Airchamber or Carcoon Veloce?
Discussion
I am looking at getting something like one of the above products to preserve the Lotus. Its existing cover does not prevent condensation forming if the atmospheric conditions conspire during the winter months.
It needs to be rigid, rather than a bubble or another cover, as I still want to be able to use the car every now and then. Both of these items seem to cost about 500 quid for my size of car. It would sit in one side of a double garage with a regular electrical socket conveniently located on the back wall.
Is there any real difference between the two products? Any issues I should be aware of? Are they really that easy to use? How much bigger than the actual car dimensions should you get?
It needs to be rigid, rather than a bubble or another cover, as I still want to be able to use the car every now and then. Both of these items seem to cost about 500 quid for my size of car. It would sit in one side of a double garage with a regular electrical socket conveniently located on the back wall.
Is there any real difference between the two products? Any issues I should be aware of? Are they really that easy to use? How much bigger than the actual car dimensions should you get?
Thanks for the alternative.
However, it seems that all 3 designs are fundamentally flawed for use in my regular modern up-and-over 5.5 metre long double garage.
The Cair-O-Port in the size I need would be at least 2.41 metres high. With the garage door in the open position I have max. 1.86 metres of available height, so their product is out of the question. I have no idea why they need to make the product so tall. Even my large saloon car is only 1.4 metres high, so I am sure 1.8 metres would be ample.
So that leaves the Airchamber and Carcoon Veloce. Neither of these has a tapered entrance to facilitate the arc of operation of a standard Hormann up-and-over garage door (unlike the Cair-O-Port
). The Airchamber is 1.8 metres high but, at the length I would need, this would prevent the garage door being opened. If it was tapered away from the door like the Cair-O-Port, it would allow another 0.25m or so of clearance and so be a possibility for me.
So this just leaves the Carcoon Veloce which is apparently about 1.6 metres high but even that is going to be a tighter fit than I would like. My car is 4.8 metres long and the only size of Carcoon Veloce that would fit my garage and allow the garage door to operate is 4.88 metres long, which means I would have to park with surgical precision each time and it also leaves no room for me to open the bonnet to connect the battery conditioner.
Looks like I'll be sticking to my trusty old car cover.
However, it seems that all 3 designs are fundamentally flawed for use in my regular modern up-and-over 5.5 metre long double garage.
The Cair-O-Port in the size I need would be at least 2.41 metres high. With the garage door in the open position I have max. 1.86 metres of available height, so their product is out of the question. I have no idea why they need to make the product so tall. Even my large saloon car is only 1.4 metres high, so I am sure 1.8 metres would be ample.
So that leaves the Airchamber and Carcoon Veloce. Neither of these has a tapered entrance to facilitate the arc of operation of a standard Hormann up-and-over garage door (unlike the Cair-O-Port
). The Airchamber is 1.8 metres high but, at the length I would need, this would prevent the garage door being opened. If it was tapered away from the door like the Cair-O-Port, it would allow another 0.25m or so of clearance and so be a possibility for me.So this just leaves the Carcoon Veloce which is apparently about 1.6 metres high but even that is going to be a tighter fit than I would like. My car is 4.8 metres long and the only size of Carcoon Veloce that would fit my garage and allow the garage door to operate is 4.88 metres long, which means I would have to park with surgical precision each time and it also leaves no room for me to open the bonnet to connect the battery conditioner.
Looks like I'll be sticking to my trusty old car cover.
phib said:
My cair-o- port is extra large 5.8m Long and its 1.8m high
Phib
Thanks for measuring Phib. It seems that I have been a bit of a Joey: I mixed up the width and the height dimensions from their website! Phib
Nevertheless, they do claim that the frame is 1.93 metres high, compared to my max 1.86 metres, although the front third of the frame does seem to slope down nicely, so it may be just right to clear the door mechanism. I think I'll note down the measurements of my garage as exactly as I can and ask the vendor what will fit. The absolute max would be the 5.5m long one, but I might have to settle for the 5.0m option.
On another point, do people out there with any of these rigid covers just leave the end open and the fans off in the warmer months and drive in and out like a regular garage?
Good job I went to check the measurements. The recent increase in ambient temperature has started a layer of light condensation to appear on certain parts of the car. I have taken the cover off, opened both garage doors and dried it all away. That's giving me added reason to act quickly. My uncovered modern daily driver parked next to it is unaffected.
Anyway the good news is that the 5 metre Cair-O-Port will fit: the garage door mechanism is 1.94 metres above the garage floor, so I am OK there after all. Sadly the 5.5 metre version is too long to fit inside the garage at all.
Looks like Hamilton Classics will be getting a call.
Anyway the good news is that the 5 metre Cair-O-Port will fit: the garage door mechanism is 1.94 metres above the garage floor, so I am OK there after all. Sadly the 5.5 metre version is too long to fit inside the garage at all.
Looks like Hamilton Classics will be getting a call.
Well the Cair-o-Port arrived today and my Father-in-Law helped me erect it. It fits in the garage OK and the garage door opens and closes normally. There is perhaps a little too much width to be honest, especially when it's inflated. Length-wise the car is a tight fit with the protruding boot spoiler on the Lotus touching the fabric: I hope this will not cause any paintwork problems.
Does anyone know if the fan filters go on the inside of the cover to filter the blown air (as supplied), or should they be on the outside filtering the air being sucked into the fan? Also how can I best get my battery conditioner inside: I normally clip this on to the battery under the bonnet, since the power socket is at that end of the garage. I don't really want cables running all over the place and am nervous to cut a big hole in the cover, to feed the hefty crocodile clips through.
It's very early days, but it does seem a bit of a faff getting the car in and out. I can see the car getting used even less now for that reason. Maybe I'll leave it wide open in the summer with the fans off.
Finally, you should have seen my wife's face when she saw that I was building an indoor tent for my car. Contempt was the only way to describe it! TBH it's a difficult purchase to justify to a "normal" person!
Better picture to follow tomorrow in the daylight.
Does anyone know if the fan filters go on the inside of the cover to filter the blown air (as supplied), or should they be on the outside filtering the air being sucked into the fan? Also how can I best get my battery conditioner inside: I normally clip this on to the battery under the bonnet, since the power socket is at that end of the garage. I don't really want cables running all over the place and am nervous to cut a big hole in the cover, to feed the hefty crocodile clips through.
It's very early days, but it does seem a bit of a faff getting the car in and out. I can see the car getting used even less now for that reason. Maybe I'll leave it wide open in the summer with the fans off.
Finally, you should have seen my wife's face when she saw that I was building an indoor tent for my car. Contempt was the only way to describe it! TBH it's a difficult purchase to justify to a "normal" person!
Better picture to follow tomorrow in the daylight.
I repositioned the fan filters and also took the plug off the battery conditioner and fed the lead through a tight gap between a fan and the fabric. I then refitted the plug and switched it on. That now works fine and I can fit it when the car is 90% of the way in and then move the car forward the last few centimetres. I am pleased with this solution, since I do not need an extension lead trailing through the garage.
Now you see it...
Now you don't...
This shows the angle of the uprights which helps clear the arc of the garage mechanism...
However, this angle also means that the fabric is tight against the boot spoiler...
Now you see it...
Now you don't...
This shows the angle of the uprights which helps clear the arc of the garage mechanism...
However, this angle also means that the fabric is tight against the boot spoiler...
NotNormal said:
Surely if the its tight on the spoiler then it would be best to reverse the car into the garage.
I always had to reverse mine in on my old garage as the door would hit the spoiler through its arc when opening/closing. Reversing in obviously alleviates the issue as the front is a lot lower height wise.
The pod is a fixed length and angled at both ends, so even if I reversed in I'd just get the same issue at the other end. Also, reversing would be a much trickier manoeuvre and, being LHD, I wouldn't be able to get out of the driver's side door. I think the tea towel is probably the easiest solution.I always had to reverse mine in on my old garage as the door would hit the spoiler through its arc when opening/closing. Reversing in obviously alleviates the issue as the front is a lot lower height wise.
Nice Silhouette. I've always wanted a Jalpa and they're a bit cheaper than yours. so who knows...?
Anyway, this morning was the first big test of the new Cair-O-Port (who thinks up these kinds of product names?), since it is the first time in several days that the temperature has finally risen above freezing here. In the past that would have been the perfect recipe to find the Lotus dripping with condensation, but the good news is that the car is still bone dry. I am glad I didn't wait until Christmas to buy the cover. This product actually has 3 fans, but that seems rather unnecessary, particularly since the centre one just blows air at point-blank range onto the lower front bumper, so I unplugged that one a week or so back. The two remaining fans still create quite a breeze inside the cover. So far so good, but I still think I'll unplug it all and open it up when the Spring comes, otherwise it will put me off using the car for those impromptu trips out.
Anyway, this morning was the first big test of the new Cair-O-Port (who thinks up these kinds of product names?
), since it is the first time in several days that the temperature has finally risen above freezing here. In the past that would have been the perfect recipe to find the Lotus dripping with condensation, but the good news is that the car is still bone dry. I am glad I didn't wait until Christmas to buy the cover. This product actually has 3 fans, but that seems rather unnecessary, particularly since the centre one just blows air at point-blank range onto the lower front bumper, so I unplugged that one a week or so back. The two remaining fans still create quite a breeze inside the cover. So far so good, but I still think I'll unplug it all and open it up when the Spring comes, otherwise it will put me off using the car for those impromptu trips out.May as well update on my Cair-O-Port whilst the thread's live again.
I have now had it 6 months. As we have just endured the coldest, longest winter in living memory, I think my timing was spot on. The Cair-O-Port has kept the car looking like new throughout, with no sign of any condensation. As suggested in my last post back in December I have now finally switched off the fans, since the weather is now above freezing throughout, at long last. Hopefully this will help preserve the fans and shave a couple of pennies off the electricity bill. I have left the chamber closed to keep the dust off.
The only negatives:
1) I managed to rip off the two lower hooks which fasten the fabric to the framework. Strangely the manufacturers decided to locate these exactly where the tyres pass over the frame, so a little chirp of wheel-spin from the fat 265/40 rear tyres on entering the chamber one day was enough to tear the hooks from the fabric. Not a big deal since they provide no major purpose, but certainly something that could be improved.
2) Trying to justify to others having the thing at all! I think all my family and neighbours think I'm nuts.
I have now had it 6 months. As we have just endured the coldest, longest winter in living memory, I think my timing was spot on. The Cair-O-Port has kept the car looking like new throughout, with no sign of any condensation. As suggested in my last post back in December I have now finally switched off the fans, since the weather is now above freezing throughout, at long last. Hopefully this will help preserve the fans and shave a couple of pennies off the electricity bill. I have left the chamber closed to keep the dust off.
The only negatives:
1) I managed to rip off the two lower hooks which fasten the fabric to the framework. Strangely the manufacturers decided to locate these exactly where the tyres pass over the frame, so a little chirp of wheel-spin from the fat 265/40 rear tyres on entering the chamber one day was enough to tear the hooks from the fabric. Not a big deal since they provide no major purpose, but certainly something that could be improved.
2) Trying to justify to others having the thing at all! I think all my family and neighbours think I'm nuts.
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