Keeping 350z outside...
 

Im a first time owner of a 350z, i love this car. Ive owned her for 4 days now, ive became obsessed with the car to the point my girlfriend is jealous....unfortunatly i dont have the space to construct a garage, i read car covers are questionable....so i dont know what to do to prevent sun damage, other stuff......as ive said im really obsessed with this car. If i could, id park it in my bedroom. The cars my daily driver so what should i do that would be the best to preserve my car. Thanks guys!

Damn I wish I could feel that way again :D

I have owned my car for 9 years and it has been kept outside its entire life. From experience, keep a good coat of wax on it throughout the year, especially panels facing upwards (roof, hood, trunk, etc). Remove bird sh!t as soon as you see it. Letting it sit for a few days could potentially cause harm to your clear coat and paint. Have the Z detailed in the spring and fall (or at least after the winter). I usually do it myself and include a claybar during my detail process. That's a start. Good luck with the Z!

Lol! Go rent a regular sedan, drive for about 2 weeks, get back in your z. I think cars are alot like women, get a good one, might not feel so intense, but youd never love another like her ;). Thanks, very sound advice, any recommendations as far as the rubber trim goes? Ive treated the leather, dash is that enough to keep it from being sun damaged? As a 20year old, pay all my bills, live independantly, this is my first sport car, due to insurance low income jobs my previous cars were an 03 jetta, 06 impala, so finally had the credit, income to climb higher on the vehicle food chain....needless to say im over protective, obsessive. So any kind of advice as to mainance, keeping it perfect would be greatly appreciated and more than likely acted upon. Thanks again!

When I tell people my car is 6 years old they almost pass out. Looks in the same condition as when I first got it. I park it in the driveway every night and only put it in the garage when I know it is going to snow or if a big storm is coming.

I was my car at least once every 2-3 weeks and wax twice a year. Some people will tell you they wax their car every month which I am sure is good, but I don't feel it is really necessary. If you use the right equipment and the right products then twice a year is fine. I normally wax in the spring and fall.

If you are looking into a certain company and don't want to drop a fortune on products, I HIGHLY recommend Chemical Guys. You can get their products from a vendor on here, Detailed Image. Great prices, great customer service, and great products.

I actually just used my new orbital with the Chemical Guys products on my brother's 2000 Integra that needed massive paint correction and lets just say the finished product came out way better than I could have ever imagined.

Patience and effort on a car goes a long way.

Quality wax and if you're going to use a car cover, do not cheap out; that applies to the OEM cover as well.

+1 for Chemical Guys. They're local SoCal so I can go to their showrooms to pick up products; highly recommend them.. Great people behind great products.

We live in a time where people can educate themselves on YouTube.. You should browse through the CG channel; I guarantee you'll learn alot

https://www.youtube.com/user/chemicalGuys

I got my car cover from Z1 Motorsports and love it.

http://www.z1motorsports.com/350_g35...oducts_id=2827

Sweet, i will certainly look into the products, as far as the z1 car cover, id feel very good about having a car cover, some of my family mention that they trap moister, promotes scratches... if i were to get a high end one, assuming i wash, wax, maintain the car would a cover really have those negitive effects, that was my first solution to parking her outside, for anyone who uses a car cover often would you recommend them? Or would i be better off just waxing, cleaning and treating the z?

Trapping moisture is untrue. Car covers breathe. They wick moisture out like house wrap.

The scratches aren't an issue if your car is clean and you don't let any dirt get under the cover.

one of the things i notice goes bad outside quickly is the headlight clear plastic. Not sure if its rain, or sun or a combo that yellows and hazes them.

I have used headlight polish and it works amazingly.

Preemptively I recommend you get one of the kits from your local autoparts store (many brands, I'm sure they are all fine, I used turtlewax). The kit comes with sandpaper, buffing compound and usually a wipe that has protective gel.

I would put the protective gel on your headlights if they are clear, or use the whole kit if they aren't.

Also use a interior windshield screen when its sitting so the sun doesnt damage your interior.

A window tint is also usefull for preventing damage to your interior.

As you can see I too am obsessed with my Z. Luckily it is garaged and is not a daily driver. lucky me.

My advice would be to get a vinyl wrap, depending on the condition of your paint. If you have a lot of chips, scratches, and other blemishes, the vinyl may not take to it as well. If it's in pretty good shape, you're basically putting a big shield on your paint. Once you can get into a new place with a garage, remove the vinyl, and your paint should be just about the same underneath. Other than that you'll just have to take care of the windows, headlights, and wheels, which are easy peasy.

Vinyl will probably run you $1,500 - 2,000 for decent work, otherwise you can buy a roll and do it yourself for about $800.

^^^ Do NOT attempt to vinyl wrap your entire car yourself if you do not have proper experience.

Many have tried, failed, and wasted rolls of vinyl that cannot be reused.

Why spend all that money when simple wax and some love will do the trick?

I do like vinyl and I considered wrapping my car, but after waxing my car I decided I will never, since a wrap will never show the depth and shine that car paint will show. SMB looks amazing when waxed.

My Z is 8 years old...I just take care of it properly, wax it every 3 months. People have a hard time believing it's a 8 year old car when I tell them that it's a 2006.

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Very nice tucker, what trim, milage?? Mine is an 03 touring with 107k miles but Paint is perfect, interior is flawless, brand new cooper tires, i had to have it! Thats all, its been garage kept its whole life, so thats why im so concerned about getting a cover. Only flaw was driver seat control switch had poor connection, but was an easy fix (girlfriends dad is a master electrician) needed bulbs for the overhead reading light....tucker yours is the same color as mine and all, neato. Mine shines perfect no flaws atall, just waxed her 2 days ago! Im on a endless quest to preserve its perfection. Thanks for all the info guys, put my wondering heart to rest for now. Still wanna know your mileage tucker!!

It's been garaged/covered since new, paint code is K23 (silver alloy). Just went over 92k, it's a base with all the touring options except for navi. I added OEM orange leather seats and everything else a touring has. Don't concentrate too hard on your quest, at the end of the day it's just a car. Just take of it and enjoy it for what it is.

says the person that had to clean all the clutch dust out of bell housing when we did clutch and flywheel...... haha.

Hahahaha, dude it was hella dirty! Even TH would agree with me that you have to clean that out before reinstalling the tranny.

Fortunately, I have a garage so I don't have to worry about whether to get a car cover or not. My suggestion is to forego the cover. No matter how meticulous you are, dirt will get under the cover and put small scratches in your paint. The wind will move it around and cause more scratches. You would probably need to use an instant detail product every day before putting the cover on your car. Covers are a real hassle if you use them everyday.

As others have said, use a good quality wax regularly and keep the car as clean as possible all the time. I generally use products from Adams Polishes, Griot's Garage or Meguairs (rarely) on my cars. Here is a pic of my Z snoozing in the garage after a fresh wax job.