We recently moved to the Pacific Northwest and bought a 2010 Honda Insight. We have a two-car garage, and we keep the car in there most of the day. I drive the car to drop off and pick up my boyfriend at work and to run errands.
Since it rains a lot here (and we are on the ocean so there is often fog or mist), the car is usually wet. We noticed that when we park the car in the garage, it is just as wet the next day as when we left it the previous day.
We tried drying it, but the shammys just left dirty water spots all over the car and windows. A squeegee would damage the vehicle.
Are we putting the car at risk by leaving it wet in the garage? I heard click and Clack say recently that a man who kept his just-washed car in the garage was doing damage because the closed area didn’t allow water to evaporate properly.
Should we buy some ShamWows and dry the car completely every day? Should we park it outside so it will dry better? Do we need a giant humidifier for the garage?
Advice appreciated!
I would not worry about it one way or another. If it rains often outside the car gets wet as well.
If the weather is dry, and the forecast is dry all day, leave it outside.
Keep in mind that all cars sold in North America are engineered for the RUST BELT in the Mid West. The Pacific North West is very gentle on cars, no excesive heat and hardly any salt.
When I wash my car, I do it before a shopping trip; the driving blows off any remaining water. If you rent a car in the Seattle or Vancouver area, they often smell musty inside, mainly because they are washed after every use and they’re parked with the windows shut.
I think keeping it waxed would probably be the best thing for it.
I second Doc’s points.
I’d also like to add that…how could leaving it out in the rain or salty fog all night be better than leaving it wet in the garage? The answer is…it isn’t better to leave it out…it’s better to leave it in the garage.
Sleep soundly. As long as you’re keeping the maintenance up the car will be fine.
Let me take this opportunity to put in a plug for a car port…the best way to store a car you use daily.
I agree. I lived for several years in the Seattle area (Kent) and rain is a part of everyday life. “Everything” smells musty in Seattle in the rainy season which is just about all year long. It’s hard to beat the scenery however.
Thanks for the quick responses, everyone! We haven’t owned a car in a few years and never owned one so new, so we want to be sure we’re taking care of it.
Sounds like we’ll keep parking it in the garage, keep up with maintenance and cleaning, and not worry about whether is stays wet.
Thanks again!
I have one of those car body squeegees and it hasn’t hurt my car any, and I think the product you’re referring to is a DEhumidifier, not humidifier. Your car is wet enough as it is, would you really want to add to it? 
If the garage is sealed and insulated well enough, I would consider a dehumidifier. It wouldn’t need to be a large one. If it isn’t sealed and insulated, I wouldn’t worry about it.
I stopped caring and the truck is OK. Rain water isn’t bad for a car. Tap water left on a rinsed car can be bad in some places. Water spots come from tap water in some areas. The only bad spot on the truck is the rear bumper which goes bad on most trucks in Maine.
During the day if it is safe you might consider leaving the garage door up and allow more air circulation. You could even buy a couple of cheapie window type fans and they can circulate more air around the garage. When it is 100 percent humidity out then there just isn’t much you can do. Running a dehumidifier is an option, but that can get expensive. Electric rates in PA have just rocketed up so my dehumidifiers are not doing much lately.
Oops. Typo! I did mean DEhumidifier.
What about acid rain?
I wouldn’t recommend drying a car that hasn’t been washed, especially every day. Even if you can’t see it, there’s dirt and grit there that you’ll grind into the paint, eventually damaging it.
Keeping the car waxed should prevent any issues here.
The acid rain problem has been mostly solved for more than a decade. When it was a problem, the problem occurred when chemicals in the rain mixed with chemicals in the ground and in the groundwater. I wouldn’t worry about it now on a vehicle.
I’d go with a heated garage with a dehumidifier.
Everything else you store in there will be happy for that too. That constant high humidity will grow mold, mildew, and rust on other stored items including the seasonal decorations, blankets, clothes, bicycles, lawnmower, etc.
Just a Sears room sized one will do, then empty the water on your plants.