I am leaving my car parked at Charlotte Airport for the month of July. Should I put something under the tires??
I have not noticed any cars in long term parking with anything under the tires, nor have I seen car dealers putting anyhing under the tires for cars that may well sit months. What were your thoughts?
It’s better to leave the vehicle at home and either get a ride or take a taxi to the airport.
This way if there’s a problem with the vehicle after sitting for a month, you won’t have to deal with it at the airport when you return from your trip.
Tester
Put something under the tires??? Why? I like @Tester 's idea. Even a taxi to and from the airport would probably be cheaper than 30 days parking.
No. The shadow of your car will keep the pavement under your tires reasonably cool… I would put a couple of those aluminized window reflectors behind the windshield and back-light to control the heat in the cabin…But like a couple of the guys have said, why park at the airport? There must be a way you can avoid that…
Parking must be cheap Charlotte airport. Here at Logan it’s about $100/week. Cheaper to take a limo to and from airport then park there for a month.
I live about 40 miles west of Milwaukee and they have a shuttle that you can arrange for.
I’d check it out if I were you. My Mom has used it several times.
You just have to call and give them your time and date of the flight…and of course your address.
Then the day before they will know how many stops the driver will be making and they will give to a time to be ready. Then the driver calls when he’s 10 minutes out. I don’t recall the price but I think it was less than $50.
lol, mike when I lived in MA you had to buy a permit to scratch your butt
Thanks, someone told me leaving it for a long time in the heat could damage the tires. it will be in the 90’s in July and sometimes as high as 100. I am 3 hours from the airport, no bus, no shuttle or limo from here. Parking there is $5 a day for long term. I could probably get there but would be stuck on my return.
so everyone thinks it’s not a problem? Thanks
No Problem in my book!
I wouldn’t be concerned with the tires. I’d be more worried about the extreme heat in the cars interior.
Caddymans idea of putting those reflectors in the front and back makes sense.
There’s a decent chance that your battery will be too low to start the car after a month, so be prepared for that.
At our airport they have free jumper service, plus I have some kind of road service, aaa, ax, ins co as a backup.
I don’t think you’ll have a problem if everything else is good. It would be nice if you could park in the ramp though with some cover from hail etc. I have a car that sits for a month at a time no problem. Also sat at the airport for a couple weeks in below zero with no prob. I like the idea of a window shield though.
Cars sit in hot dealershipts for momths at the time without damage to their tires. As said, if uou MUST park there for a month, get one of those screens to protect the dash. I use them all the time.
Our long term airport parking costs $8 per day, so 30 days would be $240 plus tax. That includes free shuttle bus to the departure lounge and free pickup on arrival. You must live far from the airport in the country. Those that use our long term parking are usually ranchers and folks from small rural towns without bus service, who go on a vacation. They find the $8 per day a good deal since there are no alternatives for them.
The airport garage itself is $24 per day, so unaffordable for long term parking.
The battery would be my only real concern other than putting up some kind of sunshade, but the lot that my family normally uses if we aren’t taking the shuttle would give a jump without a problem.
No problem with the tires. Cars sit out in much hotter weather (think Phoenix, 110+) all the time.
A tip from a former insider: price out starting and finishing your trip at a regional airport nearer to you. Depending on the airline, the price might be close to equal, and less-busy regional airports generally charge little or nothing for parking.
CLT is a USAirways hub, much like PIT used to be, and they priced flights like this, at least they did in the late '90s. Folks I know (who lived in Pittsburgh) would DRIVE to Greensburg to catch a flight BACK to PIT just to save on parking, if they were going to be away a while.
You’re still flying on a FAR-121 certificated airplane, just like the “big guys.” People get “hinky” about small airplanes, but there’s no reason to–per-trip risk is very similar to flying in a Boeing or Airbus. (Per-mile is higher, reflecting the fact that the risk is mostly in takeoff/landing.)
The problem your car tires will be facing is flat spotting. You can’t prevent that unless the car is moved regularly or the tires are lifted off the pavement.
And - yes - I think a ride to the airport is your best bet. Have a friend drive you and give him the use of the car for the month. I’m sure that will work out for both of you. (but you do have to have a trustworthy friend!)
If you really want to keep the interior cooler, jet an old fitted bed sheet, full size or larger, and drape it over the top of the car. Open all doors and tuck it inside the car, but cover the front and back windshields on the outside. Then close all the doors to hold the sheet in place and use the windshield wipers to hold the sheet in place on the windshield.
Those reflectors inside the car don’t actually reduce the heat build up by as much as most people believe, but they do help protect the interiors from UV damage. Once the UV rays get through the glass, the heat gets trapped inside the car and circulates via convection currents.
A white sheet works the best, two of them work even better. A cardboard cut in the shape of the windshields and placed under the sheets but on top of the glass really helps. You could also put smaller pieces of sheets over the tires but really, 30 days is not going to hurt them. Thirty months would, maybe even 30 weeks might do some slight damage, but not 30 days.
Or you could get a car cover but that might get stolen. I doubt that anyone will want an old bed sheet.