Hi, I am a freshman at college and I had to leave my baby at home. It's a 04 TL and it only has 8,000 miles on it! I wanted to bring my car, but I go to school in Illinois and I live in Oregon. Also, another problem I have is, not being able to garage my car. I admit, my dad paid for half of this car and that's why I want to respect it. It was a huge gift to me after my car accident and I really want to make sure I keep it in the best condition possible because I love the car and it has sentimental value. The problem here is that it frequently snows here and ices over and therefore there's always salt on the ground or massive amounts of snow coming down. Can anyone who doesn't garage there car tell me how I should go about protecting my car as much as possible in this kind of weather? Illinois winters are pretty severe. I want to use my car instead of letting it waste away at home. It's about a 2,500 mile drive here and it will add a lot of miles, but I'd rather add miles than let it sit at home and do nothing.

Please let me know what you think.

 

i would say that it's better to add more miles, than leave it sitting at home. i may get flamed for this, but here's my take.

it's a honda. its a passenger car. it's meant to be driven. if you take care of it, it'll last 100,000 miles. you're really just doing yourself a disservice by not driving it, and thinking that youre "respecting" it more by letting it sit.

i used to have an integra with about $30K in modifications done to it. i didnt drive her during the winter, b/c i thought "it was worth taking care of." whatever. i should have driven it more, and enjoyed it.

i think you should do the same.

 

Damn.... that sucks.

How long are you gonna be away?

I live in Cali now, but I used to live in Lorain, OH (Next to Cleveland)
and winters there are very harsh.

I would say if you are gonna be there for 3-4 years, take the car with you.

Why did you go to IL for school, did you get a full scholarship or justa better school there for your major?

Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

I personally wouldn't let my TL sit out, but lots of people let more expensive cars sit out every day. Heck, I won't even drive it in snow or ice...but considering how few days of that we get here, I can get away with it...being up north doesn't leave you much choice. Wax it really good, take it to IL, and rinse it off once a week or so...there's a whole other thread about this somewhere (saw it recently). That and check the Wash and Wax forum.

 

I go to the University of Illinois. I got a scholarship for the honors program here, but I didn't actually plan on going here. I was going to play football for another school, but I tore my ACL.

 

dude, i live in chicago....and i drive my TL everyday....and park it outside.

heck, i just got out of it right now, from going to lunch.

whats the point of having your car sitting in Oregon, doing nothing?

ice and snow are no problem....get a car wash...speaking of which, i need one.

 

^ Do you use a car cover or anything?

 

I concur with the above. I live in Indy where we have moderate winters and drive my TL frequently and let it sit outside, from time to time, when I'm not driving it. I have a covered, below ground parking garage at work and a covered outside parking garage at home. Also, street parking/surface parking at both places.

I do not use a car cover on my TL; however, I did use one on my old Vert Saab but only if I was going to leave it in the work parking garage for a prolonged period of time - dust/dirt protection.

IMO, a cover in the winter would be a hassle.

Drive it. Park it in safe places (not under a tree or right on top of an old beater car) and you'll be fine.

 

Maybe they have come up with better materials but back before I had access to a garage I was using a cover, I always had to be real careful about having the vehicle clean prior to using a cover. Otherwise the fabric would end up damaging the finish by rubbing the dirt, etc. into the finish. When I was leaving the vehicle for long periods it was a workable solution but too much of a PITA for short durations. my $.02

 

Are you in Chicago or Champaign?
If you are in either place you should be able to find parking, for a price. I know that in Champaign there are plenty of apartments that have garages.

I personally drive my TL aspec in the Chicago winter, because I dont have to. If I didnt have another car I would have and I would have not covered it if it were outside. (Too much work )

 

Do you live on campus? Dorm parking is rough on any car. Never mind the weather. Just try to find were the nice cars tend to park in the dorm parking lot.

I would take the car to IL and enjoy it. You can benefit from the front wheel drive of the TL in the snow/ice conditions. I am sure part of your parent's decision to pay for half the price of the TL was to put you in a car with a good safety record.