car covers

Paul (MN)

Hi all,

I have found a car that I really like. It is supposedly in excellent condition i.e. no rust and excellent paintwork. The car currently resides outside of Ireland.

I do not have a garage (well I do but access is awkward), and the car is to be a daily driver.

So what can I effectively do. I intend to waxoil it, and ensure it gets a good wax/polish ever 2-3 months.

Would a car cover achieve anything?

dubtom

I bought a breathable, water proof cover at the classic show in the nec last year and although it does what it says on the tin, it can never compensate for a good old dry shed or garage.,which I dont have. I can see the deterioration of the paint work since I got the car a year ago from being outside all winter long,even though covered up,I rekon a cover gives the car less than 50% of what a garage can give. I supose 50% is better than no protection at all, but if I had the space I would go for a carcoon or something like that, something that keeps the car completly out of the elements.

mustang68

Paul (MN) wrote:

I do not have a garage (well I do but access is awkward), and the car is to be a daily driver.

I have a carcoon, but I would not recommend it if you are going to have a daily driver, it takes the best part of tem mins to get it out and 15 to get it back in. It is great for deep winter, where the car is away for three weeks at a time.

A good heavy breathable cover seems like your man in this situation.

Also, don't forget, if your car is rusting where it shouldn't perhaps its time to think of a respray, mine is slated for next summer, so I'm not all that bothered about it getting wet this winter.

Paul (MN)

Apparantly there is ZERO rust on this car (having it inspected). It's been garaged since 1970. The paintwork seems nice and glossy.

I'm resigned to the fact the owning a classic, and using it, will mean it will start to deteriorate somewhat.

I do have a garage, but it's at the end of my driveay and I have a 3500kg campervan parked in front of it :-(

I could modify my drive and make it wider so that I could get the campervan parked enough to the side to get by... but then it's the usual problem of what do with the second car. Nothing more annoying that coming home every day and finding the second (wifes) car parked on the drive in the way!

I could get her to park on the road outside I guess... but then I have a long driveway with a camper off to the side, her on the road, me in the garage.... the driveway wouldn't used a all!

Plus my wife wouldn't like the driveway widened as it would mean the removal of some trees she planted!

So, for the above reasons do you think waxoil, regular waxing and a car cover is enough???

Silvera

While a garage is the ideal solution, a good car cover is the next best thing.

Look at it this way, there are thousands of classic car owners in the UK (and worldwide) who use car covers on their classics ....and often in much more severe weather than we experience in Ireland!

Buy your classic, cover it, maintain it .....but most of all - ENJOY IT!


Nothing lasts forever!

ds20prefecture

Realistically, you won't use the cover on a daily driver. It's too much of pain, and remember, you can't cover the car when it's already wet or when it's even a little dirty. Personally, I'd use your garage if the car fits.

Check out www.covercrafteurope.com for light breathable covers that will be custom stitched to fit your car. I use one for the DS and it is excellent, notwithstanding the caveats above. Expensive, though. I paid €380.

Paul (MN)

I've done some thinking and I really can't use my garage for the car without incurring considerable expense in modifying the driveway etc.

I know I would use the cover every day etc... but I guess 30-40% of the time is better than nothing.

Why can't you use it when the car is slightly dirty? How can it be any worse than leaving it in the sun/rain?

Alfasudcrazy

I have yet to find a car cover on the market that can be tied down properly on the car. The slightest wind seems to blow mine into the neighbours garden. I tried to use one once when I had too many cars but it didn't work too well mainly because of the wind blowing it off. :rolleyes:

BrianD3

Also i'd imagine that a car cover might be a vandal magnet if it's in a front driveway in full view of a public road. Even if you live in a posh area you could get little bollixes coming in and poking around to see what's under the cover, pulling the cover off, stealing the cover etc. If it's a carcoon you have some comedian may come in and stick his penknife in it :rolleyes:

dubtom

My cover is blow off proof, it uses clips that you get on rucksacks to secure it and fits the car well. It was made for my car so that probably is why. It wasn't that expensive, I think 130 sterling, could have been less.
The reason you don't put the cover on a dirty car is too prevent scratches etc from grains of grit etc. I have often covered mine while wet, it's a case of having too sometimes, but being breathable it dries quite quickly, as I said though I have noticed the paintwork suffer over the year i have had it.

Eric318

First thing to do is to get the car waterproofed: Waxoil!!!

I used a outdoor cover on my MGB daily driver. The result was reasonable. If the car was wet, I would not put it on, unless there was a heavy downpour. This means that you keep track of weather forecast: as soon as there is a dry patch, cover off.

Alfasudcrazy

I also noticed that unless the car cover is a snug fit the flapping caused by the wind can scuff the paint. My 504 was clean and yet after a heavy storm I noticed marks on the paint. They polished out alright but obviously this illustrates the need for a snug fitting car cover.:)

Little Green Ca

I have been using an outdoor cover (AutoPyjama) on my MG Roadster for a year now and have no problems at all with it. It is a waterproof breathable one which means you can put it on the car even when it is wet and it will dry out.

They do a number of sizes that fit all different cars and because they have elasticated corners they are a snug fit and I have had no problems with it blowing about.