Open or Closed?

[AirmanPika]

So a question...is it better for the car to keep the doors open or closed most of the time? Since I keep the car in the garage I can keep the doors open or closed...but I feel like keeping them open releases stress on the torsion bars. Thoughts?

61411

[Michael]

Open is less stress on the bars but also very inviting to all animals and bugs with more than 2 legs.

The long and short is they are approaching 40 years old spending most of their life closed. With the exception of a few wuss bars giving up and snapping, they made it this far so I think they have earned the right to stay closed.

[Hill Valley PD]

I think it is a good idea to take the cover off and open everything up during Winter storage a couple of times, but I certainly wouldn't leave it open all the time.

[David T]

This is similar to the argument to jack the car up and take the weight off of the suspension and tires. It doesn't seem to matter except in the case of the tires you can get flatspots. After a little driving they come out so jacking is not any better than leaving the car on the floor. Since there doesn't appear to be any relationship between failures of torsion bars with the doors left open or closed, it is probably better to leave them shut. As for the struts, when the doors are closed they are under greater pressure so you would think they would leak faster but again, it doesn't seem to make any difference in their longevity.

[AugustneverEnds]

If you are concerned about your torsion bar longevity all I have to say is roofbox separation. Secure the roofbox before it happens to you!

If your 'box is bolted down I'd say closed or open doesn't make a difference.

[carbob81]

Since the bars are still "stressed" in the open condition (albeit to lower values) I don't see much advantage to leaving the doors open.
Twisted metal does not really care about this load until you exceed the stress/strain curve. The failures here are quality control and there is no fix for that.
Not so good parts will die open or closed. Actually they die on cycles so opening the door is just as bad as closing it.
This "why and how" is a rabbit hole that is best not gone down.

Airing out the car can be good if in a nice environment.
I try to open and start mine every 4 months or so and drive it at least once a year.
A very good note above by Michael about critters. Mice and squirrels can destroy a stored car.
You can buy "car bags".
You can go nuts and fill them will inert gases which preserve rubber lines but only people with silly money do such and this never made sense to me.
Bob

[David T]

Critters seem to be able to get into parked cars even with the doors closed. They take the materiel from the seats and make a nest in the heater box and they chew up the wiring in the fuse box. They also get into the storage area in the front of the bonnet and eat the bag for the jack. One way to prevent it (besides a plastic bag to park the car in) is to use mothballs under the car (NOT inside). You also get insects like spiders but they mainly stay underneath. I had a project car once and when I put it in my garage they all started to drop to the floor and walk around. I had to spray then and kill them before they got into the house! Another car a squirrel had stored all of his nuts in the tailpipes. When we started it up we smelled roasting nuts and when I stepped on the gas they all shot out! There are stories of snakes in warm climates living in the cars that come out and surprise owners. The worst effects are in the Southwest. There are stories of owners working on cars that had droppings from mice infected with Hanta virus. That can be deadly. When you take in a car that has been stored outside for an extended period you have to treat it like a biological hazard!

[Michael]

Critters seem to be able to get into parked cars even with the doors closed.

Must you always find a loophole? Of course bugs and rodents can get into a car with doors closed. It's just not as likely. I swear everytime I post something on this board I need to write a legal disclaimer full of caveats and extenuating circumstances.
Q: If I parked my DeLorean in the rain with the doors up will it get wet?

A: Yes, close the doors

DT: Actually rain can still get inside if the seals are bad(goes on to rewrite the tech manual)

It's like you are a DeLorean edition of Adam Ruins Everything.

[Bitsyncmaster]

A mouse will find a way inside even with the doors shut. I do think your struts would last longer with the doors left open. There is a lot less tension on the bars with the doors open but not sure if that would extend the life of the bars.

[carbob81]

A determined mouse will find it's way into anything.
No sense inviting them in and making it easy.
You think a mouse bad, wait until you get squirrels or coons.
One can not close the door on a motorcycle or snowmobile just as the engine bay is wide open on a car or truck.
Varmints...Kill them all, no mercy......
Bob

[CFI]

I try to open and start mine every 4 months or so and drive it at least once a year.


You only drive your car once per year??? Sounds more like a decoration than a car:hysterical:

[mr_maxime]

It's like you are a DeLorean edition of Adam Ruins Everything.

Hahahaha

I always thought of him as the WebMD of Deloreans. Any minor issue you have is delorean cancer and you might as well start with another car.

[carbob81]

You only drive your car once per year??? Sounds more like a decoration than a car:hysterical:

Maybe you are right,.... at one time it was my only car winter and summer so it was never a big deal to me. Just like an Impala or other daily car.
Things change with enough time. I've loved and hated mine for a while now.
I like her and I think she still likes me.
The cars or others are never decorations and that is kind of an insult to the feel you have with them.
It can be a car, a boat, a sled or a bike.
You get in or climb on whichever and it's "Sweetheart, talk to me". If you don't understand that you don't feel the love.
It is never about what others think or want to look at. It is in your heart and the times spent together.
Mine's been good and bad and we have done good and bad things. That is a bound that can't be broken.
Bob

[Michael]

I like her and I think she still likes me.
The cars or others are never decorations and that is kind of an insult to the feel you have with them.
It can be a car, a boat, a sled or a bike.
You get in or climb on whichever and it's "Sweetheart, talk to me". If you don't understand that you don't feel the love.
It is never about what others think or want to look at. It is in your heart and the times spent together.
Mine's been good and bad and we have done good and bad things. That is a bound that can't be broken.
Bob
Love? Let me tell you something about love
61442

[CFI]

"Sweetheart, talk to me".

“Drive me more often.”

[Ron]

:biggrin:

[mr_maxime]

I recommend doors closed cause you're less likely to bang your head into them that way.