Best car cover to protect shite outside?

[dieselnutjob]

My 604 is sat out in the rain which is making me feel guilty.  I am also thinking that it is better to prevent rust than repair it.

 

Also I will need to remove doors to repair them at some point so it will need a cover anyway.

 

A couple of years ago I bought a cover, it was the one recommended by Practical Classics and is breathable but I haven't been happy with it.  Whenever I removed it the car was always slightly damp underneath, and brand new chrome mirrors quickly got covered in surface rust.

 

Eventually it tore.

 

SWMBO has said that I can have a new one as a present.  What should I buy? 

[chaseracer]

Hammer a......?

 

No.

[twosmoke300]

Cat piss tarp challenge ?

[dieselnutjob]

The one I bought last time was a "Classic Additions Outdoor Breathable Car Cover"

 

I think this one https://www.classicadditions.com/car-covers/outdoor-car-covers/lightweight-breathable.html

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I could do with a cover for the Argenta

[xtriple]

I have never had an outdoor cover but the chap next door (old place) had a Rover V8 S and a Triumph 2000 auto that he treated like babies (good lad Ray, nice bloke) and he always bought the very nest he could get  hundreds at a time for the things.

 

Invariably they ripped in the wind, the cars were always damp underneath the covers and on occasion they would get 'polished' by the cover and wind. I wasn't a fan.

[dollywobbler]

Those folding garages that look like an old pram hood seem the best option to be honest. Car covers are always going to struggle, and will scratch the paint unless the car is spotless before use.

[For Fiats Sake]

The one I bought last time was a "Classic Additions Outdoor Breathable Car Cover"

 

I think this one https://www.classicadditions.com/car-covers/outdoor-car-covers/lightweight-breathable.html

I bought one of those too at the NEC recently, not cheap but came recommended by guy on the Fiat owners stand.

Just waiting for the car to dry out so I can put the bloody thing on.

[Barry Cade]

No No No No.

 

I had a tailored and very expensive breathable cover for an X1/9 years ago. upon removing it it had rubbed all the paint off the wing edges and car was covered in condensation. Kinder to the car to be left in the fresh air and kept clean and waxed.

[montytom]

I remember my dad buying one for his old red Corsair. It was a breathable one , A couple hundred quids worth with white fabric innards to stop chafing. Well that was damp underneath and also had red marks all over it. In the end he got so fed up he built a double garage to keep it and his other car in.

 

The ones you blow up are meant to be good though

[dave21478]

Car covers are invariably shit. I would suggest a good wash and wax and leave it uncovered. Doesnt help you if you have the doors off though - perhaps just cover it for a short while as you do the work?

[steveo3002]

ive worked as a car painter for years , i get to see alot of blister paint from car covers

 

my advice is to wash and wax the car regular and leave it be they do more harm than good

 

if you have to try one , take it off as often as you can when its dry to let the car breathe 

[spike60]

I used a fleece backed one in the 6 winters on my Corvette as long it was clean and dry before I put it on but the paint on the roof developed blisters not long before I sold it. Caused by the cover? Previous poor paint job? Why only the roof? No problems with rubbing and the paint was soft as shit.

[billyboy406v6]

Good quality wax !

[steveo3002]

I used a fleece backed one in the 6 winters on my Corvette as long it was clean and dry before I put it on but the paint on the roof developed blisters not long before I sold it. Caused by the cover? Previous poor paint job? Why only the roof? No problems with rubbing and the paint was soft as shit.

cheaper  paint jobs will be the first to blister

 

celly will blister no problems vs original modern paint might well last ok 

 

i dunno why but yeah you get reports that some folk have no bother at all , but is still say theres a big risk of blisters , and if it does blister then its no cheap blow over to correct it , you need to sand back all of the paint and start again 

[Twiggy]

A car port perhaps ? Nothing touching the car, air can circulate freely, and you could work under it.

[mercrocker]

Plus one on the carport. I have NEVER had any luck with car covers. I think not having any doors though would be the one reason I would use something - even just to wrap the roof and openings, held down tight with old fence posts or something. If I was doing that I still wouldn't waste my money on a car cover - just a big nylon tarp. Once the doors are back on, all as above I reckon....

[Bobthebeard]

No luck here with car covers either. As above, caused abrasion damage and condensation. I have had far better results by just cleaning the (off the road for ages) car every few weeks. Clean off all the wind blown detritus and bird poo followed by a wash with some decent car wash/wax.

Given that rain is actually only water, not acid, rain wont do any more damage to the car than washing it would. At least if it is kept clean no more harm should occur than if it was being driven. A build up of leaves or tree sap etc will be detrimental.

Verdict, keep it clean and out in the breeze.

(IMHO of course)

[willswitchengage]

The Halfords Advanced on is really good for £50, even if I have spent most of the weekend battling against the wind to keep it on!

[gordonbennet]

I've been wondering what to do with the Merc, now the salt's gone down it will only get used on the odd dry clean day.

 

First couple of years we covered it for winter but didn't leave any of the windows open, the paint was ok but second season the leather was covered in mould, which fortunately cleaned off, haven't used the cover since.

 

Reckon it'll be left uncovered and opened up to allow it to breath on dry days.

 

Have a good old CTEK charger ticking over on it to keep the battery up to scratch.

 

Would love a car port but how the house is designed thats a non starter.

[Dick Cheeseburger]

Yup, they're shite. They even made my old mk3 Cavalier go rusty. Who'd have thought it?

[Bobthebeard]

Thinking about it.....,

If a car is in regular use and kept outdoors it is uncovered. The mechanical parts suffer from not being used. I suspect that car covers are 'sold' rather than 'needed'. Just another marketing target for the worried owner?

[steveo3002]

yeah cars are made to sit outside , just washing and waxing and open it up on a fine day to let the air through it will keep it okay , its road salt and caked on mud that ruins them 

 

if its of high value and mint then it ought to be a garage 

[lisbon_road]

I have a cover.  Has a soft inner layer and a thicker plastic outer.  I reckon it is good in the pouring rain, as it stops the water from pouring in the sunroof drains and in the doors and bulkhead, which it will do on the best of cars.  Is true that it can get damp underneath but I still use it when I can but do not leave it on for too long.  Garage or car port is best but not always an option.  

[Bobthebeard]

yeah cars are made to sit outside , just washing and waxing and open it up on a fine day to let the air through it will keep it okay , its road salt and caked on mud that ruins them 

 

if its of high value and mint then it ought to be a garage

 

Cars are actually ok outside... Who on here really covers up a daily car each evening? Unless parked in a garage. Houses are made to be ok outside also... Does anyone put a cover on the house when they go on holiday?

[coalnotdole]

[mercrocker]

My Mini managed to completely de-construct itself in a Marley garage - even the rear seat pan under the cushion rotted. Only if a vehicle leaks or there is an easy storage option do I put them away now.

 

T25 Dampervan is a particularly wet sponge this year owing to windscreen seal problems. I have the use of an agricultural building several miles away and the SORN period helps offset the cost of this. Its big enough inside to get plenty of air around it and easy enough to get it out for airing/running up. I have successfully kept this outside by rubbing hard body wax into the seams and around the window surrounds. Covers for these are a bastard to fit and put you off airing the vehicle.

 

The 190E lives outside permanently (thankfully it doesn't leak and I keep the sunroof channels clear), the two Morrises rotate between council lock up and car-port. I don't use the Cowley daily but take advantage of every clear, windy day to get it out in the open. The Minor is a daily and stays out in the rain at work so I just make sure its dry before its turn in the lock up.

 

I also take all the carpets and insulation out of both cars all through the winter. Its easy enough to slip them all back in for a long-ish run (bloody noisy with bare floors!) and I have also drilled big ventilation holes in the sills and chassis legs.

 

If I had a choice I would just have one damn great carport but micro-managing the moisture that develops in a car (I did also use kitty litter when I had a damp lock up - it reduces the mould that builds up on upholstery etc) will help ensure its survival. Fresh air is your friend!

[steveo3002]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1-5-kg-DRY-AIR-CAR-HOME-DEHUMIDIFIER-BAG-MOISTURE-ABSORBER-RECHARGEABLE-/171439852691?hash=item27ea9c8c93:g:nMIAAOSwaNBUhg~H

 

ive got a couple of these in our cars , one car lives out and one in a council garage , not damp probs on either of them 

 

just dry those bags out as and when req , maybe twice over winter for the outside car

[dieselnutjob]

I can't put a garage or car port in front of the house because it's in front of the building line. Maybe I should look at perambulator covers.

[Station]

I agree with leaving it uncovered. I found cheap ones end up 500 metres down the road in a tree. They always seem to keep the car wet underneath as well.