Car cover recommendations

[SteveJ]

 Going to be moving and will need to store my cars while the garage gets done. Various states of cars comprised of: daily driver, nice but beater, convertible, and freshly painted shell($$$$). I will have a 2 stall carport, but no inside storage for a bit, so I  need to invest in covers.

 

I have a cheap, Budge grey cover on the beater. $30, lasts for couple of years while outside in the elements. Not sure how it treats the paint, but it's on the beater.

 

I need one cover for the convertible- this car will end up being stored in the carport. I might just get another cheap one from Budge.

 

I really need one for the fresh paint. This car will be stored inside, but will be in the carport for a month or three. I need a cover that is very paint friendly and preferably thick enough that I won't freak out when the cat jumps up on the car.

 

What covers do we like on the FAQ?

[bob02]

I'm in the very same boat here. I have two cars in a carport with those gray Budge covers. They're ok if they are not exposed to the elements, but degrade fast when they are. 

   I'm leaning toward Bav Auto's ultimate car covers, which are on sale now as a bonus. I have a California Car Noah cover that deteriorated in just a few years, and would not recommend. The other nice thing about the Bav Auto cover is that they fit in a standard washing machine.

 

https://www.bavauto.com/interior-exterior/car-covers.html

 

Bob

[halboyles]

Check at Costco locations.  They have some very good brand name covers at half the price of most other retailers.  If you have squaretails you'll probably need the medium size.  Roundies will fit under the small size.

[Flamingo 5]

Covercraft and a etech charger 

[SaharaX2]

The Bavarian Autosport covers are good.
They used to have a lifetime warranty on their ultimate covers that I have redeemed a couple of times over the years.


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[Tdh]

Cover craft or California car cover are both great.  

[Chris_B]

I have a couple of Covercraft HP covers. They seem durable, but I am not clear on to what extent they keep dust out. Definitely water resistant and durable. Noah covers are crap, given the cost. They disintegrate within a year or two in outside environments.

[Einspritz]

Weathershield HP for a great cover...had one on my M3 for probably 10 years until finally the stitching decomposed.......for and economy cover, the COSTCO but it is of the "nonwoven" type which just degrades in the sun and non fitted......reasonably water "proof".......I have had similar (blue and grey) nonwoven covers and hated them; trapped dust and pollen, bulky, and really didn't fit in the trunk,

 

So, after the animals ate all of the non-woven covers, and the stitching degraded on the (now second hand) Weathershield for long term DRY storage I found and bought  this:

 

https://extremevehicleprotection.com/

 

It's a coated plastic tarp material; the Mfr says waterproof, but the zipper is just a cheezy matteress zipper. Where it is water proof is that you roll up the end and secure it over the car. I chose to just roll it up with drying containers inside. I did it by myself by using a box fan billowing it open and rolling the car inside, there's plenty of room inside to open the door. i will eventually get a COSTCO cover to go OVER it just to add more sun protection; I put bubble insulation in the windows to reflect the sun. Now I don't worry while the car waits its turn in the repair queue.

 

I think you could snake an electrical cord through one of the grommets in the back........for the charger.

 

 

[Simeon]

I am pulling my hair out a bit with this one too - I really need two covers.

 

When my car is in my garage, it gets covered in dust and because my garage has a tiled roof it lets in loads of 'stuff' off the trees that surround / overhang it.  I would like a soft indoor cover that I can stick in the washing machine

 

When I park my car outside on the street, for various reasons I am constrained to parking it under a tree - car then gets covered in sap and other crap from tree.  The soft cover would also do here but then I am worried about it getting wet.

 

I am thinking about an outdoor cover, mainly to keep the tree crap off the car and use the same cover inside to keep the dust off but I am scared of what damage it might do to the paint.

[SydneyTii]

Simeon, I’ve been using the supercheap covers, the grey ones, I usually buy a new one yearly, I then use the old one over the top of the new one to stop the cat trashing the new one. It appears to be quite waterproof, I haven’t had any paint issues either. I am careful to wipe the car down before I put it on, I just use a clean old chami, you know how dusty Sydney is, if I didn’t do this it would chaffe the paint I sssume.

So far it’s stood up to possum, bird and bat crap.

They come with a couple of straps to and are about $100

i will still use them when I finish my car port, but given my lack of free time it may be a while!

Edited January 29, 2019 by SydneyTii

[Chris_B]

I have two Covercraft HPs and one HD. Neither are inexpensive. The HP is superlight, to the point of being difficult to put on the car (if it weren't for the mirror pockets...). He HD is heavy and provides a lot of protection to the car. What I wanted most was to keep dust off of the cars. This is a real problem with many car covers. It seems like most of them act like filters, keeping out the heavier/larger particles but letting the "moon dust" in to coat the car. I have a Covercraft HP on my 02, which gets a place in my garage. Despite being in the garage, there is a fair amount of dust floating around. The HP pretty much keeps the dust off the car. However, outside it is not the same. I think the wind is blowing a certain amount of dust in around the sides of the cover. It is not "soft" but it is not scratchy, either. And, it is easy to through in the washer with a bit of Simple Green (although not really necessary very often if you are using it inside.

[SydneyTii]

19 minutes ago, SydneyTii said:

sorry double post

 

Edited January 29, 2019 by SydneyTii

[Einspritz]

1 hour ago, Simeon said:

I am thinking about an outdoor cover, mainly to keep the tree crap off the car and use the same cover inside to keep the dust off but I am scared of what damage it might do to the paint.

 

Then I would recommend the Weathershield HD.

 

I used the Weathershield (before they had HD) outdoor each Summer weekend under high altitude sun and pine tree sap; thunderstorms, for 10 years. The weave of the fabric makes the water just roll off, being dry underside. You shake it while taking it off and it is mostly "dry". Thin enough to stuff in a smallish sack leaving room in your trunk for, you know, things. I have even used it in the snow for a weekend while backcountry skiing.

 

Most of the other times, it goes on the car in an underground carport where the gardeners blow all the "stuff" twice a week. Easily goes in the wash, though I have rarely done so, just hose it off while on the car, shake.

 

I guess you can get a flannel cover for the inside; I would (and will).

 

The COSTCO cover filled a need for a cover this last summer and the $50 price was right.

[Brandon]

Weathershield HP covers are the best in my opinion.  I’ve had a few of them over the years and they are the best at keeping dust, water and snow off the car.  Some drawbacks though....They are thin and offer little dent/scratch protection, the sun will fade the cover quickly and they are expensive...but price can be justified because they work and last for years.  All of the ones I bought were from Griots Garage in WA state and were fitted....they fit the car like a glove.  

[MikeD]

I ordered a custom fit 100% cotton flannel cover from Autochic and then ordered a second custom Superweave Premium cover from California Car Cover.  I ordered the Superweave premium cover at a 15% larger size then stock size.  I use the flannel cover in the garage.  It is thick enough to protect from any accidental bumps in the garage and it is paint finish friendly.  When I need to park it out doors I use the flannel cover under the Superweave cover.  The flannel cover protects the paint and the Superweave cover protects everything from the elements.  Overkill....maybe.