Car Covers

[slack]

Any thoughts on car covers? I did a quick search and it looks like some people like them and some people hate them...

Do you get water resistant? Breathable?

There's so many options it makes my head spin. I'm just looking for something that will keep the rain/snow off the car but won't rust it out from hidden water pools underneath.


Thanks in advance.

[87gtVIC]

I have a weathersheild HP. Used for three years straight so far on the Vic. It rubs the paint from the hem lines of the cover but it is waterproof and breathable. A little compound at it cleans the clear coat right up.
For me it is the lesser of two evils. I can deal with a little compounding every now and then as opposed to dealing with EVERYTHING getting into contact and RUINING the paint.

My car always looks like new once the cover is off. No water spots at all.

It was over $500 but totally worth it.

[DerekTheGreat]

I run California Car cover stuff. http://www.calcarcover.com/n_carcovermaterials/All
I believe the one I have for the Fury and my dad's car are Stormweave. They have a whole lot of options to suit your needs though.

[sly]

I use a garage.

[jaywish]

I have been using the Weathershield HP fabric for 12 years now. As David said lightweight, heat, UV and water resistant.

Almost all of the good custom covers are made by covercraft and resold through it's network of dealers. Most use the same names for the fabrics. California Car Covers is an exception. They are sell covercraft but they change the names of the fabrics. For example Weathershield HP is marketed as Superweave by California Covers.

Weathershield HP is not designed for ding protection. They have one fabric now which is Weathershield HD(Heavy Duty). California calls it Superweave Premium. It provides more protection then HP but at the expense of more bulk and the site says it is not as silky as the HP.

There is a list of resellers on the covercraft site. They sell for less then covercraft will sell it to you. That is the arrangement they have with their retailers.

Here is a link to the covercraft fabric table. Same stuff as California Covers but different names. CCC is a good company and I have bought from them as well as autoanything and carcoversdirect.
http://www.covercraft.com/us/en/compare-chart

[gadget73]

Honestly I'd be inclined to funnel the money spent for a good cover into a carport instead. Where I live, if you put a car cover on you've either got a wind powered sander, or a combination kite and mirror removal tool.

[jaywish]

Carports are a very good idea. Carport with a car cover, now you are talking. I use the covers if the car is going to be stored for the winter inside a garage or outside and not moved for a few days or so. This keeps a clean car clean.

You never want to put a cover on a dirty or dusty car as it will grind in the dirt as gadget said. If it is dirty leave it exposed until the car can be cleaned.

[dmccaig]

Used straight paint, no clearcoat 12 years ago. $2000 (more now). Never garaged or protected. About time for a new paint job. Donald

[DerekTheGreat]

I had the same idea Donald has, just paint it again when the time comes. But then with a cover you also save the other things that get trashed by UV damage like your interior, lenses and trim bits. I cover the Fury for that reason but it's paint sucks, it's more or less just to keep the leaves and further UV damage off of it. Dad just got one for his car in Florida for when he's not there. That has good paint on it so I'll be able to see just how much scuffing the cover causes. CCC claims it won't damage the paint but you know how that goes.

[knucklehead0202]

Have been rolling this idea around. It never rains here but the sun just murders things line vinyl tops and dashboards. We only have a 1-car garage so the better half's new Flex gets parked in there, reasonably enough I suppose. Also don't get much wind so I'm not really worried about that. UV protection would be my biggest concern.

[jaywish]

Sunbrella is great for UV. It is very popular for boat canvas but it is not the softest on paint.

[DerekTheGreat]

White is the best color for UV resistance. All inorganic pigments are though. A carport would be groovy for your needs Khead.

[knucklehead0202]

Would that I could. All street parallel-parking here buddy, so a carport is a no-go. My tires will crack from weather before I ever wear them out. At least I could park the bitch up and put a cover on it without too much trouble. May have to do this before my poor top gets any worse. It's going to need replacement but not happening this year.

[sxcpotatoes]

I will probably have to get a cover for my '62 Jeep since it has no top (unless you count the bikini). Will probably be the last thing bought this fall when I park it. I may look into storage for the winter but I can't see paying $100+/month and having it where I can't see it hasn't been stolen every day.