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MG TD TF 1500 - Tucked In Bed

I know its stupid to post this picture when its still 80+ degrees in Calif and many of you are still actively driving but ...

I actually keep my car in this bubble year round as it only takes less than 2 minutes to unzip it. I have it hooked to a sensor on the garage door next to it so it only inflates when that door is open.

Prior to this the mice had their day in my car and it was always getting dusty and drying out. Now its as pristine when I unzip it as it was when I tucked it away. Any it keeps people from 'accidentally' bumping into the car and damaging things which happened often. I leave the car cover on for sun protection.

My wife got it for me for Christmas a few years ago by request but even she says its one of the greatest things for the car we have bought. I think its because she has to spend less time cleaning the car :-)

Christopher Couper

Pretty neat, Christopher. May I ask how much it was, and how exactly does it 'unzip'? Like a zip-loc bag?
Kevin McLemore

Chris,
I too went this rout for the winter but there are a few things to consider.
You have to put the car away when the weather is warm, as the plastic gets really stiff when it gets colder. Opening the zipper when it is really cold is a trip and the plastic is almost brittle. I remove the battery to save it freezing So starting the car through the winter is a lot of work and it is normally very cold work at that.
To heat the garage is not an option as the cost up here in Maine is out there.
The good thing is the mice have yet to figure a way to get in it. Dust is no longer an issue. It is protected from accidental bumps and knocks. Any oil drips don't get on the concrete floor.
The thing that is missing I feel, is a bucket of Cilia Gel to absorb the moisture, positioned where the air is blows in. I would feel a little more comfortable knowing the air in there was dry and that condensation would not form.
I am toying with the idea of just leaving it out this year and starting it every week to run the engine. Just not sure what -20F will do to the battery. I could always leave the Battery Tender on I guess. Of cause I will fill two Tupperware pans with moth balls for the inside and put her up on jack stands till the snow has gone.
ļ
Rod



Rod Jones

Its called a CarCapsule

CarCapsule CC14 - Indoor Bubble Car Cover (14' L x 78" W x 68" H)

I think I paid $350 for it a number of years ago from Moss but if you search the net and eBay you can get it now for around $330.

I don't have the issues Rod has as it rarely gets to freezing at my house, especially in the garage.

Rod: What about a light bulb inside the cover for the really cold days/nights? There really is not much air flow. I think the fan just keeps it pressurized. A 100 watt bulb may keep it above freezing.
Christopher Couper

I have used this product for my Harley since 2000 and got one for the TF.

http://www.zerustproducts.com/automobiles/

Living in New England where we have winters that have temperatures fluctuate constantly it is important to have at least a vapor barrier between the concrete / dirt floor under your car. If a cover isn't your thing, lay down some thick mil plastic on the floor, cover the vehicle with blankets, and a lay under the vehicle a light bulb like Chris mentioned that will generate low levels of heat to help keep moisture at bay. A box of moth balls too help to keep away the critters.

Rod - I wouldn't start the car periodically during the winter. I would just winterize it by changing all the fluids, put Marine Stabil in the gas and run it so it is circulated in your carburetors, and put a battery tender on the battery. Starting it in cold weather would cause more harm than good. If you still want to, you must make sure the operating temperature of the car is nice and HOT so all the moisture is burnt off inside the engine. If you don't, what you have is water inside the engine. That's not good.

I also have use the vapor capsule for my gun safe with good results from this company and I use a golden rod (think light bulb) and my firearms are pristine.

Frank



Frank Cronin

Rod, when I lived in Maine I was driving a '65 TR-4A. I drove it all winter so I avoided many of the issues you face with winter storage but here's how I could make sure that it would more often than not start in the morning: (1) heated dipstick, (2) electric blanket under the bonnet [we called it the hood]over the engine, (3) 100 watt light bulb in the engine compatment. This worked about 80% of the time. I was young, Uncle Sam's Air Force was paying the utility bills and the TR-4A was newer and less valuable than your TD. Skis on the luggage rack, top down and off to Big Squaw Mountain to ski over freshly fallen snow. Life was good (still is for that matter). Jud
J K Chapin

Frank: I did a poor mans version of what you talked about for years. I laid the plastic down and got a big enough piece (10x14?) that there was about 2 feet all around extra. I then put the car cover on and rolled the plastic and the car cover together and clipped it with clothes pins basically creating a cocoon for the car.

This was a pain in the neck (well other places) and took about 15 minutes to set up but it was just for winter storage so no big deal. But it essentially ended my winter driving because it was such a hassle to undue and set up.

With the new bubble, it just takes a few minutes to zip it up and even less to unzip it so the car actually gets out on the warmer days and I am not as 'season' bound as I am weather bound.
Christopher Couper

Thanks Gents on the heads up on a 100 watt bulb - An easy way to help keep the old girl a little warmer this winter. I will fabricate something to do that and fix up the battery tender as well.
Until coming to Maine I was using the car all winter long, as in Germany the Temps were not a cold as here. Never really had a problem with winter and there was not that much salt on the roads either.
Following your advice, I will just winterize the TD, pop her in the capsule and wait till spring.
Thanks
Rod
Rod Jones

Rod,
IMHO, don't bother withthe moth balls,, I had a problem with mice in the engine air intake of an old Bolems tractor,, I hung a mash bag of moth balls in there, and the damn mice built their nest right next to it!!! Didn't bother them a bit!!!

SPW
Steve Wincze

Neat product. I imagine if you use it in a cold climate you can always run a little heater in there for ten minutes to warm the car and the bubble up in order to not crack the zipper or plastic!

My problem is that I think the plastic might degrade in sunlight, and I keep my MG in our carport. The carport is mostly shaded (I use a couple of bamboo blinde) but still gets some sun exposure. The MG is always covered so the sun won't damage the car, but the bubble would not be covered.... so I think I'm better off just with the standard car cover. But I envy the fact that when you take it off, the car is pristine inside, my MG is always picking up dust....
Geoffrey M Baker

Geoff: I bet you could get 10 years out of it before it degrades to the point it becomes brittle etc. so factor that into your value assessment.

And I keep my car cover on underneath because there is light coming in from south and western windows. In fact everything I buy (tonneaus and car covers) seems to shrink dramatically so I pull the cover over the south and western parts and which leaves the north and east partially uncovered.
Christopher Couper

I have had some good luck using "Fresh Cab Rodent Repellent". Maybe just lucky but it did work last year on two cars. It has somewhat of a cedar smell.

Bill
TD24570
Bill Brown

Yet another solution to the rodent problem, also no problem with condensation. Pretty cheap to build as well.
Neil TD/C 15185

N.W. Dwyer

Thought I'd just pass this along
By chance I found and read the instructions that came with my CarCapsuale.
In the Do's and Don’ts it says:-

Do leave the windows half or all the way down.
DO to leave the convertible top up.
DO NOT use another car cover inside the capsule? It will trap moisture?
DO NOT place a heat source inside the capsule. Not even a light bulb.
DO NOT use the CarCapsuale outside.

I guess I will just winterize the TD and leave it till spring.

I renewed the antifreeze.
Filled tank with 93oct petrol and added bottle of stable. - Two weeks ago to mix it well.
Put two or three good squirts of 20/50 oil in each cylinder and ran the starter for 10 sec’s Engine Oil is new. Rear axle oil is new.
[By the way - don't let "Her indoors" stand on the plug side of the car when you do this. Ask me how I know? Grin]
Replace plugs.
Removed the battery.
Vacuum garage floor and put car in capsule - before it gets too cold and it becomes brittle.

Wait for Spring - hopefully before June 2015.

Rod.



Rod Jones

Hmm. I think that car cover reference is ones that are waterproof. I use a simple breathable cotton with no water proofing.

I suspect the heat source is a potential melting issue which they might worry about a fire and liability.

The outside is probably not a great idea if wind or snow could be a potential.
Christopher Couper

One more thing to think about as far as Winter Storage and mice are concerned,,, They like dark places,,, and a cover provides them with a lot of dark places inside the interior, and engine compartment,,,,

After a lot of indications of mice in various places in our TD after covered Winter Storage, I left it uncovered one Winter, with the bonnet sides open and the side curtain compartment empty and open,, and the mice problems in the car went away,, Yes it was a bit dusty in the Spring, but that was a lot easier to take care of compared to what the mice could do,,

I tried all of the old wives tails about Anti-mouse stuff to use and none seemed to work,, poisons are out of the question 'cause a poisoned mouse can be consumed by an Owl or Hawk,,,

SPW
Steve Wincze

This thread was discussed between 11/10/2014 and 18/10/2014

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