The coronavirus pandemic has caused tourism to decline. Airlines, cruises, and hotel industries are seeing less activity than in years before. Getaway destinations such as ski resorts and amusement parks have also seen temporary closures to eliminate large gatherings and hopefully slow the spread of the coronavirus.
These circumstances have negatively impacted rental car businesses. Especially since over 30% of car rentals are picked up from the airport — leaving unused rental cars waiting in lots. A representative for the American Car Rental Association (ACRA) reports that car rentals are down 80% nationwide.
This goes for auto dealerships as well, with General Motors reporting a 34% drop in sales year over year. Car purchases have understandably decreased because of higher rates of unemployment and the overall sharp decline of the economy.
If no one’s renting or purchasing these vehicles, they’re sitting in lots oftentimes uncovered and unprotected. While business is slow, this is an ideal time for rental companies and dealerships to reconsider their vehicle storage solutions.
Consequences of Uncovered Cars
Vehicles left uncovered outdoors are very vulnerable to damage from the elements. Hot temperatures and consistent UV rays can oxidize the exteriors of cars. This environmental exposure causes color change and the coating material to become brittle. Hours and hours of direct sunlight can also fade the dashboard and cause damage to the interior upholstery.
Cold or stormy weather can also do extreme damage to unprotected vehicles. Cars that sit out in chilly temperatures can sustain exterior damage from snow, frost, and hail.
In addition to weather issues, uncovered vehicles are not protected from natural debris such as tree branches, bird droppings, and pollen.
Whether you’re working at a car rental company or auto dealership, the cars on your lot to always look appealing. The cost to repair vehicles damaged from not being covered can cause any business to take a big financial hit. Use portable carports or covered parking structures to protect the cars — and your investment.
[Related: Five Reasons Why You Need a Carport If You Park Your Car Outside]
What’s the Solution?
So what’s a good solution? Setting up portable tensioned fabric carports to protect your cars on display is simple and cost-effective. Protecting your investment, will save you from headaches and financial woes in the future.
Cost-Effective Tensioned Fabric Structures
Tensioned fabric structures offer many cost-saving benefits compared to traditional garages because they are oftentimes considered temporary buildings. Depending on your city or county building codes, this may mean you don’t have to apply for a building permit. If you are considering installing a fabric building, we recommend first contacting your local department of planning and permitting for specific rules and regulations.
Additionally, many fabric carports and fabric garage structures don’t need a contractor to set them up either, further reducing the price of protecting the cars on your lot.
Easy-to-Install Portable Garages
Many portable garages can be set up within a few hours depending on the building size. Oftentimes, you may not need to have any previous contracting or building experience. If you have the ability to follow the simple instructions, you’ll be able to put together the prefabricated structures.
Portable Buildings
Tensioned fabric structures can be used as permanent or temporary structures, depending on the design and engineering. Choosing a portable building design allows you to quickly establish a safe place to store vehicles and, if needs change, easily relocate it to a different location.
Why Engineered Fabric Buildings From WeatherPort?
Tens of thousands of customers have enjoyed the high-quality WeatherPort® outdoor event facility from Alaska Structures® over the past 50 years, and have used them to protect their vehicles from some of the world’s most extreme environments.
Our carports and portable garages feature high-strength framing systems and rugged architectural membranes that are easy to install and built to last. Our long-lasting tensioned membranes are resistant to mold and mildew, flame-retardant, and able to withstand prolonged UV-ray exposure. In addition to doing the best job at protecting your vehicles year-round (especially during the slow business due to the coronavirus pandemic), our tensioned fabric structures are endlessly customizable. We offer prefabricated buildings in a large assortment of models and sizes, and they can be equipped with metal roll-up doors, garage doors, personnel doors, lighting and electrical systems, security systems, insulation packages, as well as HVAC systems to efficiently maintain a safe interior temperature to store and protect vehicles. Additionally, our custom-built structures can be custom-designed with a variety of color choices and patterns, and can be branded with your rental company or dealership logo!
Worried about the unused cars sitting on your rental lot or dealership property? Do you have questions about how to easily protect your investment and your business with WeatherPort engineered fabric buildings?
WeatherPort® is a brand of high-quality fabric buildings from Alaska Structures®. If you are interested in learning more about our fabric buildings and remote camp systems please contact us by calling +1-907-344-1565 or completing our online form to request a consultation.
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