jubo

Hi,

I just moved from a situation where I had nice covered parking to one where I am forced to park on the street. I am currently looking for a parking garage to park the car, but in the meantime, I am wondering where a car cover is a good idea. I have read a lot of posts on this forum about it, but I haven't got a consensus. My summary is:

Sunny Days: Car Cover over immaculately cleaned car = Good
Windy Days: Car Cover = Scratching your paint
Rainy Days: Wet Car Cover = Clouded Paint (I am not really sure what this means but it sounds pretty poor)

I live in Norcal and the rainy season is going to start in a couple of months and I am not really looking forward to having to worry about whether to rush home to take my car cover off if I see some clouds in the sky. It appears that the covercraft covers do fine in the rain (at least from the description on their website) because they are breathable, but I am wondering if anyone has had any problems with leaving a cover on in the rain.

In the end, I hope I can find some cheap covered parking around my new apartment...

Thanks

halz

I've heard of success by using an indoor car cover (very soft, so it doesn't scratch the paint) along with an outdoor car cover..

I wonder how well a Gortex car cover could do in the rain.. that could be interesting

jubo

Covercraft seems to have some new Goretex type fabric called NOAH. I wonder if that might be the way to go instead of the "Evolution" fabric. There is also Weathershield (~$250), which might be a better choice in the rain. My main worry is if by using the car cover there would be more damage than just leaving the car in the sun.

Dale_K

iTrader: (1)

I don't like car covers. Dust and grit fall on the top surface and work their way into the fabric, which leads to fine scratches. It's really hard to clean the cover after it gets the embedded dirt. I tried a commercial laundromat with the Formula 409 recommended by the manufacturer but it didn't work very well. I wish they did since I don't have a garage but now I just leave the car in the driveway and wash it frequently.

Thoe99

iTrader: (25)

It's been my experience as well. I agree.

BuLocal

iTrader: (4)

I only put my car cover on right after a wash. If I drive it, I wont put it back on.

2GDSM

I stored my eclipse under a car cover for over a year while I was away getting my undergraduate degree and the paint looked good as new when I took it off. Zero fine scratches and the car was even parked under a tree so it was covered in leaves a bit. I think the best idea is to get a high quality one. Unfortunatly, I threw it away a few years ago and I dont remember what brand it was but I paid about $300 for it. I dont think its worthwhile if you plan on putting it on/taking it off on a regular basis, but if you plan on storing it for a while then its a good idea IMO.