my cayman (non-s) always seems to get a little "stuck" the morning after i wash it. i usually wash it late saturday afternoon and leave it in the garage after i wipe it dry and don't drive it until the next morning. as i attempt to back out of the garage on sunday morning, the car feels like it is "stuck" and i have to depress the accelerator a little more than usual in order to "break free." when this happens, i usually hear a noise that i can best describe as the sound that seized parts would make after they break free. i don't notice any problems after and all appears to be fine.

however, yesterday morning (the day after i washed the car), the car wouldn't move, no matter how much gas i gave. i put it in 1st, then reverse, then 1st, then reverse and the car wouldn't move. i double checked to make sure the parking brake was released, but the car wouldn't move until a few more 1st then reverse attempts. when the car did move, it make the "break free" sound as it has in the past, except this time it was much louder. the car appears to be fine and there does not seem to be any problems.

what could be causing this? could water from washing be causing something to seize? should i drive the car around a little after washing to get the water out of the nooks?

I have had a similar occurrence after I washed my CS and parked it immediately afterwards. Mine was attributed to the parking break rusting onto the rotors. If you don't drive your car after you wash it, the rotor quickly start to rust on the surface. This is easily remedied by driving the car a bit before you put it away. Get the rotors heated up enough to evaporate any surface water and I doubt this will happen again.

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Probably the pads stuck to the rotors from setting the handbrake while wet (and cold). Assuming your garage floor is level, next time try just leaving it in gear and not using the handbrake after washing.

This is the best solution - be aware that when you drive off or back the car out of the garage, you'll hear some scraping noises the first couple of times you apply the brakes - this is the pads scrubbing off the rust on the rotors that's mentioned in the above posts... nothing to worry about there either - the rust comes right off with a few applications of the brake - try not to get into a situation where you'll need a panic stop until you've got all the rust off - probably about three regular applications of the brakes.

brad

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My CS does the same thing when the wheels are wet and then dry. I never have a problem "unseizing" them though - but it does not sound pretty when first breaking them loose of the surface rust on the rotor!

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I've had this happen on other cars as well. Everyone is right. It's just rust.

thanks for the advice everyone. next time i wash the croc, i won't set the parking brake.

well, i washed the cayman again yesterday and this time i did not engage the parking brake as has been suggested. unfortunately, the car still seized, although not as bad as last weekend. perhaps something else other than the parking brake is getting stuck? anyway, next time i wash the car, i'll drive around the neighborhood a little before i park it in the garage. maybe that'll address the issue.

Garrrett,

That's what I do after washing my CS, does a great job at drying the rotors and pads, no rust problem, but be prepared to clean your rims again 'cuz they'll get dirty again, esp the inside.

aloha, alan

Yes, drive the car a few miles, applying the brakes a few times to heat up and dry out the pads and rotors. I never set the parking brake in the garage; just put it in gear. There is one drawback to driving the car afterwards. Water has collected in the holes around the edge of the rotor. That water will be thrown out onto the wheel centers and leave a brown residue where no one but you will notice. Just wipe it off after you park it.

Got to be the parking brake, cause mine does it too and I have PCCB.

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if the parking brake is the culprit, its not the only one. as i indicated, after i washed the car this past weekend, i did not engage the parking brake as suggested by others. however, the next morning i still experienced the same thing...the car got stuck. evidently, something else (or in addition to) beside the parking brake is seizing up.

I'd hazard a guess that it is still just the parking brake.
After washing the Cayman last Friday evening I had the same issue on Saturday morning and so, realising that it was rust on the discs (rotors to you) I took a closer look at the pads sitting in the calipers. It's apparent that even if you don't apply the parking brake the pads are in close enough contact with the discs to stick slightly when rust is present.
Strange when I think about it. Here in the UK we probably get as much rain as most other places, moreso this summer, but the discs don't appear to rust up as a result of driving in wet conditions or when just parked up.

i noticed the same thing. when it rains and i park and engage the parking brake, i do not experience the same problem. i wonder why that is the case?