Can I leave my ukulele in the car?

[JEngle1122]

I would never do that with my violin for loads of reasons.

But, assuming it's not too hot, or too cold.......
and for the sake of this post let's assume I'm 0% concerned about theft/the car being broken into (so this question is primarily about the ambient environment inside the car)......

Is it reasonable to leave the uke in the car sometimes?

It sure would make taking it from place to place easier, and I just wanted to see if there's a possibility I'm worrying about it for no reason.

Thank you!

 

[badhabits]

Sure, if not too hot or too cold or worried about theft... those are the main issues of concern. but I'd ask myself, how easy would it be to replace? would you be kicking yourself if it was damaged or stolen?

 

[rhiggie]

The short answer is "it depends". What's your uke worth? As already mentioned, if something were to happen, can you just go buy another one? If I'm running if to get a haircut on a cool day, I'm okay leaving my uke in the car (with the windows down an inch). The problem with cars is you forget how hot they can get sitting in full sun. You're outside walking around with a nice cool breeze blowing thinking "my uke is fine", but in the car with no breezes the temps can get hot. The safest thing to do is spend a couple thousand dollars on a Blackbird uke (or less on an Outdoor uke) and then don't worry!

 

[BigJackBrass]

Personally I'd be reluctant to do so with a solid wood instrument for more than a very short stretch. A laminate or partial laminate construction (such as a Fluke or Flea) would concern me less, but I'd still keep it out of the sun, which is usually easily done where I live.

There have been a number of threads about ukuleles specifically for leaving in cars most of the time, with the consensus tending towards cheap laminates or a plastic uke like the Enya Nova Mini.

 

[anthonyg]

Meh. I leave ukuleles in the car all the time.
Do I park the car in a shady spot when its hot? Yes I do.

 

[don_b]

My recommendation is to just not do it unless you want to spend the whole time wondering if it’s been in the car too long, or if one day the playability seems weird and you can’t resist wondering whether it’s because of that time you left it in the car, stuff like that. For me it would be more about the mind games associated with leaving it in the car.

 

[John Colter]

I keep a cheap soprano ukulele in my car at all times. Of course, the climate in England is much more temperate that some others but on hot days being shut in a car could destroy a decent uke. The first uke I treated like this was a yellow Mahalo. There have been times when it was almost too hot to handle but the only damage was to the strings. They became soggy and lifeless. The Mahalo is still in good condition. The car uke is now an HPL bought direct from China for less than £30. It is withstanding my abuse really well, provided I replace the strings as necessary.

 

[Jerryc41]

I would never do that with my violin for loads of reasons.

But, assuming it's not too hot, or too cold.......
and for the sake of this post let's assume I'm 0% concerned about theft/the car being broken into (so this question is primarily about the ambient environment inside the car)......

Is it reasonable to leave the uke in the car sometimes?

It sure would make taking it from place to place easier, and I just wanted to see if there's a possibility I'm worrying about it for no reason.

Thank you!

Lots of people buy a uke that can stay in the car, enjoy the beach, and like kayaking. These can be cheap wood ukes or ukes make from plastic, composite, or carbon fiber.

 

[Poul Hansen]

I have dedicated Ukulele, travel guitar and mandolin in the car in their gigbag. Never had any problem.

 

[Oldscruggsfan]

I particularly appreciate the OP b/c I'm considering moving Yowling Tom from the office to my car. Since (A) southeastern CONUS humidity is notoriously high and (B) practically no one has a reasonable basis to break into my 15-y-o SUV, my primary concern is avoiding accidentally sitting on my uke, etc. When leaving a cheap uke in your car, do you usually stand it in a corner of a passenger seat, lay it in a trunk/ boot, use a hard case, wrap its strap over the top of a seat and let it hang behind that seat, or hide it under some sort of lightweight item?

 

[Eggs_n_Ham]

I particularly appreciate the OP b/c I'm considering moving Yowling Tom from the office to my car. Since (A) southeastern CONUS humidity is notoriously high and (B) practically no one has a reasonable basis to break into my 15-y-o SUV, my primary concern is avoiding accidentally sitting on my uke, etc. When leaving a cheap uke in your car, do you usually stand it in a corner of a passenger seat, lay it in a trunk/ boot, use a hard case, wrap its strap over the top of a seat and let it hang behind that seat, or hide it under some sort of lightweight item?

The Tom is a work of art! Leave him in the car?!
Never!

 

[John Colter]

"When leaving a cheap uke in your car, do you usually stand it in a corner of a passenger seat, lay it in a trunk/ boot, use a hard case, wrap its strap over the top of a seat and let it hang behind that seat, or hide it under some sort of lightweight item?"

Mine lives in a stout fabric gig bag and just lies around on the back seat. I can't remember the last time a passenger rode in the back.

 

[Wiggy]

In general, no matter the value, I don't leave any of my ukes in the car on a hot sunshiny day. When I have to take a chance, they go in the trunk.
Overcast or rainy? Sure, anytime. Sub freezing? No.

I too have "travel" instruments for unpredictable environments.

Am I overly cautious? Probably.

 

[John Stephen]

I would never do that with my violin for loads of reasons.

But, assuming it's not too hot, or too cold.......
and for the sake of this post let's assume I'm 0% concerned about theft/the car being broken into (so this question is primarily about the ambient environment inside the car)......

Is it reasonable to leave the uke in the car sometimes?

It sure would make taking it from place to place easier, and I just wanted to see if there's a possibility I'm worrying about it for no reason.

Thank you!

Whether you leave it in the car in terms of temp/humidity, is a very individual choice. If your climate has any weather extremes, I'd say don't.

I'm envious that you live in a place where you are 0% concerned about theft/break-ins. Lucky you!

 

[baconsalad]

I have a Nova Mini for my truckulele. I expect it would be left behind when they break in since the $/sqin. is pretty low compared to the tires and wheels. Nothing is safe, including catalytic converters where I live.

 

[John Stephen]

Ditto where I live.

 

[Oldscruggsfan]

The Tom is a work of art! Leave him in the car?!
Never!

Thanks, but after further thought of our GA summers, the primary issue that gives me pause is the damage to my car's seats & the permanent odor should YT's many coats of spray poly sealant heat up enough to melt & drip . . .

EDIT: As to the risk of a break-in, I've never had a problem with car break-ins since I acquired the good sense to avoid putting a National Rifle Association decal on any of the windows. Much the same as Apple, Smith & Wesson, Glock and other "Expensive Stuff That I Own" stickers, my NRA sticker was the equivalent of a huge sign saying, "Hey dudes, there is likely to be a highly marketable item hidden in this car. Go get a hammer."

 

[Mike Dollarsign]

I would never leave a uke in my car because due to the nature of curved glass, aliens can see better inside your car from space and detect your ukuleles. We all know how much space aliens love ukuleles.

 

[Mfturner]

I used to leave my Flight TUS in the car all the time, even in summer heat. Just lying on the back seat, no special care. Tuning would always need attention of course.

 

[rainbow21]

Put a cheap temperature/humidity gauge where you would leave it and decide then.

the trunk should be much cooler than the passenger area, likely the same as the outside temperature. The passenger area heats up from the greenhouse effect whi is why kids, pets and ukuleles should not be left there