To Garage or Not to Garage (Rust)

What do you do?

With our vehicles being more prone to frame rust, is it wiser to leave the trucks out in the cold so the rust can't do its magic rather than keeping it in a warmer environment? The counter argument to leaving it out in the cold is the wear and tear on an engine starting up time and time again from 0 degrees F.

This article from Jan 24th 1988 (https://news.google.com/newspapers?...AIBAJ&sjid=ZfwFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4735,6931249&hl=en) seems to have the same opinion as me to leave the truck outside during the winter months. I've seen first hand of what trying to keep a vehicle warm on a cold nights can do to a frame as well (see below).

Large diesel trucks which are notoriously hard to start when it is well below freezing are kept inside an industrial plant to allow them to fire up early in the morning and take off. Turns out they are killing the frame of the truck since the optimum range of rust is 32-40 degrees F. One might say this could of been a huge factor in why I believe this since the ambient temp of the plant didn't rise above that "threshold". Whereas if it was consistently above 40 in the 50-55 degree range one might argue against this.

Thoughts?

 

Well since I have no choice, my truck stays outside.

And if I had a choice, it would probably still stay outside. Rust or no rust , it wouldn't factor into my decision either way though.

 

^^^^^ I do the same as DoorDing. Treat with fluid film and park in an unheated garage.

 

x3
I hate brushing off all that snow ...

 

I park in an unheated garage as well.

 

If you live in an area that uses a lot of road salt I would avoid parking overnight in a heated garage. You will develop rust issues

 

I live in Texas. Unfortunately the truck doesn't fit in the garage. However, there's a carport I use. I haven't had any issue yet. But we have mild winters and summers.

 

I keep my truck in my unheated lawn shed only because it does not get driven every day

 

I'm no expert on this, but I wanted to throw this out there. If there's an argument to not put your truck in a heated garage in the winter for fear of rust, wouldn't that affect fire engines as well? Our trucks are always in the bay unless out on a run, and they don't have rust. Just a thought.

 

My garage use to be a office so it has heat and AC. I've keep mine in there regliously for the past 4 years and she has little to no rust.

 

My 03 Taco was parked outside for 7 years until it needed the frame replaced for rust perforation. My 13 has been parked in a heated garage for 2 1/2 years with no signs of rust. With water evaporation from the ground with melting snow and ice, snow with road salt packed inside wheel wells, I will be keeping my Taco dry, snug and warm in my heated garage thank you.

 

Just get your frame swapped, and park in the heated garage. Thats what i do

 

Maybe depending on where you are in NY you ended up having the right temperatures for optimum rust on the 03. Also what temp is the garage usually set at? Usually some people keep it at 50 but if you are at 60-65 that could help prevent it as well as being a 13. Hard to compare a 12 year old truck to a 2 year old truck, wouldn't you agree?

 

Funny to me how you guys are worries about salt on the road and snow. Where I am, I worry more about all the saltwater and salt in the air. To each his own, but I hate cold. I also park in my garage.

 

This is goofy - if you have a garage park in it. If you don't park outside. The article referenced does not cite any scientific fact for the basis of their assumption other that the "rust process is only active" within an 8 degree window - 32 to 40 degrees. This is a general simplification of the chemical process and is misleading to say the least (google it). Or, get an indoor/outdoor thermometer with and alarm and move you truck in and out of your garage as the temperature changes - LOL

 

better yet have the best of both worlds.....park in a heated garage but leave the garage door open.

 

"The chemical process that activates rusting is usually active in only a small temperature range from about 32 degrees F to 40 degrees F." ... " At that point, although rust is still active, much of the road salt solution begins to evaporate and a lot of the oomph is taken out of the rusting process. It just doesn't have the zing it has between 32 F and 40 F."

It's not saying it isn't actively rusting, only at a lesser rate once it goes above 40 F. Since this article was written in 1988 I'm curious to know of what affect the new "road salts" have on a frame. They could be affecting it at a much lower temperature than 27 years ago.

 

It's not just salt, it's the chemicals
If the vehichle is driven in the winter In the rust belt it's best to leave the truck outside.
The chemicals and salt they spray on the street here react with temps above 32degrees and the corrosive prosses starts.
If the vehichle isn't driven through it obviously it doesn't matter.

 

Just not true - The main catalyst for the rusting process is water. Iron or steel structures might appear to be solid, but water molecules can penetrate the microscopic pits and cracks in any exposed metal. The hydrogen atoms present in water molecules can combine with other elements to form acids, which will eventually cause more metal to be exposed. If chloride ions are present, as is the case with saltwater, the corrosion is likely to occur more quickly. Meanwhile, the oxygen atoms combine with metallic atoms to form the destructive oxide compound. As the atoms combine, they weaken the metal, making the structure brittle and crumbly. The process is accelerated with heat. The chemical process(rust/iron oxide) begins with LIQUID water and the chemicals put down on streets lower the freezing point of water. Therefore liquid water occurs at temps lower that 32 degrees. It's really a non issue unless you live in Siberia. Think about it. In the lower 48. how many days will the outside temperature actually stay below 30 degrees - 7 / 24? Maybe a few weeks at most, out of 52? Seems to me to be much ado about nothing.

 

Oh ok so your saying there's no chance of water hidden anywhere in all nooks and crannies that these frames rust out from after driving through the salt, chemicles, slush, snow ect. That once in 30+* garage never melt and turn into anything?