Right now my XKR is my daily driver. I just want to know if anyone drives their car in the rain with the vents we have. Has anyone had any issues with water getting to the engine?

 

Rain won't be a issue

 

The car was designed in the UK and we do have the odd spot of rain here!

 

Drive away and enjoy!

 

your car looks really beautiful in silver (and a coupe too!) lossking

anyway I share your concern - I still do not take my car through any high pressure wash for fear of shock cooling the engine having high pressure water blowing into those vents with a very hot engine under the hood. But other than that I think you'll be ok with a normal rain storm.

Enjoy the car!

 

Maybelene
Chuck Berry


Maybellene, why can't you be true
Oh Maybellene, why can't you be true
You've started back doin' the things you used to do
As I was motivatin' over the hill
I saw Mabellene in a Coup de Ville
A Cadillac arollin' on the open road
Nothin' will outrun my V8 Ford
The Cadillac doin' about ninety-five
She's bumper to bumper, rollin' side by side
Maybellene
Why can't you be true
Oh Maybellene, why can't you be true
You've started back doin' the things you used to do
The Cadillac pulled up ahead of the Ford
The Ford got hot and wouldn't do no more
It then got cloudy and started to rain
I tooted my horn for a passin' lane
The rainwater blowin' all under my hood
I know that I was doin' my motor good
Maybellene
Why can't you be true
Oh Maybellene,… Full lyrics on Google Play Music




Stu

 

My '03 XKR has the aftermarket Adamesh screens that were installed prior to my ownership. If you want to talk about water getting through and directly on the engine, you cannot get more close, other than removing the vents altogether. However, the sheer volume of heat that is dissipated by these screens is enormous. I was a bit ticked off that it did not have the factory vents, and the price of replacing them with factory vents is prohibitive enough in itself, but the after market screens seem to do a better job of dissipating heat from the engine bay.

I do not know how the previous owners handled the vehicle care, but looking at the motor and electrical connectors in that area of the car had me concerned from the 'get-go' about detergents, waxes, etc on the hot engine components, as the Vehicle Care Manual states to wash it after the engine has cooled down; not so easy at a Car-wash. The lack of any discoloration and water spots, due to detergents on the hot engine's metal plumbing led me to believe the previous owners had come up with a solution for keeping the water out, and before I washed my car for the first time, I came up with one as well.

I found these packages of 'no-heat' plastic laminating sheets for paper documents and bought the 'Legal Document' sized sheets that are ~8.5" X 17.5", split these in half, trimmed to an oval, and stuck one to each vent to keep the water completely out of the engine bay. They have slightly more hold than 'Post-it' notes, and the glue they use leaves no residue, and are easily removed after cleaning the car and discarded into the trash bin. As the 'no-heat' laminating sheets are a bit spendy for a five pack, I have always been on the look for something cheaper and easier to use, and found it in the Carpet and Tile section of Home Depot. They sell rolls of plastic wrap that has adhesive on one side, and are perforated to easily dispense. These thicker plastic wraps w/adhesive, are used to protect the carpeting in peoples homes when Contractors are working, to keep paint, and dirt off of the carpet or hard wood floors, pulled up after done and thrown out; so I bought a roll of this, and it works even better than the laminate sheets, and is much easier to work with.

Basically, I will wash all the paint off the car, before I even get through one roll of these pre-sized, perforated sheets of sticky plastic wrap barrier. It also works anywhere you may have water entering the car, like the seal between the rear half-glass windows and the front windows. I apply them at these points as well, because water does get in through the gap there, especially high pressure water.

 

I appreciate all your replies! Thank you!