Car Covers.... Benefit Or Detriment To Your Car's Finish?

Dispatch

Dispatch

Member
Speaking of the custom made fitted kind or just the generic kind, is a car cover a benefit or detriment to your car's paint and finish?

I keep mine covered outside in a driveway in the hot Florida sun.

Any truth to either from actual experience?
 
If in a garage there are benefits. Outdoors if it is windy it can really do a number on the vehicle, dust and dirt can accumulate and rub the finish literally to the metal. I have had one on the roadrunner for 30 years or so in the garage and it still gets dirt etc. under the cover but it is out of the wind so there is no harm to the finish as it is felt lined and removed/reinstalled very carefully.

Dave
 
I'm finding for out myself, taking the custom fitted ends on and off can cause swirl marks and ruin a perfect polishing job although it seems to be protecting the car from sun. :angry:
 
First, not all car covers are created equally. Some are not waterproof, some do not fit well.
I think a car out in the elements 24/7 suffers more than one in a garage. So a cover can protect a finish from sun, acid/industrial rain, tree sap, bird droppings... is there a risk that putting a cover on and off may cause harm...or the wind may cause rubbing??? I suppose so...but a shoe could cause a blister, but I wouldn't go hiking barefoot.
Get a good waterproof cover, cover and secure carefully. I don't know personally, but I heard on YouTube (grain of salt) that these covers are good:
35% off Car Covers + Free Shipping - EmpireCovers

Remember you have a pay more for a good cover...."good tools aren't cheap and cheap tools aren't good."
 
I have car covers on all of my garage queens. Even when my cars were stored outside they were covered. If you use covers properly then can be a savior to your finish !!!
 
IMO (based on a lot of experience), the decision to use/not a car cover boils down to two factors: 1) your tolerance for marring, and 2) the severity of the environment.

I used car covers for years, always the best money could buy. I no longer use them even though I have several for my "keepers" that I bought a while ago.

If you absolutely *MUST* have a barrier between your vehicle and the environment, then OK...you do what you gotta do.

BUT using the cover will mar the paint. NO matter what you do, it'll happen. Even if the cover itself is soft enough, sooner or later there'll be a speck of abrasive dirt/etc. on the paint and the cover will rub against that dirt (if only when you take it off/put it on, or from the wind buffeting it) and the result will be marring.

I don't even put covers on my mothballed cars in the garage any more, got those nice pricey covers stashed away while the cars get dusty (but remain unmarred).

When I had the Volvo wagon it stayed outside pretty much year-round. Somewhat fragile single stage that would oxidize much more readily than b/c. I didn't cover it, and I never had any problems that might've convinced me that a cover would've been a good idea. But in a more severe environment I might take the trade-off and accept marring instead of risking serious damage.
 
I have had covers from the best place in the world - Beverly Hills Motoring - before they eventually went away, as far back as the 70's...

There are really nice ones out there that can take moisture and it will wick away fast if the weather is dry - even when I lived in 300-days of rain, Pacific Northwest..

There are much better, lighter, tighter fitting ones available made exactly for your vehicle, and not the lousy, lame , generic shaped ones that you buy at Pep Boys, etc...

There is a way to remove them carefully, and if they are made well, and you are careful, they wont scratch your finish, etc..

I weigh the + and - of wanting to have my paint and interior protected from damage and the car cover is always way less expensive..

Your vehicle will stay cleaner longer, and you will be washing it less often, which is another way to lessen marring the finish, etc..

Good luck with your research...
Dan F
 
Stokdgs said:
I have had covers from the best place in the world - Beverly Hills Motoring - before they eventually went away, as far back as the 70's...
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Hey, same here! They made some *VERY* good covers, still have three of them that're like new after so many years. I was sorry to see BHMA disappear.
 
Hey, Amigo !
Hope you guys are all good !

Yes ! BHMA was an incredible place - their store was very nice..
They had very good patterns of most vehicles on site and their covers always fit best - for decades..

I used to remember who bought all their patterns and property and took over the car cover market after they went away..

Give me a minute and I will remember who these guys are..
Dan F
 
I purchased a Covercraft Noah cover for my truck to protect from trees and birds.

I stopped using it because 1) it was not easy for one person to put on, 2) it marred the paint especially on the top of the car since I was putting it on when it was less than clean. I think they are ok if you not put them on and off a lot on a very clear vehicle. Also, it collected moisture so the windshield often has some grime on it that required effort to remove.

It did fit like a glove with mirror pockets, etc..maybe a bit too much.
 
Stokdgs said:
Ok, I remember now - Custom Fit Car Covers and More - California Car Cover - Free Shipping
They make really good, tight fitting, car covers, from big, ugly, weatherproof to very thin, parachute fabric types, that will cover, protect, dry out quickly if wet, and fold up small to fit in a small bag in the trunk..
I am not sure, but these guys MAY have something to do with the old BHMA company..
Good Luck,
Dan F
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That's what I just bought the California Car Cover Superweave in tan.

Pricy but its seems to be good quality.

The only issue I have is for the amount of money I spent, you'd think they could have thrown in a coated cable lock and or bag to store it in.
 
Stokdgs- All is well here, hope you're doing well too.

Yeah, I too kinda thought I saw a similarity between CCC and BHMA, but I dunno if that had any basis in reality or not. Guess it wouldn't surprise me if they did buy out the stuff from BHMA (I'm sure that *somebody did). IIRC I got my oil-drip pans from CCC.

Dispatch- Seems like those "extras" are all "extra-cost extras" these days, but even the bag, huh? Sheesh.... Does your cover already have the grommet holes for the cable?
 
Dispatch said:
That's what I just bought the California Car Cover Superweave in tan.

Pricy but its seems to be good quality.

The only issue I have is for the amount of money I spent, you'd think they could have thrown in a coated cable lock and or bag to store it in.
Click to expand...
A storage bag is nice, but have you ever removed a cover in pouring down rain?
 
Accumulator said:
Stokdgs- All is well here, hope you're doing well too.

Yeah, I too kinda thought I saw a similarity between CCC and BHMA, but I dunno if that had any basis in reality or not. Guess it wouldn't surprise me if they did buy out the stuff from BHMA (I'm sure that *somebody did). IIRC I got my oil-drip pans from CCC.

Dispatch- Seems like those "extras" are all "extra-cost extras" these days, but even the bag, huh? Sheesh.... Does your cover already have the grommet holes for the cable?
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Yes it does, it also came with an extra one for the roof antenna.

Rsurfer, yes I have and I know what you mean.

I'm going to buy a seperate bag and a coated cable even though it'll cost me extra.

Once I take the cover off I hate to just dump it on something somewhere in the house to keep it from getting dirty, while I'm out riding around.
 
Every person that I know that have bought a car cover (cheap and expensive) has stop using it within a short period. I live in a large condo project and only a few units have covered parking, Every time I see a new car within days there's a car cover over it. Few months later, you guessed it.. no cover. For dd it's just a pita.
 
Dispatch said:
.. it also came with an extra [hole] for the roof antenna...
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Ah, they used to make you cut/burn your own hole for that (I just unscrewed the antennas instead).

Once I take the cover off I hate to just dump it on something somewhere in the house to keep it from getting dirty, while I'm out riding around.
Click to expand...

I used large plastic trashcans, on dollies, to hold mine.
 
I have owned a car cover (cover craft all weather outdoor over) in the past. When I lived in Boston my spot was outside. I did not use my car daily and after a wash and Dry I covered it. Once driven there was too much grit to cover it again and I decided to just stop altogether as it becase a huge job to remove properly and store.

I had a car I used to store over the winter. I would wash, hook up the trickle charger and cover with a dust cover (light indoor cover not designed for any wet protection) and let he hibernate.
 
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