Pat Goss:Keeping your collectible cars safe and secure and without damage can be a real problem, and to give us some advice on that we have Mr. McKeel Hagerty, president of Hagerty Insurance. Now in your business, you see all kinds of stuff.

McKeel Hagerty: That’s right. You wouldn’t believe the number of accidents and claims that happen right in people’s garages.

Goss: Okay, some examples.

Hagerty: Well, the most extreme example is fire. People store solvents and paints in bad places or oily rags near ignition sources, and it’s very, very important that you keep those things out of the way, away from ignition sources. And hopefully store your solvents and paints in a metal cabinet.

Goss: Okay. What else?

Hagerty: Well, the messiest example is infestation. Mice, raccoons, they love to camp out in your garage and they love to chew their way into collector cars. It’s very important that you are aware, that you plug holes, you do weather stripping, you use some copper wool in the holes that they might get into. Put some d-CON or different kind of poison around to keep the mice out. Very important. You’ll save yourself some wiring harnesses repair, which can very expensive to fix, or the nest in the seat are a good example.

Goss: Okay. Now one thing that we find in the repair business that’s really hazardous, floor jacks, the handles of them.

Hagerty: That’s right. Floor jacks, a lot of people have them, and their handles will flip down on the car very easily and do quite a bit of damage very quickly. And that’s true with a lot of tools, such as garden equipment, lawn tractors, rakes, shovels, that sort of thing hung on the peg board. It just takes a little slip to do a little bit of damage.

Goss: Mmm-hmm. Bicycles.

Hagerty: Well, bicycles are the same way. People, you know, they’ll either tip into the side of a car, especially if they’re uncovered it can do a lot of damage very quickly. We recommend car covers even in the garage. Where also if you hang your bike over the top of your car, it doesn’t take much and once again, do a lot of damage.

Goss: Okay. Car covers in the garage, part of security.

Hagerty: That’s right.

Goss: What other things on security?

Hagerty: Well, security is important and people don’t think about it. Security systems aren’t absolutely necessary, but you should keep your garage locked, especially if it’s away, located on your property but away from the main house. People love to get in there, and no one wants to see their baby taken from them.

Goss: So a lot of common sense involved here.

Hagerty: That’s right. That’s the main thing.

Goss: McKeel, thank you very much. McKeel Hagerty from Hagerty Insurance.