Joe has a nice two-and-a-half-car garage attached to his house in Wonder Lake. But, with projects and ‘stuff’ he hasn’t found a place for yet, instead of using the garage for his pickup truck, he has a set of sawhorses and materials on the floor where the pickup truck would go. His wife parks her car in the garage. That’s because she ‘insisted.’

“If you don’t want to clear room in the garage for your pickup truck, that’s up to you,” she told Joe. “But, my car WILL go in the garage.”

Joe would like to keep his pickup truck in his Wonder Lake garage, too. But, how important is it?

Actually, it’s probably more important than Joe may think. There are distinct advantages to keeping a pickup truck, or a car, in the garage. Here are a few of them:

Rain, Snow and Ice, oh my: The most obvious reason to keep your pickup truck or car in the garage is that, while in the garage, the vehicle is out of the elements. The rain, the snow, the ice – the elements take their toll on a vehicle’s finish. The weather stripping around windows hardens. It’s just not good for the pickup truck or car. And it’s not good for the resale value.

That Sun is Brutal: Talk about abusing the finish of your pickup truck or car – the sun is brutal. It fades a vehicles finish in ways you don’t notice until the damage is done. You can’t avoid the sun, or the aforementioned elements, while using the vehicle, but you don’t have to leave it sitting there to bake while it’s parked at home.

Knicks, dents and scratches will happen: Things fall from trees. Kids throw balls that are poorly aimed. Yes, you should be careful in the garage, too, so that you don’t damage the vehicle. But, the odds are generally much better parked inside the garage rather than outside.

Hot or Frigid – extreme temperatures are hard on a vehicle. Most people are surprised to hear that summers are generally harder on a car’s battery than winter. However, batteries fail in the winter because the cold thickens the oil and makes it harder for the starter to turn the engine. Things expand and contract from heat and cold. This process takes its toll on a vehicle.

Some insurance companies offer discounts for pickup trucks and cars that are garage kept.

The windows may not require scraping in the winter, particularly if your garage is heated. A heated garage further helps a pickup truck or car avoid extremes of temperature.

Vehicles are safer from vandals and thieves. When locked in the garage, it’s not as easy for burglar or someone with a can of spray paint to assault your pickup truck or car, or their contents.

It’s a lot nicer getting into a car that isn’t frozen or steaming. That’s one of the nicest things about keeping the pickup truck or car in the garage.

Another nice thing with a garage is to have properly operating garage door openers. You don’t even have to step into the Wonder Lake elements; just hit the button, pull out, or in, and hit the button again.