Car cover

[jwash]

All, I need some input. I just moved my family to a new house and wont have access to a garage at the house until May. What does everyine think of so called "outdoor" car covers? Do they hold up to the test of protecting our beloved P-cars? Bare in mind that we are in northern California and spring has sprung (limited moisture). Also, how tough are these things on paint? My car is an 84 3.2 in fantastic shape. Our beloved sponsor has several options available. Is there a favorite brand or style out there?

Thanks!

[steve1rob2]

The only reason I would use a car cover is to protect the car from the sun, nothing else and IMHO they are more a detriment than help and I live in Florida. My buddy used a cover on his every day for about three months and noticed the paint had worn off the wheel well opening from the wind rustling the cover. You might have to wash it a little more often, but I would let it sit outside before I would cover it.

Fantastic looking car. I would not risk what looks like a great paint finish if it was me. Find some shade and keep it clean.

[dshepp806]

My P.O. used a lower grade cover and I constantly fight the scratching that has happened over time......... learned real quick to attach the securing connectors, as wind will do a number on your paint over time....

I use mine primarily if it rains,..otherwise, uncovered as much as possible....

Be sure to get a very high grade cover.

Best,

[slodave]

I have a heavier duty cover from Pelican and it is used in my "garage" aka under my town home, but I don't actually have a garage door, so the wind blows dust around like crazy. No paint problems here in SoCal. If my cars were covered out in the open and there were high winds, I'd take the cover off. Makes no difference how well secured the cover is, dust will still get in between the cover and car, creating more problems. After a drive, I use the California duster, before I put the cover on....

[unclebilly]

I have a performance products cover or my 964 targa. It fits perfect and is highly reccomended. It came with my car and seems to be of excellent qualit.

[jwash]

Thanks all. Wide range of responses. Now you have me wondering if I should pay for a rental garage to bridge the gap. But the questions raise an interesting point in some ways. Are these "outdoor" covers worth a darn? They purport to be of the highest quality performance. Are they? Has anyone on the list been subject to instances where the car stays in its original condition?

All of which raises another question. Are "indoor" covers a worthwhile investment?

[slodave]

They are not perfect. When living with my parents many years ago, I had to park my Scirocco in the driveway. The big rare deluge would soak the cover, but it did a great job with our normal rains. If I had a fully enclosed garage, I'd still keep a cover on it. At the same time, I don't drive my car every day.

[old man neri]

I have the Coverking Stormproof cover available through Pelican. I stored my car outside over the winter. It worked really well at repelling water, snow, ice, and freezing rain. It's very thin. It didn't stand up all that well to high winds, the winder would get under it somehow. As for the paint, I can't really say, it's a white car so it's very hard to notice blemishes early on.

These covers are custom made and do take a few weeks to make. If you worried about parking your car outside for 2 months, don't be. It's a car, it was designed to be parked outside. Unless it has a leaky targa top it should be fine to leave out in the rain, it will just get a bit dirtier. No biggy.

[Cooper911SC]

My wife and I live in an apartment...street parking only. Our cars are daily drivers. We both use covers on a daily basis. The covers I prefer are from CostCo. They are a heavier fabric. They hold up for about a year before the sun does a number on them. I wash them in a large capacity washer about every three months or so. They will repel a moderate rain storm/keep neighborhood sprinklers off. If it is pouring or rain is predicted I don't cover the cars.

Like others have said wind will be a problem. We tie our covers on whenever we park...also keeps honest people honest and the neighborhood kids from messing around with the cars/covers too much.

I haven't noticed any rubbing or chaffing of the paint...however...the fuzzy sun roof seals on our coupes lose their 'fuzz' over time. (Not a problem in your case)

The CostCo covers and many other generics run on the small side IMO. I buy a LARGE even if the box recommends Medium.

My thought on fully custom covers is that they are pricey and that the idea with a cover is generally to keep things from touching your car...most custom covers hug every curve of the car. Generics are more drapey and touch less of the car. I supose it could be argued that a loose cover means more fabric to blow around/rub against the paint in a breeze.

In any case...I feel that covering the cars keeps them much cleaner than leaving them bare. The sun damage is also greatly reduced.

My .02

Hope this helped.

Cheers, Cooper

PS the C.C. covers run $30-40