Indoor Car Covers

[dhallworth]

Morning all,

It's coming to that time of year in Scotland where my V8 Vantage won't be on the road much more this year.

I'm pondering the idea of one of the AM indoor car covers whilst my car sits inside over the winter and I've got a couple of questions that I'd like peoples thoughts on.

I know the cars have to be spotlessly clean when the covers go on them to prevent damage to the paint, obviously after washing a car you can dry the paint but there will still be water in places you can't reach. Do people put covers on them and just let them dry out over time?

The other thing I pondered was a carcoon so nothing is touching the paint.

I've kept cars inside over the years before but have never put a cover over them so would appreciate anybody's input.

Also, if you've got an AM indoor cover that would fit a 2014 V8 Vantage then give me a shout

Thanks,
David.

[kevin_cambs_uk]

I bought a cover from AM works
Fits lovely
I put it on every time it s back in the garage mainly if something falls on it it has a better chance of not leaving a scratch

Car is dry when it goes in and is pretty clean I don t sweat it being spotless and so far it s been great I should have done it years ago

Kev

[alscar]

dhallworth said:

Morning all,

It's coming to that time of year in Scotland where my V8 Vantage won't be on the road much more this year.

I'm pondering the idea of one of the AM indoor car covers whilst my car sits inside over the winter and I've got a couple of questions that I'd like peoples thoughts on.

I know the cars have to be spotlessly clean when the covers go on them to prevent damage to the paint, obviously after washing a car you can dry the paint but there will still be water in places you can't reach. Do people put covers on them and just let them dry out over time?

The other thing I pondered was a carcoon so nothing is touching the paint.

I've kept cars inside over the years before but have never put a cover over them so would appreciate anybody's input.

Also, if you've got an AM indoor cover that would fit a 2014 V8 Vantage then give me a shout

Thanks,
David.

I use the AM indoor cover that came with my GT8 which I believe is supplied by Specialised covers.
I ve also got other indoor covers supplied by Classic Additions whom I would also rate.
I never cover fully any car up with the cover until a day or so after it s been cleaned and in the meantime just put a cotton lightweight blanket over the top.

Edited by alscar on Sunday 4th October 13:18

[paulrog1]

Specialist Covers indoor pro are really good

https://www.specialisedcovers.com/p/indoor-pro/

[AstonZagato]

I tend to wait 24 hours after washing before putting on the cover.
However, unless the garage is heated, I'd make sure I had a dehumidifier.
I have an unheated garage, and one winter the dehumidifier failed. The indoor cover had become seriously damp by the time I discovered it.

[dhallworth]

That's an interesting point as my car is kept in a workshop that's 75ft long and 30ft wide along with a few other cars. On the really damp days you can see moisture on some of the cars.

Given the size of the workshop, there's no chance of heating it or dehumidifying it unfortunately.

Maybe leaving it without a cover on it is the best option.

[AstonZagato]

You don't need much heat. I slide a greenhouse heater under the car. If it is a touch warmer than everything else, the water will condense elsewhere.

[Apollya]

That or if you have enough space a car bubble would be a better option, they can be fitted with heaters and extractors

[dhallworth]

Have been researching Carcoons today. I think I'm going to go with one of them.

[Cakeandpolish]

What you have to also bear in mind is that Astons hold a lot of water after washing. Mainly tail lights, door handles and of course, the doors themselves. I suggest blowing them out after washing it and opening the door until it stops dripping, close it for a few mins and then same again.

Also, another option is to drape some bed sheets over it. Much safer and stops the clinging too

[dhallworth]

That's good advice, thank you.

One of the advantages with the carcoon is that you can open vents in it and use the built in fans to blow air over the car to dry it before closing the vents to seal it up.

[markymarkthree]

dhallworth said:

That's good advice, thank you.

One of the advantages with the carcoon is that you can open vents in it and use the built in fans to blow air over the car to dry it before closing the vents to seal it up.

Get a pet hairdrier to dry it out.
Fantastic bit of kit, i use it on my motorbikes and old car.

[RL17]

+2 for blowing with pet dryer, especially by wing mirror mounts and ad mentioned handles and tail lights.

Also give car a warm up run for 15 mins plus if roads dry.

[SHIFTY]

I have an indoor car cover from specialised covers but when leaving for long periods and then removing no matter how hard I tried I failed to stop all of the accumulation of dust dropping onto the soft top and on the bonnet.

This year I have used two king sized bed sheets dropped over the car and when using the car it is so much easier to remove and throw in the wash.

So this winter when the car is not being used as much it will have the proper cover on followed by two bed sheets on top of the cover.