Should I invest in a cover?

[lavaman]

With winter approaching, I'm starting to wonder whether it would be a good idea to purchase a cover for the Elise as it'll be parked on the driveway throughout winter. What with all the snow and heavy rain we'll (probably) be getting up in Scotland, is a cover recommended? Just thought it would be a good idea given that the engine bay has little air vents/slats and so do the front radiator and it'll be a little exposed, just worried the extreme weather might affect the car. I guess everytime I put the cover on I'll have to ensure the car is clean before putting the cover on the car as it might scratch the paintwork if there's grit still on the bodywork.

Can anyone advise? Thanks in advance.

[Podie]

There's a car cover company that advertises in the back of Evo... and their top of the range cover can be put on when the car is wet as it is fully breathable... expect to pay around £200 IIRC.

I also believe that Halfords do a fully breathable on for £60... might be worth a gander?

[135sport]

trouble is with any car cover is that the wind gets underneath it and causes it to flap. the wind will blow bits of grit under the cover scratching nicely.

even a breathable one will not stop the grit scratching as the cover gets battered by the wind.

i used to put a soft cover over mine, even in the garage, and the small breeze that would get around the garage door would get grit in and under the cover.

if you could really strap it down good and stop the wind from inflating the cover then you might be ok. not sure. plenty of good quality wax to protect the paint.

[Bonce]

Hmm, I never used to be worried about leaving my Elise outside but I'm a Southern Softie, and I do know that now my car lives in a garage it's not entirely happy about being left exposed outside when I can't garage it.

An Elemental shower cap was the best accessory I've bought for my car but it doesn't cover the engine bay. Don't worry about the front compartment, but it might be worth covering the engine bay vents with something if you know it's going to be very wet/snowy.

Temperature certainly won't be a problem, it's just water getting in the plugs and electrical system you need to be mindful of.

[lavaman]

Thanks for the advice chaps. Is there anything I could get to cover just the engine bay?

[135sport]

nothing that I have heard of.

might look naff......but just a bin bag (or something similar in plastic sheet) tucked in around the hatch edge. so that it is trapped tight by the seal will keep the worst of the weather out.

if you are going to end up using it everyday then any cover is going to get tiresome.

I have only heard of problems with water in the electrics when the car has been sat in real heavy rain. (I myself have never had any problems whilst driving in heavy rain.)

[bogie]

I picked up a Specialised cover for my S2 second hand for £80 (£200 new) - its one of the waterproof/breathable jobbies and is a glove like fit, elastic front and rear, with 4 quick release straps that go under the car - it also comes down all around the car to about 2" off the ground. It takes around 2 mins to put on/off...quicker than trying to defrost the front screen in the morning :-) I actually bought it due to my car being parked on a road lined with trees. The 1st autumn morning we had recently had me taking the fron compartment covers off to remove about 2" solid of leaves that had blown in...plus trying to get the sticky lime type stuff that comes off some of the trees off the roof/paintwork was a nightmare. I use my car daily and dont find it a hassle to remove in the morning (actually saves time) and put on at night.