Best outdoor car cover

[Stokebloke1]

My car is due back from the bodyshop on Monday after a full respray.

Obviously i want to protect her as much as possible.

What's the general consensus on the best quality outdoor car cover for nights when it's not garaged.

Thanks

[Belle427]

Nothing at all, covers do more harm than good outside.

[PabloGee]

I'm very mixed on this.

I have a cover for mine, but I'm not using it very much.
It keeps detritus and bird sh*t off it, but I have a little of the dreaded paint bubbling that wasn't there when I bought the car.

It's cheaper and easier to clean the car than to get it resprayed.

On the other hand, keeping rainwater from running down through the engine bay helps to reduce some of the inevitable rust that appears on certain bits.
And when it gets cold and icy, I feel it's helpful to keep frost etc off the roof and the rest of the car for that matter, the cover takes the brunt of it.

Not a definitive answer, but an honest "not sure".

[WOO5IE]

Hi
I have use one of these covers on my Chimaera for around 16 years
The car is permanently left on my drive when not being used
I have not had an issue with scratches or paint bubbling.
It is a generous fit and waterproof and breathable..I have had 3 of these covers over the years and they do fall apart eventually due to the Suns UV rays
The inside layer of 5 is very soft and slides easily over the body work without scratching it.
Mostly I don’t even tie it down unless it’s windy.
The car is mostly clean with an annual polish so not over the top.

I think the problem others have had is due to cheap non breathable covers that are too tight .

These aren’t cheap but worth the money in my opinion
I use my car weekly all year long as long as it’s not wet or Icy

https://hamiltonclassic.co.uk/collections/outdoor-...

When it’s rained for days on end I sometimes look and it’s nearly always dry underneath .
I then may lift it off for a few hours

I also have a half cover on my Convertible XK

[TJC46]

Belle427 said:

Nothing at all, covers do more harm than good outside.

This.

Its not about scratching the paintwork, its all about micro blisters.

Others may disagree but IMO i would never put a cover over a fibreglass car.

Have a look on the web plenty of people having micro blister problems, and this is even on some metal body cars.

Rare as rocking horse s##t but a Leven cover is what most swear by if keeping the car outdoors.

[PabloGee]

You can get a cover for the roof section - MX5 ones fit ok, and I believe BMW Z4 covers fit ok too.

[The Three D Mucketeer]

I use a Leven hood only cover on the rare occasion my chm is left outside. Tough/Heavy and strapped to wing mirrors with flaps to divert water away from the engine bay and boot.

[bob-bobberson]

+1 for a Leven cover. Originals do come up for sale you just have to be patient. I believe Amore Autos also make their own version which they sometimes have in stock.

Mine sat outside for a year with just this cover on, and survived. I now keep it on when in the garage too to stop the spiders and bugs getting on the hood.

[BritishTvr450]

I’d take the advice of the painter first.
Paint can take months to fully harden on fibreglass cars so I’d be very careful of using a cover outside until you are sure it’s not going to cause more harm than good.