• Hi Guest!
    You can help ensure that British Car Forum (BCF) continues to provide a great place to engage in the British car hobby! If you find BCF a beneficial community, please consider supporting our efforts with a subscription.
    There are some perks with a member upgrade!
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Subscribers don't see this gawd-aweful banner
Tips
Tips

car cover?

Share this page

NutmegCT

NutmegCT

Great Pumpkin
Bronze
Offline
Several friends with classics swear everyone should keep their classics under a "car cover" even when parked indoors.

There are bazillions of characteristics to look for when choosing a cover: fabric, permeability, etc.

But isn't one of the primary concerns that any grit or dust on the car's surface will be dragged across the paint when the cover is put on or taken off?

These guys say not to worry about it. They don't wash/dry their cars before putting the cover on - they just park and cover.

What am I missing? Isn't a cover going to drag grit/dust over the surface?

Thanks.
Tom
 
Hey Tom,
Agree with you that if your car is dirty I would not want to put a cover on and then pull it back off. I have a custom fit to my Healey flannel lined car cover to be used indoors and would not put it on if the car was dirty or had any kind of grit on it. I live on the coast so sand is a big issue so real aware of it. So if it has been sitting out for awhile I would either blow it off or use a dust brush to gently remove the grit. Keep it garaged 90% of the time and do not use a cover in the garage which is small and heated and cooled to keep humidity down.
Regards,
Mike
 
When I am not using my car, it is under a cover. Before putting on the cover, I clean the car. Specifically, I go over the car with a California car duster, use quick detail spray and a microfiber towel on any area that needs it, and clean the windshield. It takes about a 1/2 hour tops and is my ritual everytime I put the car up after driving. I've been doing this for five years and think the car is holding up rather well.

I also wash the cover periodically.
 
NutmegCT said:
...These guys say not to worry about it. They don't wash/dry their cars before putting the cover on - they just park and cover....
Click to expand...
I can pretty much guarantee their paint is scratched up.

An awful lot of people don't know or don't care how scratched their paint is.

Even if you don't do a full wash every time you put your car to bed, as long as the dirt isn't too heavy you can give it a quick once over with a mist and wipe quick detailing spray or a "waterless wash" product and microfiber towels. Otherwise, I'd leave the cover off until I could wash it.

You also want to keep the cover clean and never drag it on the ground.

As much as practical, roll the cover on and off the car, minimize any dragging on the paint.

As for which type of cover, think about how you'll be using it.

For a car that's always garaged you don't really need protection from sun and rain. I'd look for something light weight and resistant to dust.

If it's going to be sitting out, you get to balance how much weather protection you want and how long you want it to last with how much you want to pay.

You <span style="font-style: italic">never </span>want to trap water between the car and the cover. All good covers are permeable to water vapor.


pc
 
After doing the restoration on my car I had a custom cover made for my car with the soft flannel underside and it works great.As I live in a very wet climate I do not use my car in the winter months ao it sits on jackstands under a premium cover all winter. You can spend from literally nothing to hundreds of dollars on car covers,some are great and some not so great. I wash my car after outings and use a car duster before covering it and the finish still looks great-dust is my problem where I live and the cover does a good job of keeping it to a minimum
 
This is interesting. I'm now asking myself: If the car is parked in a garage, why does it need a car cover at all?

Granted, it keeps off dust. But dust doesn't hurt the finish unless it's rubbed in. So wouldn't an indoor car be better off un-covered?

Thanks.
Tom
 
True, you don't necessarily <span style="font-style: italic">need </span>a cover.

As with anything, you balance the pluses and minuses.

I prefer to prevent dust rather than remove it. And My garage is cramped so it's almost impossible to void bumping into things. The covers help prevent scratches from incidental contact.

But that's just me. If it doesn't make sense for you, skip it.


pc
 
I have a very large garage and I still get a lot of dust on my car and I use a custom made car cover that keeps it much cleaner over the winter when the car is rarely used.During summer months I just use a duster to keep the dust off. The main reason is unintentional bumps with tools,lawn care equipment,etc.Also my property is surronded by fir and cottonwood trees and it just protects the finish from the tree sap and other crap floating in the air.all my motorcycles,sportscars and even a old Mercedes have car covers in the garage.My garage has a 14 foot wide door and the wind always seems to blow debris on the cars-the covers really help.
 
NutmegCT said:
This is interesting. I'm now asking myself: If the car is parked in a garage, why does it need a car cover at all?

Granted, it keeps off dust. But dust doesn't hurt the finish unless it's rubbed in. So wouldn't an indoor car be better off un-covered?

Thanks.
Tom
Click to expand...

I have heard that you should protect the sides of a car in a garage but never cover the top - not because of dust/grit but because if the top is covered you will put things on it. I tend to agree with this advice - don't ask me why.
 
I used to transport a Jaguar XKE to shows (a 99+ point car) it lived in a temp and humidity controled garage under a cover suspended by straps so it didn't contact the car. A bit extreme but seemed to be the ideal soloution to keep dust etc. off the car.Meanwhile the car was transported to concours on a open flatbed which raised **** on a rainy day go figure!
 
I originally bought this for a Corvette, but if I ever finish my E-Type restoration, the E is going in here. It provides positive air flow (you plug it in) and it literally keeps ever speck of dust off the car!

bubble_cy.jpg
 
You could do a heck of a mime in a box show with that cover.
 
CinneaghTR said:
Do you guys think using a cover makes the car more mice-friendly or do you think they'll make their way into the car regardless? I may have a small critter problem.

Would a cover made from dryer sheets work? :chargrined:
Click to expand...

I would try a car cover made of cats:encouragement:
 
Back
Top