Fabsil on a car cover - madness or sense?
Discussion
I've got a circa 10 year old Stormforce 4 layer All Weather cover, it wasn't used for a number of years as the car was garaged, but alas it no longer is, and spends at least half the week with its coat on.
Mostly it's fine, but I have noticed in wet and very cold that condensation forms on the car exterior, and that's the weather that I prefer not to take it out in (holding on to my boyish excitement and the back wheels can be a chore!).
I use Fabsil on the roof, and it needs re-applying every year or so depending on how much rain it has seen.
So, does adding waterproofing to the cover make sense, or total bobbins because it will stop it from breathing?
Mostly it's fine, but I have noticed in wet and very cold that condensation forms on the car exterior, and that's the weather that I prefer not to take it out in (holding on to my boyish excitement and the back wheels can be a chore!).
I use Fabsil on the roof, and it needs re-applying every year or so depending on how much rain it has seen.
So, does adding waterproofing to the cover make sense, or total bobbins because it will stop it from breathing?
Griffith4ever said:
This is what happens to an MX5 if left with a non breathable cover on over winter..... (it never really cleared up, even after cleaning - it would come back at the 1st hint of damp weather)
That was not caused by a cover alone that would have happened to any car left with no ventilation. Unfortunately it is difficult to leave a car outside with the window open without causing even worse damage. That sort of mould will even happen if left in a garage for any length of time without an open window.
ARHarh said:
Griffith4ever said:
This is what happens to an MX5 if left with a non breathable cover on over winter..... (it never really cleared up, even after cleaning - it would come back at the 1st hint of damp weather)
That was not caused by a cover alone that would have happened to any car left with no ventilation. Unfortunately it is difficult to leave a car outside with the window open without causing even worse damage. That sort of mould will even happen if left in a garage for any length of time without an open window.
Happened to my MX5 under a cover though. Wish I had not covered it! - I assumed in a car the air vents even unpowered, would be "some" ventilation, let alone an MX5 pram-roof.
I’ve had Chimaeras for longer than I care to remember and have tried it all, including the setup you currently have.
In your position I would ditch the full cover and fit what is sometimes called a car cap which just covers the greenhouse of the car.
These can be cheepo, totally waterproof things, which you can whip off and on quickly and store easily.
It will keep water from seeping through the roof while allowing some air to get around.
The ‘breathable’ types allow water to pass through them rather too much for my liking.
The rest of the car can live in the open quite happily and won’t have its paint marred by the movements of a full cover.
In your position I would ditch the full cover and fit what is sometimes called a car cap which just covers the greenhouse of the car.
These can be cheepo, totally waterproof things, which you can whip off and on quickly and store easily.
It will keep water from seeping through the roof while allowing some air to get around.
The ‘breathable’ types allow water to pass through them rather too much for my liking.
The rest of the car can live in the open quite happily and won’t have its paint marred by the movements of a full cover.
Some very informed responses there! Thank you.
I am tempted with the mix of the car cap thing and the Unibond dehumidifier suggestion when the colder months arrive.
The reason I started using the cover more religiously is because I found some microbubbling on the paint that only arrived after I left it uncovered during the relentless rain then eventual snow of our last winter. I just couldn't get the car dry to put the cover on because it didn't stop bl00dy raining! I feel convinced it was the snow that did it.
We also have a couple of large council owned trees that drop all sorts of cr@p on my driveway, which means a clean car lasts for a day (my daily suffers).
I've got a bundle of blossom and s
t stuck in the grill and behind the bonnet catch, which is driving me nuts.
Overall the car is ready for a respray, but I'm not in a position to do that yet, so I'm just trying to keep it as smart as poss.
I am tempted with the mix of the car cap thing and the Unibond dehumidifier suggestion when the colder months arrive.
The reason I started using the cover more religiously is because I found some microbubbling on the paint that only arrived after I left it uncovered during the relentless rain then eventual snow of our last winter. I just couldn't get the car dry to put the cover on because it didn't stop bl00dy raining! I feel convinced it was the snow that did it.
We also have a couple of large council owned trees that drop all sorts of cr@p on my driveway, which means a clean car lasts for a day (my daily suffers).
I've got a bundle of blossom and s
t stuck in the grill and behind the bonnet catch, which is driving me nuts.Overall the car is ready for a respray, but I'm not in a position to do that yet, so I'm just trying to keep it as smart as poss.
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