I note that my question may be somewhat unique to where I reside - the Low Desert in California - so replies in regards the opposite (or cold climes) may also prove of interest (for those poor folks that are headed towards a frosty winter!).

I will also preface that my garage is both heated and air conditioned (which may seem to make my question "mute") but the truth is I am a bit of a miser and only run the system when I am in the garage - not for the delight of my vehicles that reside therein.

With all that said - my question stems from my "golf mate" who believes I should be running the a/c all the time as the extreme heat levels in the garage in summer "cannot be good for the Jaguar". I would speculate that interior garage temps are regularly + 110 degrees and could reach higher on very hot days and / or after the car has been out / driven.

Like all of you I am a bit nutty on maintaining the car - and I have started to lay awake thinking I am slowly "cooking" my XKR in an oven just because I am a bit too cheap to turn my system on.

Of course - same for those that may soon be deep freezing a Jag in months to come - and have perfectly good heaters sitting dormant.

Thoughts?

 

To answer your question with a question - is it comfortable enough to smoke a cigar in your garage comfortably?

With as little as an attic fan - the garage should be significantly cooler than the outside temps.

 

No... Not really. It can get darn hot in the garage in the summer. The backyard by the pool is the preferred cigar gathering spot. The garage is more the glass of port before calling it a night.

As for the ceiling or exhaust fan - that would be an option - but when it's 112 outside - to what avail? - I suppose.

 

110 is about 42 degrees in my language. My garage would get to that quite often in summer, it is quite stifling because there is only one window and the heat penetrates the thin metal of the panel lift doors (you can insulate them with thin strips of foam but I've never bothered). First, I'd say I don't think it is a problem for the car. I owned my first XF for 5 years plus and never had an issue, though I would say that it spends most of the day during the week under our office building which is a lot cooler. But I just installed a solar ventilation fan in the garage roof - it turns on at 23 degrees Celsius as long as there is sun about and it shifts something like 45m3 of air a minute (supposedly). So I've put a grate where the manhole cover was and this thing is happily sucking air straight out of the garage, which is improving circulation out of sight. If you stick your head in the roof void you can feel the air flow. But not much use where the air coming in to replace it is just as hot...


http://www.solarark.com.au/wp-conten...n-SolarArk.pdf

 

Not to discount the issue, but if the under hood temps reach nearly 200 deg f, why would 110 deg f in the garage be a big deal?

 

You're thinking the same way I was (And BTW - you're from a very similar / same climate zone). But as I have pondered / explored my buddies POV - the question / concern moves to areas not under hood. Ie: Paint, rubber door seals, leather, convertible fabric, tires, etc.

 

A ceiling fan + attic fan of some sort would move the air and you'd probably see a 25 degree difference. 80 is still hot but much more livable than 110. A couple fans would mean nothing to the utilities and attic fans can be solar powered for cheap.

 

The real killer of cars and especially the interior is the sun and UV rays. If your car is in a 110 degree garage it can only get to 110 degrees. Put it in the sun (lived in Arizona for 16 years) and watch everything bake. A closed car in the sun is deadly for people as well as leather and plastic.

 

If you're really concerned about it, what about a heat pump that uses the ground as a heat sink? They cost a lot less to run than a conventional aircon unit; they don't have the same chilling power, but they can knock a fair few degrees off the ambient temp.

 

I've lived in Columbus Ohio for 66 years. Summers here get into the mid 90s and winters often get to 0 or below. Having owned 30 cars, I've never had any car ever suffer any 'injury' as a result of the heat or cold. However, my 3-car garage is 'attached', well insulated and we obviously keep the doors down in the winter. I also have a natural gas, 100% efficient (and therefore vent-less) heater built into my garage, but more so that I can work on my cars when it's cold outside and to keep my collection of car care products safe from freezing. In the winter, I have it set to keep the garage between 50 and 55. As far as the cars themselves, I'm only worried about them when they are parked in direct sunlight where interior temps could reach 125+, not to mention the damage from the UV rays. But in your garage in California, I personally don't think you have anything to worry about.

 

Interesting read, to be fair, I can only imagine the issues with extreme heat, although I did experience 110+ in Dubai....wow!

My car for what its worth is never garaged and sits in the driveway, it experiences temps that range from the 90's high to minus 21c low in winter with no real issues.

probably the biggest issue from reading many threads here with those temps would be dash warping / lifting and headliner sagging

 

Your question reminded me of an old thread you may find interesting. It's a balance of humidity and temperature. https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...-garage-97301/