Outdoor car Cover
Discussion
In my experience, any cover that does not have underbody straps will come off in high winds. I tried several cheap ones and they were all rubbish.
I've been using the Stormforce one (by Coverzone) for nearly a year for my Chimaera. Size CCC257 (probably the same size). Not cheap (over £100) but very good. The car does get damp underneath in heavy rain, mostly condensation, but it is breathable and will dry off without having to take the cover off. It has 2 underbody straps.
Don't dismiss the Halfords ones. I read a good review on here of them so I'm trying one on the Cerbera. Only had it 2 weeks though so no idea if it will last yet. It's almost as good for half the price (you'd only need the small I expect at £55). A bit too long on the sides (touches the ground) and is heavier but also breathable. Only on the sides though, the centre section is heavy duty plastic outer with pop up vents. Also cotton lined though with 3 underbody straps. But it's designed for 'normal' cars so one strap is by the rear wheels so I've used them diagonally.
I've been using the Stormforce one (by Coverzone) for nearly a year for my Chimaera. Size CCC257 (probably the same size). Not cheap (over £100) but very good. The car does get damp underneath in heavy rain, mostly condensation, but it is breathable and will dry off without having to take the cover off. It has 2 underbody straps.
Don't dismiss the Halfords ones. I read a good review on here of them so I'm trying one on the Cerbera. Only had it 2 weeks though so no idea if it will last yet. It's almost as good for half the price (you'd only need the small I expect at £55). A bit too long on the sides (touches the ground) and is heavier but also breathable. Only on the sides though, the centre section is heavy duty plastic outer with pop up vents. Also cotton lined though with 3 underbody straps. But it's designed for 'normal' cars so one strap is by the rear wheels so I've used them diagonally.
[quote].The car does get damp underneath in heavy rain, mostly condensation, but it is breathable and will dry off without having to take the cover off. It has 2 underbody straps.
[/quote]
Please be very careful with any moisture, condensation included, that gets under the cover.
Painted fiberglass and moisture do not sit well at all. You can get micro-blisters in the paint that you will not initially notice.
Once there, they are there for good, and it takes some serious work, and cost, to eliminate them.[Strip down to bare fiberglass and repaint]
Many others on here maybe able to offer more advice, but.......just my opinion............... if you intend to store the car for most of the winter
months, then I would avoid using a full car cover if possible. Just cover the hood section, to stop any possible water ingress and leave it at that.
[/quote]
Please be very careful with any moisture, condensation included, that gets under the cover.
Painted fiberglass and moisture do not sit well at all. You can get micro-blisters in the paint that you will not initially notice.
Once there, they are there for good, and it takes some serious work, and cost, to eliminate them.[Strip down to bare fiberglass and repaint]
Many others on here maybe able to offer more advice, but.......just my opinion............... if you intend to store the car for most of the winter
months, then I would avoid using a full car cover if possible. Just cover the hood section, to stop any possible water ingress and leave it at that.
TJC46 said:
Please be very careful with any moisture, condensation included, that gets under the cover.
Painted fiberglass and moisture do not sit well at all. You can get micro-blisters in the paint that you will not initially notice.
Once there, they are there for good, and it takes some serious work, and cost, to eliminate them.[Strip down to bare fiberglass and repaint]
Many others on here maybe able to offer more advice, but.......just my opinion............... if you intend to store the car for most of the winter
months, then I would avoid using a full car cover if possible. Just cover the hood section, to stop any possible water ingress and leave it at that.
Fair point. I should have added that I always take covers off on dry days to let the car completely dry out (with doors open or windows down if possible), they've been uncovered the last 2 days here. Going back on in the next few minutes.Painted fiberglass and moisture do not sit well at all. You can get micro-blisters in the paint that you will not initially notice.
Once there, they are there for good, and it takes some serious work, and cost, to eliminate them.[Strip down to bare fiberglass and repaint]
Many others on here maybe able to offer more advice, but.......just my opinion............... if you intend to store the car for most of the winter
months, then I would avoid using a full car cover if possible. Just cover the hood section, to stop any possible water ingress and leave it at that.
It also says on the instructions not to cover a car that has been recently painted and the Halfords one warns about microblistering so I only use if heavy rain is forecasted. Overnight dew or a light shower isn't an issue. My old silver one was like a paddling pool if it rained but the current one isn't as atrocious as that.
Just covering the hood on my last 2 Chimaeras wasn't sufficient. The water was getting in somewhere at the front windscreen / bulkhead / scuttle area and I never eliminated it. Hood covers tend to blow about / lift at the edges and let water into the front grill / scuttle area.
Edited by ianwayne on Tuesday 6th November 16:20
I bought a standard Halfords car cover with strings to hold it down, seems OK. I bought it to cover the car in the garage as we have had attempted burglaries, I didn't want the car to be visible through the window.
However.....as someone said here about blisters, looked at the car and I have some smal blisters on the bonnet and boot, they definitly weren't there some time ago, after the cover was fitted, they've just appeared. So, I'm a bit peaved, and I'm not using the cover anymore.
However.....as someone said here about blisters, looked at the car and I have some smal blisters on the bonnet and boot, they definitly weren't there some time ago, after the cover was fitted, they've just appeared. So, I'm a bit peaved, and I'm not using the cover anymore.
Thought I'd update on my experience of the all-weather Halfords cover I bought. I used it through the torrential rain in early December and I never got any microblisters as described by others. However, it developed several very small hole tears in the material between the front vents. It was possibly a cat but the fleece underneath was unmarked. They only tend to sit on a warm car and i's not been used for weeks.
It was also very poor at drying out. The more expensive Covercraft item on the Chimaera will dry out within a few hours if left on after the rain stops. The Halfords one would be sopping wet for days on end, the fleece inner of the central pvc section retaining huge amounts of water.
I raised the tear hole issues with Halfords customer services and to their credit, I returned it for a full refund (2 months old). However, I wouldn't recommend it for a TVR. It's a generic size and touches the floor near the rear, therefore extending it's drying out time even further. I'm mulling a covercraft Cerbera sized one but that's the thick end of £200. A couple of sacrificial towels in the footwells will do for now. Sacrificial because the dye comes out of the carpet, well mine does anyway...
It was also very poor at drying out. The more expensive Covercraft item on the Chimaera will dry out within a few hours if left on after the rain stops. The Halfords one would be sopping wet for days on end, the fleece inner of the central pvc section retaining huge amounts of water.
I raised the tear hole issues with Halfords customer services and to their credit, I returned it for a full refund (2 months old). However, I wouldn't recommend it for a TVR. It's a generic size and touches the floor near the rear, therefore extending it's drying out time even further. I'm mulling a covercraft Cerbera sized one but that's the thick end of £200. A couple of sacrificial towels in the footwells will do for now. Sacrificial because the dye comes out of the carpet, well mine does anyway...
I got a breathable cover from Halfords about 5 years ago which is designed for a medium sized car, has three restraining straps that go under the car and elasticated around it’s base and fits my Chim pretty good.
It’s never caused any marks or blistering ( thank god) but since a new windscreen I don’t use it much now as the car stays ,,,almost dry inside unless it’s prolonged and heavy rain.
It’s one of those 6 of one and half a dozen of the other,
There’s a thread on the Chim forum discussing the Leven half cover and now I think I’d rather just use one of those in future as it’s less hassle and probably does a better job of keeping the bits that leak into the car dry.
The cost isn’t great but then it’s a quality product.
It’s never caused any marks or blistering ( thank god) but since a new windscreen I don’t use it much now as the car stays ,,,almost dry inside unless it’s prolonged and heavy rain.
It’s one of those 6 of one and half a dozen of the other,
There’s a thread on the Chim forum discussing the Leven half cover and now I think I’d rather just use one of those in future as it’s less hassle and probably does a better job of keeping the bits that leak into the car dry.
The cost isn’t great but then it’s a quality product.
I'd have thought it was a small for a Griff / Chimaera. Unless the sizes / designs have changed?
The medium was too big on my Cerbera; the rear pop-up vents were almost at the rear of the boot lid and the sides touched the ground from halfway back, even after doing up the underbody straps.
The medium was too big on my Cerbera; the rear pop-up vents were almost at the rear of the boot lid and the sides touched the ground from halfway back, even after doing up the underbody straps.
Edited by ianwayne on Wednesday 2nd January 21:40
Have used an outdoor cover for TVR's in the past, but today have just bought from Machine Mart a Clarke Garage/Workshop CIG81015 for £251.98.
I had planned on a four post garage lift but the garage needs 2 x extra courses of bricks and the pitched tiled roof raising. Also as we live in a listed building its not just a straight forward job.
So a quick temp fix has been introduced.
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