Windows up or down?

[Okiejoe86]

So Summer is here and it is currently 98 degrees in Tulsa. I started a post earlier this week asking if people drive in this heat. Well, my next question is this... Do you leave your windows up or down when parking your Studebaker in the garage????

Is it good for the interior to breath?

Is it bad due to the moisture in the air and the potential for mold to build up?

Is it bad due to bugs having an all out college kid type drinking fest camp out in the comfy classic interior?

Of course I leave the windows to all of my vehicles up due to them being parked outside. But on the random occasion I do tend to leave the windows down on my Studebaker when parked inside the garage safe from the elements of nature.


Thoughts??

Happy Driving Y'all!
-Joe

[Pat Dilling]

I generally leave at least one window down, but the car is under a cover in the garage just to keep the dust off. I would mention that open windows can attract curious cats if they have access to the garage.

[Deaf Mute]

Mine are usually up... but not always. Cars covered in the winter with windows up, but not always in the Summer (not too worried about mice during the Summer). Of course my cars are kept inside, which makes a HUGE difference.

[Ron Dame]

When parked outside, I leave the windows down an inch or so, whether it is covered or not. I also don't lock, as there is nothing in there to steal, even change, and I'd hate my windows to be broken to rifle it for nothing.

[ndynis]

Ditto Ron Dame

[jclary]

Here, in the south, leaving the windows down is an invitation to all sorts of troubles. There's always something that wants to nest on it, eat it, or pee on it. It's bad enough that dirt daubers build mud nests under the hood, frame, and bumpers. If you leave your vehicle parked for a couple of days, it is not unusual to see wasps circling to see where their home went after you back out of the building.

My building, offers some relief from the harsh rays of the sun, but, due to the fact that I built this pole barn...to claim it is protection from "the elements," is a serious understatement.

[53k]

Here, in the south, leaving the windows down is an invitation to all sorts of troubles. There's always something that wants to nest on it, eat it, or pee on it. It's bad enough that dirt daubers build mud nests under the hood, frame, and bumpers. If you leave your vehicle parked for a couple of days, it is not unusual to see wasps circling to see where their home went after you back out of the building.

My building, offers some relief from the harsh rays of the sun, but, due to the fact that I built this pole barn...to claim it is protection from "the elements," is a serious understatement.

Many years ago when I lived in Hawaii I left the windows down one night on my '53 Commander Starliner which was parked in my open carport. When I got in the car the next day a cat had gotten in and peed on the dash (don't ask me how it was that precise). The Loma Gray paint was already permanently discolored in that area and the chrome trim was badly pitted.

[Coupe Express]

Sun and moisture are the two biggest problems. Since you are parking in a garage you've solved the sun problem, but in Tulsa you have high humidity. I have a dehumidifier in my storage area and I would highly recommend one. I keep the humidity down to 45 or 50 -- anything below 60 will prevent mold, but do keep the windows cracked.
Mike

[JoeHall]

Windows crack or down when at all feasible. Up when just not feasible. Around here, only place they are up all the way is when parked outside and out of my sight.

[Silverplate]

When not driving my cars they are stored in a garage and under a car cover. The windows are always rolled up. One of my cars is a 2002 Corvette bought new. It just turned 15,000 and still has a faint new car smell in it. It has spent 11 years in Florida high humidity and now the past three in Texas. It along with my Avanti have no issues.

[JoeHall]

When not driving my cars they are stored in a garage and under a car cover. The windows are always rolled up. One of my cars is a 2002 Corvette bought new. It just turned 15,000 and still has a faint new car smell in it. It has spent 11 years in Florida high humidity and now the past three in Texas. It along with my Avanti have no issues.

That is one reason why I leave Stude windows down when possible, to get the, "faint" OLD car smell out of them.

[T.J lavallee]

That is one reason why I leave Stude windows down when possible, to get the, "faint" OLD car smell out of them.

Jeeze...I've always loved the aroma of an antique car's interior and I personally know others that like it too. To each his own.

[SN-60]

A little off track here, but I thought I'd mention that during the HRM road test of '63 Avanti 63R-1025, the road testers mentioned the best way to deal with blazing California heat in that non-air conditioned Avanti was with the side windows COMPLETELY ROLLED UP...and the vent and rear 1/4 windows wide open....I always thought that was kind of interesting!

[JoeHall]

Jeeze...I've always loved the aroma of an antique car's interior and I personally know others that like it too. To each his own.

Once the entire interior is replaced, that smell is usually all but gone. In the wife's 63GT, all has been replaced but the headliner. It is the last remaining source of smell in that car, and it needs to go too. For me, that old car smell, from rotted foam rubber, stale cotton, mouse pee, etc., literally causes a headache.

Worse case of stale smell I can recall was a 56J I bought 10 years ago. It had been undergoing a very slooow restoration since 1974, in the PO's basement. Everything inside was new or as new, but I could not get the basement smell out of it. I even removed the seats' cotton padding, placed it in a netted laundry bag, and gently laundered it. I sold the car to a good friend, maybe 8 years ago. Till now, if the car has the windows down, I can smell that basement from 20 feet, downwind.

As you said, to each his own.

[JoeHall]

A little off track here, but I thought I'd mention that during the HRM road test of '63 Avanti 63R-1025, the road testers mentioned the best way to deal with blazing California heat in that non-air conditioned Avanti was with the side windows COMPLETELY ROLLED UP...and the vent and rear 1/4 windows wide open....I always thought that was kind of interesting!

I have never ridden in an Avanti, but having lived and Studebakered for six years in the California desert, that seems a little odd to me too.

Maybe they were just trying to minimize the issue of no AC. Playing it off like no big deal. I decided a long time ago in the desert, I needed AC in the Studes, just as badly as I needed a steering wheel.