7 Critical Reasons Why You Need Our Classic Car Storage Facility
Do you have a classic car that you cherish and want to keep as new as possible? Gateway Storage has a car storage facility that will exceed your expectations.
Most people think that contracting a storage facility for their vehicle is only for the wealthy. However, nothing could be further from the truth. For a reasonable price, Gateway Storage will keep your sweet ride in mint condition, removing all the usual hassles associated with automobile storage.
If you are riding the fence on whether or not you need our services, this page will provide you with all the information you need to make a rational decision about choosing our classic car storage facility.
Why Our Car Storage Facility Is Crucial to Your Classic
Keeping a classic car in pristine condition is not as easy as most people think. Believe it or not, most or an automobile’s deterioration occurs when it sits idle for long periods. Vehicles that sit in driveways, garages, and other uncontrolled environments are wide-open to all kinds of risks.
And without a regulated area for your vehicle to sit in, it’s almost impossible to keep it in great shape. Below are some of the top reasons why you need the services of our professional storage facility to keep your baby in excellent condition.
Winters Can Be Brutal on Classics
You already know that the risks of letting your car sit in a driveway or personal garage are high during cold months. Even though we’re in the bluegrass region of the country, winter can still kick your cherished automobile to the curb.
If your classic isn’t in a controlled environment, battery engine damage can occur from low temperatures. Uncontrolled cooling and heating can make electronic parts brittle over time, and any brand of rubber or plastic materials can crack under temperature stress.
Batteries also suffer under extreme temperatures. Most people think that winter is the only enemy of a car battery, but high temperatures can reduce its life too. If you have to replace a battery for your classic auto, it can run you $221 or more for a good one.
And let us not forget the damage to wipers and other exterior parts that are vital to driving. The price of replacing those parts add up and can be staggering over time.
Paint Damage Due to Temperature Changes
As you already know, the paint is an important feature of the value of your car. However, owners often overlook the other important benefits of an automobile’s coating.
For one thing, it can protect the chassis from rusting, excessive damage from small dents, and a host of other issues.
One of the biggest problems with keeping a classic vehicle in superb condition is paint maintenance. If you leave your ride in a cold area, paint bubbling can occur. This condition can result when temperatures are low, and the mid-layer of the paint becomes corrupted.
Heat is no friend of your automobile either. If you leave your car in direct sunlight for an extended period, it will fade prematurely and reduce the hue in the pigment. Your classic will no longer have that eye-popping color that you love so much.
Even if you keep your car in a garage under a professional covering, warming and cooling temperatures will cause your paint to erode quickly. Getting a cherished vehicle repainted is an expensive remedy to a problem that could easily be avoided by a proper storage facility.
Once again, bubbles can form, and when the weather heats up, flaking can occur. Sure, a professional-level waxing will help, but it can only go so far. Keeping your vehicle in a car storage facility with a controlled temperature can increase the paint integrity by 93%.
The best temperatures to store your vehicle is in the 50° to 55° range. Our facilities provide a constant temperature that will reduce the stress placed upon the paint, increasing the longevity of its luster and shine.
Automobile Covers are a Not a Good Security Blanket
A lot of people use vehicle covers as a way to protect them from the elements and other storage issues. However, a car cover can be detrimental. For one thing, it will not protect your car from critters who want to get in.
One thing most auto owners are not aware of is that the car covers sold in big box stores can damage the paint on a classic. If your car cover has not been made specifically for your vehicle, dust and other materials can get under it and cause erosion to the paint.
The added weight of a cover can also result in paint scratching. Many coverings can scratch the paint when you put them on your vehicle because of improper eyelets and tie-downs.
If you are storing your vehicle in a windy area, then leaves, sticks, and dirt can get up under the tarp. These particles and chunks can carry acidic chemicals and fertilizers on them that will affect the paint’s integrity.
But if you decide to purchase a car cover, you will need one that is made specifically for your make and model. But to be honest with you, good quality covers are not cheap. If the material of the cover is not water-resistant or breathable, then scratches may appear on your car.
When you store your car with us, you will not need an expensive vehicle covering. Our classic car storage facility has been designed and optimized for classic automobile protection. If you still want to use your own shell for an extra level of protection while in storage with us, we would recommend a quality product from a vendor who specializes in these assets.
Animals Love Your Vehicle More than You Do
Rodents like mice and rats have an incredible sense of smell. They have a second smell organ that leads them to other mice and rats for mating purposes. If vermin leave a trail of urine or tiny droplets of dung in your car, others will follow.
Also, rodents can smell food that was in your car from months ago. A mouse can squeeze through a hole the size of a dime to get at crumbs you may have left behind. It is not uncommon to find nests and feces inside vehicles parked in an uncontrolled area. In a worst-case scenario, mice will chew through upholstery and use pieces of cushion to keep warm and reproduce.
Our storage facility is in a spotless sealed environment, safely away from anything that would attract pests. If your vehicle is clean, it will reduce the chances of vermin getting in.
Flat-Spotting on Tires Can Occur When an Auto Sits Still for Months
Have you stored your classic car for several months and then noticed that the roads suddenly feel bumpy when you drive it? The problem may be flat-spotting, and it can harshly impact the structural integrity of your tires.
The main culprit of flat-spotting is letting your vehicle sit in one spot for a long time.
The surface where your tire meets the ground is called the contact patch. The constant weight and pressure bearing down on the contact patch will make your tire lopsided.
It is hard to see flat-spotting on your tires because it is almost invisible to the naked eye. But when you start driving again, you will probably feel a slight jerkiness. Usually, the bumpy ride will last for several miles before the tires even out, but they will take a beating that will shorten their life-span. Also, there will be added stress to other components of your classic car that are undesirable.
Our recommendation is for you to put your auto up on blocks or jack stands while storing your vehicle in our car storage facility. Doing this will eliminate the need for someone to move and repark your ride every couple of weeks.
Safety from Theft or Vandalism
Gateway Storage has its classic car storage facility in a very secure area. We know that the time, care, and money you have invested in your vehicle is a serious concern. At Gateway Storage, we will take every precaution necessary to ensure your vehicle is protected on every level. (We even refer to our storage areas as vehicle-vaults.)
Criminal studies indicate that theft and vandalism are many times caused by criminals who are masquerading as employees. If these kinds of criminals get access to your car, they can use tools to remove vintage pieces of your vehicle and sell them later. Since older, vintage parts do not have serial numbers, it is easy for them to get sold without being traced at online sites like Craigslist or eBay.
Gateway Storage car storage facility conducts background checks on every member of our team to ensure that our facility is safe from external and internal security breaches. Our porters are bonded and insured so that you know your vehicle is safe with us.
Our classic car storage facility has contracted Bates Security of Lexington for an extra layer of protection. Utilizing state-of-the-art intrusion detection systems, Bates Security can detect movement within a large area immediately.
We can even keep an eye on your ride by cell phone at a moment’s notice. The security alerts not only go straight to Bates Security but to our cell phones to let us know instantaneously of any security breach. Because we also have high-quality video surveillance, the response time by the police is far faster than with average alarm systems.
Gateway Storage is the Solution for Your Asset’s Problems
As you can see, there is a lot more to keeping a classic vehicle in mint condition than just shoving it into a garage. When you consider all of the costs involved in the process of keeping your investment in tip-top condition, our car storage facility is the solution you need.
Since Gateway Storage is a professional car storage facility with a qualified staff, you will not get stressed out worrying about your valuable asset.
No longer will you have to be concerned every time kids or other family members decide to go into the garage. Not only that, but storing a vehicle takes up a lot of space that you can use for other activities like working with tools on a project, using exercise equipment, or even garage sales.
You Need to Get Your Space Now at Our Facility
Hopefully, this page has helped you decide on whether or not you need Gateway Storage as the home away from home for your classic automobile. Currently, we have spaces available, but there is no guarantee as to how long they will last.
While you’re thinking about your decision, consider these points of how our services can keep your classic investment in perfect condition.
Our climate-controlled environment will keep your automobile from the constant torment of high and low temperatures reducing undue wear on electronic, vinyl, and plastic parts.
Using our protective shield facility — insects, rodents, and larger animals won’t even get near your beautiful car. It will stay safe from all of the damage and hazards these critters can bring.
You’ll save a lot of money on parts that wear out fast. Windshield wipers, electronic components, and batteries will last much longer in a controlled area.
Tires are a large investment. We can prevent flat-spotting on them by the scheduled moving of your car so that the tires get the proper rotation they need.
Using Sonitrol by Bates Security, you’ll rest assured that your car has protection from fires, criminals, vandals, and even clumsy family members from damage.
If you are deployed or going to be out of the country, we can be the solution for you. We will keep your vehicle in pristine condition in your absence, so you will have no worries about your car while you are gone.
Call us now to reserve a space for your vehicle. Our facility is spacious, controlled, and under constant surveillance — but it is limited. We can only store a finite number of automobiles at Gateway Storage, so call right now.
Reserve Your Space at Our Car Storage Facility Today!
Call Now: (859) 533-1010