with the brick. Use the manual door latch in absence of a reverse system because that is a malfunctioning door, and a safety hazard.
Springs and cables need to be checked too. If gaps are showing in the coils or fraying & signs of rust are on cables, it’s best to call a professional. These components will be too dangerous for your DIY efforts for a weekend.
Weather stripping will eventually let moisture in which causes paint to rust and begins to corrode the stone. Stripping will lose its function in keeping moisture out and will begin to let in enough light to be noticeable. .
The door’s operation can be quiet and smooth with the help of a silicone-based spray that reduces strain on the motor. You should oil the door mechanisms once or twice a year.
Garage doors that are older than a decade may rely on easily hackable and copyable fixed remote codes. You should check to see if your door has a rolling code system because those newer than 10 years will have a random signal resetting system with each use. Most of the garage door openers being sold today will also have rolling code systems.
Emergency release cords, revealing a red handle, are often seen hanging by the motor. The older door designs leave gaps which, if done correctly, allow the user to stick a coat hanger through the gap to activate the emergency release. Although this may be a design flaw, it is easily remedied by a cheap cover.
The garage remote, and anything that acts as a remote, should never be left inside a car parked in the driveway. There is a risk that a remote left in the car will allow break-ins to both the garage and house if a window is broken. The garage remote should be with you at all times, or you should install a keypad entry.
The risks should be low enough that the cost of an entry is easily justified. Installing a simple driveway motion sensor should be enough to make most thieves and other opportunists think twice.
A keyless entry will be safe for the most part, as a locked garage will stop any relaying signals. Leaving your car in the driveway makes it a target, so using the garage instead is encouraged.
What the garage does to a car.
Having a garage shouldn’t make you feel like your car is safe. If you leave the door closed and the car locked, the exhaust fumes are now ventilated into the garage. The car should be ventilated first, and the door opened first, not after the car has been started.
Damp garages have their own set of problems. Warm air can sit on top of the cold metal body of the car causing rust to accumulate. It is the indoor version of outdoor dew with the wind absent to dry it. If airflow is limited, leaving the door opened for some time while parked helps with the flow of air.
Clutter is more of a danger than an inconvenience. Falling tools or shelves too close to the car can scratch and ding the paint more than one may think. It’s a good idea to decide what is really important to keep out there.
Is it worth the effort?
Cars stored in clean dry garages have a better condition over the years hence nets a slightly better selling price from £500 to £1000. Considering the insurance against theft, along with the time saved from not having to scrape ice in the winter, a properly maintained garage is worth every penny.