Why Your Car Needs a Garage

It’s common sense for most car lovers — keeping your car in a garage is the best way to protect it. Even though we all know this to be a fact of life, most people don’t know the real reasons behind putting our cars in a garage. It’s just always been done that way, so we continue the tradition. If you don’t have a garage, or you do and you’re using it for storage rather than cars, here are a few reasons your car needs a garage.

What Do You Need?

Do you need anything special for your garage? Other than a roof over your car and a good, sturdy door to keep out the elements, not really. A few things you should consider are:

• Heating and cooling. Do you live in a warm climate? Then garage cooling is probably a good idea, though it might be more beneficial to you than to your car. On the other hand, cold-climate garages should consider a garage heater to keep both you and your car warm.
• Is your garage full of, for lack of a better word, crap? Consider renting a storage unit for your stuff and making room in the garage. Or better yet, have a yard sale. Make some money you can put back into your car while clearing out a space to park.
• If you work on your car, then your garage is bound to be full of tools and equipment. Take some time to organize them, or invest in a good tool bench to hold your tools.
• Your door. How long has it been since you really took a look at your garage door? Is it opening and closing like it’s supposed to? If not, consider replacing the torsion springs to give it a bit more sturdiness.

A Word to the Weather Wise

People who live in colder climates know the havoc weather can wreak on a car — salt from icy roads causes the undercarriage to rust, and muddy slush damages paint. Cars in warm climates might not have to face salted roads, but there are plenty of weather woes for you to worry about as well.

Hail, for example, can spring up during nearly any bad thunderstorm, breaking windows and leaving dents on your car’s perfectly polished exterior. Plus, the strong winds that accompany these storms can knock branches or even whole trees down onto your car, causing massive amounts of damage or totaling the entire car.

Protecting Your Car From People

One of the biggest risks to your car if it’s parked outside comes from other human beings. While accidents do happen, if you park your car on the street or even in your own driveway, it’s at risk of being clipped by a reckless driver.

By that same token, a car out of doors is at risk for vandalism and theft. If your car is locked away in a garage, a thief will likely pass it by in favor of an unsecured car further down the block. This is also why car thefts are so common in cities and other highly populated areas. Fewer cars are kept in garages, and it’s easier for a thief to get lost in traffic behind the wheel of your car.

Be Kind to Your Wallet

If you don’t already have a garage, adding one to your home might seem like an enormous investment, but it can actually save you quite a bit of money in the long run. In addition to protecting your car and cutting down on the need for repair work, most insurance companies will reduce your premiums if you park in a private garage. If you drive a sporty car or something that has higher premiums, this can be a great way to cut your insurance bill back.

Also, it doesn’t matter if the garage is yours or you’re paying rent to someone to park your car in another garage — as long as the car is covered, so are you.

Toss Your Ice Scraper

There is literally nothing worse than getting up early and heading out the door to get your day started, only to find that your windshield is a solid block of ice. Normally, you’d have to scrape it before you could go anywhere, because visibility is important. If you had parked in a garage, you wouldn’t have to worry about scraping away the ice, because there wouldn’t be any.

This doesn’t prevent your drive way from filling up with snow, but it does reduce the number of chores you’ll need to do to get on your way.

A garage is probably the best thing that you can buy for your car. If you’ve already got one, then clean it out and use it for your car. If you’ve already got your car in a garage, good for you. Why are you still reading this? Go enjoy that awesome car of yours.