Storing the skyline outside?

[amnash]

same thing is starting to happen to my brakes. calipers are getting white oxidation and the rotors are starting to rust. any ideas?

[Snake556]

Rotors will get a layer of surface rust if you let it sit for a little while, I wouldn't be worried about that. Happens to brand new cars sitting on the lot. The oxidation, I'm not so sure about

[Oakville]

my compound at work has about 8 brand new stis sitting there, all of their brakes are RED with rust. theyve been sitting anywhere from a week to a month. very normal

[cobrAA]

HELP

I'm currently visiting my parents and I went to check the Skyline and, lo and behold, the engine bay was drenched. Everything that's unpainted has a flaky white powder oxidation.

WTH!? It's in a canopy with a indoors simoniz cover on.

Is there anything I can do? Look, I may be overreacting but I don't want to lose her

I'm sorry to tell you the bad news but your Skyline is showing a sad icons just like an ipod that the HDD died and no, there's nothing you can do to bring it back than to buy another one. Metal gonna start cracking and showing micro-cracks that once you boost will increase and there will be leak everywhere.

[Oakville]

Who's got farm land where I can store a whip!

[Snow]

HELP

I'm currently visiting my parents and I went to check the Skyline and, lo and behold, the engine bay was drenched. Everything that's unpainted has a flaky white powder oxidation.

WTH!? It's in a canopy with a indoors simoniz cover on.

Is there anything I can do? Look, I may be overreacting but I don't want to lose her

Gonna go with you're over-reacting. It's fine. The rust will clear off your rotors after one trip around the block, and the white flecks will practically wipe off with a dry cloth, or at the very least a mild cleaner/solvent (avoid strong stuff that will wear down/dry up hoses).

And of course filling the car and putting a tarp on it will be fine (Feelings Inside Not Expressed) but the steps I listed are not for the faint of heart who aren't worried about the little things, they are for the people who would like to take the time to do things right and completely thorough to the best of their abilities. To some, these steps are a must, to others they are a waste of time. If you walked up to any avid boater or enthusiast and asked if they'd ever skimp out on winterization of their boats you'd probably get an earful. To each their own.

For the love of god and/or Skylines please at least check you're coolant to water ratio (especially all of those outside the temperate Vancouver LowerMainland).

[MarusGTR]

I'm sorry to tell you the bad news but your Skyline is showing a sad icons just like an ipod that the HDD died and no, there's nothing you can do to bring it back than to buy another one. Metal gonna start cracking and showing micro-cracks that once you boost will increase and there will be leak everywhere.

Sarcasm ahoy? I hope.

Gonna go with you're over-reacting. It's fine. The rust will clear off your rotors after one trip around the block, and the white flecks will practically wipe off with a dry cloth, or at the very least a mild cleaner/solvent (avoid strong stuff that will wear down/dry up hoses).

And of course filling the car and putting a tarp on it will be fine (Feelings Inside Not Expressed) but the steps I listed are not for the faint of heart who aren't worried about the little things, they are for the people who would like to take the time to do things right and completely thorough to the best of their abilities. To some, these steps are a must, to others they are a waste of time. If you walked up to any avid boater or enthusiast and asked if they'd ever skimp out on winterization of their boats you'd probably get an earful. To each their own.

For the love of god and/or Skylines please at least check you're coolant to water ratio (especially all of those outside the temperate Vancouver LowerMainland).

Thanks. Thing is I thought everything was accounted for; the floor is thick plywood, the canopy's structure is nylon-rope strengthened and the cover was supposed to be breathable. The coolant is good. The oil that was on the dipstick was like molasses at first but the next dip was a normal consistence.

My enginebay was in great (stock) shape but now it looks like it came out straight of the bottom of the sea. The white oxidization is Magnesium oxide and Aluminium oxide. Elbow grease should get the most of it off but there's still the parts that you can't see, and I'm not sure what effect it could have on them. That and It's only been stored for two months now and there's still 2 seasons to go.

Anyway, yeah I'm overreacting but it's justified, for my own reasons. It's a huge emotional dent in my very busy weekend.

EDIT: Reading back your comment, I'm not too sure what you were implying; you meant that I'm faint of heart didn't take time to do things right? I did take a lot of preperation and everything was down to a T. It still ***ked up, that's why I freaked. Understandable no? And I wasn't the one asking about the rotors, I know it's gonna scrape off. I found it a little more worrisome to have the engine bay in this condition with the exposed electrical connections that could of oxidized, or seals that could of cracked, going in mr.satire's (cobrAA) tangent that boost could make the car go boom.

[quadracer111]

Or you can do as I did and sell the skyline and pick up one of these...

[MarusGTR]

Or you can do as I did and sell the skyline and pick up one of these...

Sweet! But the R32 has always been my dream car so no thanks. Isn't that generation rust prone? :P

[quadracer111]

Probably is, it is undercoated however.

I really don't want to winter drive it, there is not a single spec of rust anywhere, it could easily be sold as a brand new car inside and out, but it is only a car. I just picked it up yesterday... I miss the r32, but I will probably get a s-chassis soon to replace it.

[MarusGTR]

Probably is, it is undercoated however.

I really don't want to winter drive it, there is not a single spec of rust anywhere, it could easily be sold as a brand new car inside and out, but it is only a car. I just picked it up yesterday... I miss the r32, but I will probably get a s-chassis soon to replace it.

That's cool. For me though, I don't have a lot of cash and I'm a perfectionist so I'm very picky with cars. I know what I want and nothing else. I'm can sit in a car and immediately tell if it was made for me and feels right. It never was so true with the R32, which made the fact that I was dreaming about it and that it fits me so well even more awesome.

That's why I want the best for her but I'm limited on the budget so I make due with what I have for now.

Back on topic, which solvent can I use? While I was there and freaking out, WD-40 (which is a mild solvent) couldn't get the most stubborn oxidization to come off.

And you guys are positive the car is fine? I would hate to see oxidized electrical circuitry or micro-fractures.

[NismoS-tune]

Odd, an R32 was meant for you, but it's so tame and dated with a boring interior and happy body roll when a new Ford Taurus SHO will beat it all around which has better style, confort, technology, you name it.

[MarusGTR]

Odd, an R32 was meant for you, but it's so tame and dated with a boring interior and happy body roll when a new Ford Taurus SHO will beat it all around which has better style, confort, technology, you name it.

Boring and dated, just like me. Seriously, I love the car for it's utilitarian function and looks, especially inside. Frankly I find it sexy and very fitting with my conservative style. My friends agree we go well together. TBH I hate new most new cars.

I also take technology with a grain of salt. Strange coming from an engineer but I prefer the mechanical side of things.

So, whats the definitive word so that I can shelf this whole "OMG mah skylines is kaputz!" thing and focus on my work? Any of you guys deal with the same problem?

[DarkCaporaL]

The oxidation may be caused by the fact you live next to the sea. Salt water evaporates and gets all over the place.

If that's the case there's not much you can do except polish.

[MarusGTR]

The oxidation may be caused by the fact you live next to the sea. Salt water evaporates and gets all over the place.

If that's the case there's not much you can do except polish.

I'll buy a gallon of elbow grease next summer; thanks man.

BTW, final question: I remembered my comment about how the oil that had stagnated on the dipstick was really thick; was that caused by moisture contamination? It was still homogeneous in texture and color (dark brown with a gold hue, Mobil 1) so I dont think it was sludge or breakdown. My friend runs his own farm and he told me he's never come across oil that would thicken on the dipstick in cold weather.