Keeping an Elise outdoors?

[M5Fan]

I'm interested to hear views on whether there are any concerns with keeping an Elise S2 outdoors, or should they ideally be garaged?

Is it reasonable to expect one to be watertight, or are they known to leak a bit? I'm wondering how one would have coped in the recent heavy downpours! Has anyone had any problems in the recent weather?

[rm0rgan]

Personally I keep mine in a garage however many do live outside.

Invest in a proper car cover to ensure it stays watertight as they are known to leak a little and become a little damp!!

Also, paintwork can suffer, especially I believe in colder weather where paintwork is known to sometimes bubble, although I'd have thought a good regular waxing will help keep it looking good.

[CooperS]

rm0rgan said:

Also, paintwork can suffer, especially I believe in colder weather where paintwork is known to sometimes bubble, although I'd have thought a good regular waxing will help keep it looking good.

IME the paint deteriorates in certain areas quicker such as around the back of clam around the sink hole (paint bubbles)

Mine was kept outside, it only became an issue in the snow (door lock would freeze) once I had got the soft top new seals and the windows adjusted never ever had an issue of water in the cabin.

[Caterhamfan]

I kept an S1 outdoors for 2 years in Cambridgeshire. I had a soft top and a shower cap and put a fitted outdoor car cover over it. Never had any problems apart from a bit of rubbing on the paintwork over the rear clam - which, as the car was a daily driver and not exactly concours when I bought it, didn't bother me at all

[Captain Muppet]

I keep my S1 outside, have done for the four years I've had it, and the previous owner had left it outside for years too.

I used to use a shower cape on top of the roof in winter, but my new roof doesn't leak.

Apart from that the only issue was digging the snow out of the radiator exit vents in the nose before driving - if you don't do this you risk overheating it.

[chrispj]

My S2 leaks a little at the top front of the windows when there's heavy rain and strong wind. I put a shower cap on if the weather's not looking good and when the car is being left for more than a few weeks I put one of those little plastic dehumidifier things for caravans (tub of flakes of something or other, got them in Halfords for £5), in the footwell and boot to keep out damp and a solar powered battery conditioner in the back window to stop the alarm from draining the battery.

[M5Fan]

thanks for all the comments, it's re-assuring to know a garage isn't a necessity...we don't have a garage and I wouldn't really want to incur the cost of renting one.

How does the shower cap work, i.e. fixed in place, does it get shut in by the doors somehow? (I'm basically wondering what's to stop any passing students whipping it off to go with their traffic cone collection )

[Captain Muppet]

M5Fan said:

thanks for all the comments, it's re-assuring to know a garage isn't a necessity...we don't have a garage and I wouldn't really want to incur the cost of renting one.

How does the shower cap work, i.e. fixed in place, does it get shut in by the doors somehow? (I'm basically wondering what's to stop any passing students whipping it off to go with their traffic cone collection )

Mine tied to the mirrors, wiper and the pointy bits at the back of the soft top. So very easy to steal. No one bothered though.

It's not essential - I don't us it any more as my new roof doesn't leak, and I use a hard top too, which also doesn't leak. Mine is a 1997 car, and newer ones should be better.

[boobles]

It's a bloody car for goodness sake! Use it every day like I did mine for 18 months & 30k & left out in all weather! It won't hurt it.

[otolith]

My S2 lives outdoors. It developed some paint bubbles on the driver's door in the particularly bad winter we had the year before last. In really heavy rain, it sometimes leaks slightly, but not enough to make the interior damp. Ideally, it should live in a garage (although I have heard of paint bubbling on garaged cars too), but I think that if that had been an option, I'd have bought a Caterham.

[pthelazyjourno]

Mine has always lived outdoors. It's fine. In much better condition than plenty of garaged ones I've seen.

[M5Fan]

boobles said:

It's a bloody car for goodness sake! Use it every day like I did mine for 18 months & 30k & left out in all weather! It won't hurt it.

eh eh calm down.. I mainly want to know if it's going to leak like a sieve and if I'll get a wet arse if I get in after it's rained...bubbling paint etc doesn't bother me.

[CardShark]

Mine's lived it's life outside for the 3 years or so I've owned it, no issues at all.

I think that the paint bubbling comments are referring to the actual panel material bubbling under the paint rather than the paint itself. I've got a couple of spots coming up on mine, I'm pretty sure that it's not weather related but more to do with the GRP "gassing off" (or whatever it's referred to as being), from what I'm aware of it's quite common.

Edited by CardShark on Monday 2nd July 22:48

[pthelazyjourno]

M5Fan said:

eh eh calm down.. I mainly want to know if it's going to leak like a sieve and if I'll get a wet arse if I get in after it's rained...bubbling paint etc doesn't bother me.

Depends on the state of the roof.

In 2 years and all weathers, I've never ever had a wet arse in the Elise.

That's an S1 though, roof on the S2 is different. Supposed to be better, but I don't know where they leak from. If I don't do my windows up properly, it can drip water from the front corners, but that drips onto the plastic sills and then out under the doors - so never actually onto the seats or floor. Not sure if the S2 is the same.

[kambites]

The S2 got some little cup things at the top of the A-pillars to catch the drips from MY04. Earlier cars are broadly the same as the S1 in that area.

[jondude]

Main issue when outside for me were a car cover bashes the paintwork in the wind (was a cheap one, admitted) and that rain makes it way down into the spark plug wells. This did not cause starting issues but when I came to change the plugs one had literally welded itself to the spark plug cap.

It came off eventually but this did make me think a cover for the bootlid is a necessity at least.

[NWTony]

jondude said:

Main issue when outside for me were a car cover bashes the paintwork in the wind (was a cheap one, admitted) and that rain makes it way down into the spark plug wells. This did not cause starting issues but when I came to change the plugs one had literally welded itself to the spark plug cap.

It came off eventually but this did make me think a cover for the bootlid is a necessity at least.

Use sealant under the rocker cover screw holes or cover the wells with tape to stop water ingress, both work. My S2 had this problem and Christopher Neils filled the wells with sealant which was a bit unneccesary, but to be fair, worked.

[jondude]

NWTony said:

jondude said:

Main issue when outside for me were a car cover bashes the paintwork in the wind (was a cheap one, admitted) and that rain makes it way down into the spark plug wells. This did not cause starting issues but when I came to change the plugs one had literally welded itself to the spark plug cap.

It came off eventually but this did make me think a cover for the bootlid is a necessity at least.

Use sealant under the rocker cover screw holes or cover the wells with tape to stop water ingress, both work. My S2 had this problem and Christopher Neils filled the wells with sealant which was a bit unneccesary, but to be fair, worked.

Good one, Tony. Noted.