Do outdoor covers protect your car...?
Discussion
I am parking my fairly pristine '88 Carrera 3.2 in the SW London streets. The combination of the near constant rain here and the color combo (GP white with black detailing) leads to black'ish traces below the door handle and rear wing after the rain (or in the breaks between the rain showers).
Would an outdoor car cover give overall a decent protection to the car? Any experience reports as to which one's are good? Are they abrasive due to the combination of dust and movement of the cover in the wind?
And lastly - how does the omnipresent parking attendant find your resident's permit?
Any help appreciated...
Would an outdoor car cover give overall a decent protection to the car? Any experience reports as to which one's are good? Are they abrasive due to the combination of dust and movement of the cover in the wind?
And lastly - how does the omnipresent parking attendant find your resident's permit?
Any help appreciated...
Covercraft www.covercraft-europe.com are tailor made and very good. I'd get the one made from Technalon which, as it's a thicker material than more expensive Weathershield, will protect from knocks and blow around less in wind.
roygarth said:
jbl930 said:
I've been told that outdoor covers are bad for your car as they aid rust by keeping the moisture in?
Decent outdoor covers are breathable like Gortex so don't keep moisture in.
Ahh, the wonders of modern materials, I stand corrected! Now all he needs is a cover with a small clear area to show his parking permit
Have you tried www.carcoverworld.com .. That's where I got my covercraft cover , at a fairly decent saving. I use it every night , keeps the cats off the car.
Yeah I got the Noah one too .. For some reason , it lets the moisture in from time to time .. Most of the time it stays completely rain proof 
Before you buy .. Here (to my so called mind) are the disadvantages:
* It takes about 2-3 mins to put on and off .. can get tiresome , especially rummaging under the car to put the locking wire on ...
* It makes the car more comfy and attractive to cats .. Grrrrr. If you're really unlucky they start marking their territory on the lower edges of it , and you only get to notice this when you're in your best suit , late for an interview ..
* It can make for unwanted curiosity among passers by if you're parked on street.
*If you don't keep the car perfectly clean , when you put the cover on , it gets dirty on the inside , so the next time you clean your car and put the cover on , all the shoite from the inside of the cover transfers back onto the car .. Hey presto , one feckin dirty car again.
*You can't pull the cover down over the exhaust pipes immediately after parking up .. It'll melt the material on the cover.(and I have the cigarette-like holes in my cover to prove it!!)
* As soon as you get the wire under the car and the lock on the cover in the evening .. you'll remember you left your phone in the car..
NOW .. If you have no problem with the above , you'll have a long and fruitful relationship with your cover.
!!!
Before you buy .. Here (to my so called mind) are the disadvantages:
* It takes about 2-3 mins to put on and off .. can get tiresome , especially rummaging under the car to put the locking wire on ...
* It makes the car more comfy and attractive to cats .. Grrrrr. If you're really unlucky they start marking their territory on the lower edges of it , and you only get to notice this when you're in your best suit , late for an interview ..
* It can make for unwanted curiosity among passers by if you're parked on street.
*If you don't keep the car perfectly clean , when you put the cover on , it gets dirty on the inside , so the next time you clean your car and put the cover on , all the shoite from the inside of the cover transfers back onto the car .. Hey presto , one feckin dirty car again.
*You can't pull the cover down over the exhaust pipes immediately after parking up .. It'll melt the material on the cover.(and I have the cigarette-like holes in my cover to prove it!!)
* As soon as you get the wire under the car and the lock on the cover in the evening .. you'll remember you left your phone in the car..
NOW .. If you have no problem with the above , you'll have a long and fruitful relationship with your cover.
!!!ballcock said:
* It takes about 2-3 mins to put on and off .. can get tiresome , especially rummaging under the car to put the locking wire on ...
*If you don't keep the car perfectly clean , when you put the cover on , it gets dirty on the inside , so the next time you clean your car and put the cover on , all the shoite from the inside of the cover transfers back onto the car .. Hey presto , one feckin dirty car again.
*You can't pull the cover down over the exhaust pipes immediately after parking up .. It'll melt the material on the cover.(and I have the cigarette-like holes in my cover to prove it!!)
* As soon as you get the wire under the car and the lock on the cover in the evening .. you'll remember you left your phone in the car..
I certainly agree with all those comments above especially teh one about leaving the damn mobile in the car
But still it's worth it!!! By the way Ballcock, how do you actually lock the cover down? I've had the cover for 2 weeks now and I have these two green expandable wires with the clips on the end... I just can't figure out how you are supposed to "lock" the cover to prevent someone from stealing it.I don't like them:
When wet they cling to the paint and can't dry as quick
When dry and windy they flap against the paint
I think they caused the interior to steam up on damp days, whereas uncovered the car always had clear window inside.
People are more likely to be nosy with a car under a cover IMO
I used one for a short time in January one year, but found som many micro-scratches on the paint from it i stopped. I didn't like the fact that the interior of the car was misting up, i never had a problem before or since and its amazing how clear the windows are on that car now (good insulation).
I'm also convinced putting the car under a cover invites people to look at it because the cover catches their eye and they are curious. If they find a nice car like a porsche under the cover jealousy often prevails ("oo so he wants to protect his penis extension..." etc). That same porsche parked in a busy street nose to tail with other cars would probably not be noticed as much if uncovered.
When wet they cling to the paint and can't dry as quick
When dry and windy they flap against the paint
I think they caused the interior to steam up on damp days, whereas uncovered the car always had clear window inside.
People are more likely to be nosy with a car under a cover IMO
I used one for a short time in January one year, but found som many micro-scratches on the paint from it i stopped. I didn't like the fact that the interior of the car was misting up, i never had a problem before or since and its amazing how clear the windows are on that car now (good insulation).
I'm also convinced putting the car under a cover invites people to look at it because the cover catches their eye and they are curious. If they find a nice car like a porsche under the cover jealousy often prevails ("oo so he wants to protect his penis extension..." etc). That same porsche parked in a busy street nose to tail with other cars would probably not be noticed as much if uncovered.
type-r said:
By the way Ballcock, how do you actually lock the cover down? I've had the cover for 2 weeks now and I have these two green expandable wires with the clips on the end... I just can't figure out how you are supposed to "lock" the cover to prevent someone from stealing it.
It sounds like mines a bit different , I've got two holes in my cover either side of the 'b' posts and the wire goes under the car ,the wires got a hoop at the end so I use a little padlock to secure it.
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