Airport car

[larryb]

Hello:

For my next question: For those of you that have an airport car, how do you manage the issues?

I have a car at Truckee, CA (KTRK) I leave it there year-round for use when we fly in.

My first issue was with the car cover. I tried using a car cover. The first time, it blew off, and I found it wraped around the front tires. So I put in more grommets and now tie it at 4 corners. That solved the blow-off problem, but after 3 weeks I found a fine layer of dust UNDER the cover. That seems to defeat the purpose, so I gave up on the cover. It's a 10 year old car, so maybe I shouldn't worry about it sitting in the sun all year.

The second issue I've had is the battery. All cars have a small current drain at rest. Eventually this will kill the battery. In my case, that seems to be somewhere between 2 and 4 months. Not a problem in the summer, where we use it every couple weeks. But in the winter, when flying in the mountains is more difficult, the car can go much longer between uses. I now have a small solar panel mounted to the roof rack (it's an SUV) and a battery switch to turn off all current drains. The solar panel can keep a full charge in the summer even with the parasitic current draw, but I wasn't sure how it would work in the winter, when covered by snow, and less sunlight. So I added the battery switch for the winter.

That's what I've done so far, what do the rest of you do?

Larry

[1964-M20E]

I do not have the problem of having a car at another airport but for the battery there are many solar chargers that are available that you can put the solar panel on the dash and it should keep the battery happy.

[Steve65E-NC]

Disconnect the battery before leaving the car. Advise a dedicated wrench in the car or install one of the quick disconnect arrangements from the auto parts store. Never had any luck leaving it connected even when no apparent drain. Try to charge the battery with some good milage at least every six months. Clean the disconnect surfaces before reconnect, maybe have a little stainless brush in the car just for this (if you have a problem, a dirty reconnect is the first suspect). Park the car nose out and have jumper cables available. Put a sun-shield in the front windshield. Change the oil based on time rather than milage (at least every other year). If in a different state, work out annual inspections. You may want to have an anonomous conversation with your State DOT. Sometimes out of state inspections can work. UV spray (Walmart) the tires every year or so. Sidewall cracking is a real problem, especially if parked in the sun. Have any slow leaks fixed as sitting flat can end a tire. Probably best to leave a small compressor with appropriate extension cord in the trunk. They are a lot cheaper than the alternative. Check oil and antifreeze levels before attempting to start. Put a small visible card in the corner of the windshield with at least your phone number. This can save some expensive tow and storage charges if they have to repave parking lot or such. Ten years can pass pretty quickly.

[N201MKTurbo]

I had an airport car for 15 years that I kept in Tucson, I commuted from Phoenix three times a week with the Mooney. It was a daily driver so I didn't have the problems you guys are talking about. My biggest problem was the yearly smog inspections. The ones in Pima county didn't count in Maricopa county. I had to drive the car back to Phoenix every year to get it smog checked. I finally got hold of a sympathetic person at DMV who let me register it to my cube in Tucson so I could get it tested locally.

[DaV8or]

Problem 1 you already solved. Get a car you don't care about that much and forget the cover.

Problem 2 is a bit more of a pain. How about taking the battery with you? Keep it on a maintenance charge in the hangar and then pop it in and out at the airport. It has the added benefit of being a theft deterrent.

[carusoam]

First person on record to jump start a car from a plane...

-a-

[Hank]

Is the car cover intended to keep the car clean and dust-free, or to cover the windows and prevent additional heat buildup and UV fading/interior damage? Who really cares about dust?

The hard part is getting the car to the destination airport . . .

[Cabanaboy]

I want to get and airport car but it seems used cars are almost as expensive as some new cars.

[Hank]

I'll make you a deal on an ancient Honda. . . .

[DaV8or]

I want to get and airport car but it seems used cars are almost as expensive as some new cars.

Think old, not previously owned. Look for something built the same year as your plane, or even older. Don't be proud. Wheels that work is all that matters for an airport car.

[larryb]

I want to get and airport car but it seems used cars are almost as expensive as some new cars.

Just buy yourself a new car and demote your current car to airport status. That's what I did last year. So now I have a 10 year old airport car with 150K miles, but I have owned it since new. I wouldn't have gotten much for it as a trade in.

[N201MKTurbo]

My airport car was a fantastic 1984 Ford Taurus. Insurance cost more then the car. It was ugly and ran Ok. Ten years and 10,000 miles later it was still ugly and still ran OK. I even changed the oil once.

[Cabanaboy]

Maybe something like this, http://myrtlebeach.craigslist.org/cto/3462399829.html

[N201MKTurbo]

Yea, That's an airport car! (truck) You could probably sell the rack to pay for the first year of insurance!

[DaV8or]

Maybe something like this, http://myrtlebeach.c...3462399829.html

Does it come with the cat? Nice to have a cat waiting at the airport for me too!

[carusoam]

Dave,

It looks like a matched set.

-a-

[triple8s]

A 300 inline 6 will NOT wear out either. I hate that they quit making that one.

[RJBrown]

My airport car 10-15 years ago was a 72 Mercede 280 SE 4.5. As a "collector" car plates lasted 5 years and did not need inspections. battery tender is always a good idea.