We have a black 07 XK and recently bought a zircon 06 S-Type. Both look new but only one of them gets to live in the garage and right now that's the XK. I figured black is more problematic in Florida's sun, particularly in summer. So the question is does anybody have a suggestion on how to maintain the S-Type so it can handle being outside year round?

 

You made the correct choice as far as the XK in concerned. As for the S Type perhaps you can rent a covered spot near work. A car cover is a PITA and of questionable value in Ft Liquordale

 

Some of the new thermal barrier window tint and a good sunshade for the windshield.

 

Park in the shade as much as possible. Our big oaks, maples, and poplars in our front and side areas do a great job of shading our vehicles in the spring/summer/early autumn whenever they are parked outside....

 

Yeah, I'm from Florida too and I do not have a garage. What I usually do is park underneath the shade of a tree. As well, the sunshade comes in handy.

Another thing which you can do is purchase a small car tent. Some of my neighbors use it. (Although, some neighborhoods have crazy rules against it...)

 

Thanks everybody, I've got the windows tinted and have a great sunscreen for the front windshield. Trouble is, where the car is parked on the driveway, there' really isn't good shade. I'm thinking if I wax or seal the paint often enough I'll be OK. Thoughts?

 

Yes, a good coat of wax and frequent cleaning of the rubber and metal exterior parts will help a lot.

 

And to help out the interior, keep the sunroof tilted up slightly to allow for at least some airflow.

 

Although a little air circulation would be good for the interior, in FL there are two reasons NOT to do that -- theft/vandals and rain/rain!

I suggest you get your windows tinted VERY dark -- limo tint is what some call it. Not only will you be more comfortable while driving, your interior will thank you. There is even a clear film you can put on the inside of your windshield to keep out the UV rays -- although I'm not sure of the legality of that product since it IS applied to the windshield so it might violate the rule about not putting tint lower than what they call the "A line."

 

Thanks everybody. I have the window tinted very dark and have a really good shade for the front window. As for the exterior, I figure wash once a week, wax once a month. Think that's good enough? Also I was wondering if sealant is better than wax under the circumstances. What do you think?

 

I've always just used wax on my cars that sit outside in FL -- just a thought, there's a detailing section on this site, you might pose that question to the "experts" over there.

The worst culprit for my cars that have spent time outside are the sprinkler systems that hit my car -- the one I have at my house is full of rust and can make my wheels and other parts of the car turn ugly colors. So, I'm very cautious when parking my car - I look for possible sprinkler overspray.

Right now I'm "babysitting" a relative's 2003 S-Type that has NEVER seen the inside of a garage since it was purchased new. It did sit under a covered parking structure (carport at a condo) until a couple years ago and now it sits outside. I have been working on getting things back to normal. The paint is generally in great shape, shiny and smooth. There is a bit of dullness on the roof, but the rest of the car is really nice. The wheels are in the worst shape, and I'm not sure I'll be able to restore them completely -- don't ignore your wheels! The chrome around the door windows, etc. have water spots that are slowly coming off, and the rubber strips around the doors are ok -- the rubber around the rear window is bad, but with a few applications of "Back to Black" it is starting to come around. The headlights were terrible, and after quite a bit of time, I've gotten them into "acceptable" condition but would like to see them get even better.

What I'm trying to say here is that even if you neglect your car like the owner of the S-Type that I have, the damage from the weather/sun will be minimal. If you keep up on it, you won't have any problems at all.

 

Thanks Mike, I'll try the detailing section. We don't have the sprinkler problem but the car is in the drive on the North side of the house and gets sun pretty much all day long. I hadn't thought about the rubber parts before but will start treating them as well. Thanks again.

 

FWIT The guy who details my garage kept car every 6 months swears by "glaze" instead of wax. He says wax will not hold up to the sub tropic sun. It works for me but that is the extent of my knowledge re Glaze.

 

I see a lot of these (or something similar) in my area. Do a Google search on "Portable Garage".

Portable Garages, Shelters and Tents at Discounted Prices!

 

I used that on my old XK8. I think it was #9 glaze followed by #26 wax. It did a great job but that car was always garaged. From what I've found online, sealant is supposed to offer longer protection. Maybe I'll try one then the other and see what holds up better.

 

That would work except for the local zoning rules here.

 

Too bad, chazaroo. Seems like a simple solution.

Please let us know your findings on glaze vs. sealant. Neither of my s-types are garaged and I'd like to keep them looking good as long as possible with whatever product works best. Thanks, Steve

 

I forgot to mention that the car that I was talking about is Zircon -- it's a great color for this FL sun!

 

Tints helped preserve my leather better (5% all around and 20% whole windshield) Reason why I tinted the front windshield was because on my 3.0 the front plastic clip cracked.
What I would do more often was wax constantly the roof!!!

Sorry guys I had to research glaze on cars, never heard of it

Working in Miami Beach I came across someone who told me they use liquid wrench around the carriage and hood to prevent rust and corrosion!!! (different topic I know) but came across my ahead, kinda of like wd-40

 

For my .02 cents, chazaroo, I would try real hard to block the suns rays from direct contact with the roof, hood and rear.

How? Well, in the past I have used cotton cladding material, like that used by furniture removers. It's soft, won't scratch and is sort of non-conducting for heat. Although I don't have your problem, I once did, and I have 2 pieces of cladding that sit nicely on the car, covers those critical areas (including windscreen, rear window and rubber seals at top of doors), and takes only a few seconds to put on and remove.

Only .02 cents worth, mark you, and better if the cladding was zircon-colored.