Couple of quickies...

[pao7psb]

Quickfire round...

1) As we approach autumn/winter, do I need some sort of de-humidifier for the garage, and if so what sort? Garage was built in the last 6 years but doesn't have anything in the way of ventilation or power supply.

2) We've had this question before, but what is the best visible anti-theft device? Most seem to be designed for moderns, do I need to shell out £100 for the larger-sized (and seemingly rare) Disklok (hope not!)

Just returned from holiday in Cornwall, saw 9 Minors over the course of eight days, including one being used as a Dominos Pizza publicity vehicle.

Cheers,

Paul.

[bmcecosse]

New garage should surely have ventiltion built in as part of it's spec? It will be uneconomic to run a de-humidifier all winter - to any great effect. If the garage is attached to the house - it should get some heat from the house. Otherwise - make some ventilation - and don't ever put the car away 'wet' ! If the door is south facing - open it up on any sunny days!!
Best anti-theft device is large slavering dog in the car! I assume you already have a secret switch installed for the petrol pump ??

[limegreen]

I have a steering lock that fits my wheel pretty well - i'll get a shot of it for yu if you'd like so you can see what make it is?

[moggyminor16]

caravan wheel lock from bulldog is on mine plus a van in front of the garage door

[MarkyB]

If you can get power to the garage I suggest you do it, if only to have an electric light.

If you wax it once or even twice a year then a very quick wipe over with a chamois leather will easily remove all the surface water. And leave it looking good.

Most garage doors fit so poorly that ventilation is assured.

[mjkp52]

This will also be my first winter with a Minor, but something that's worked well for me down the years with other cars (although power is necessary) is to use a cheapo desktop fan with optional oscillation. When putting a car away wet, I switch this on, place it somewhere near the front of the car at ground level, and leave it gently blowing through the night. These fans only use around 15W-20W so it's the equivalent of a low energy lightbulb, reasonably efficient.
Come the following morning the underside of the car is generally completely dry although there may still be some wet spots on the paintwork. My garage has open eaves so there is some exchange of airflow; I'm not sure how effective this would be in a building with either no airbricks or other gaps as the moist air would have nowhere to go.
I agree with bmcecosse - leaving the garage door open when possible is a good option (although where I live one would need to be present to deter unwanted attention!). I do have a couple of dogs, but the only time they even approach a slaver is when the dog biscuits appear; a car thief armed with a tin of Chum would have an easy time.....