Car cover or not?

[petjam]

Evening all,

I have a 1986 SL which last year lived underneath a made to measure cover on my driveway. After a few weeks it developed a lot of paint imperfections ( small raised bumps) along both wings which three different garages attributed to the cover. I had a bare metal re-spray performed across both wings along with a blend into the doors and bonnet (looks great) and then it went into storage.

It is back with me for the summer now (will go back in at the end of August) and it is paining me to see it sitting in the rain outside. Am I being paranoid? Or would a non fitted cover be ok?

Thanks for reading.

[Faust66]

Keeping a car well washed and waxed is preferable to a cover IMO.

I know what you mean about seeing your pride and joy out in all weathers (I'm the same with my car (Volvo Amazon)) but at least a car gets to dry out in the wind with no cover on. Trapping moisture against your panels for weeks on end is not a good idea.

Not found a breathable cover with a decent level of breath-ability yet... I do use a cover for short periods if it's forecast to piss down for days on end, but this is normally only a few times a year as my car is a daily driver and my only car, so it's a bit of a hassle taking a cover off and storing it when it's wet.

[Alpinweiss]

My 924 has a number of blisters on the roof which sound like the same problem. I was told by the PO it was a result of it sitting under a car cover for long periods during the ownership of another PO. So I'm a bit dubious about car covers now.

[Mr Tidy]

I don't rate covers.

Even custom made ones will move about a bit in high winds, which results in rubbing on the extremities like the top of the wings.

[RLK500]

I used to cover one of my classics. It now has minor paint imperfections that were not there before I started to cover it. Personally, I wouldn't go back to using a cover. I am lucky that I had enough space to have a garage built to get the car in now so it's not an issue.

However, if I were to go back to a no garage scenario, I would probably try and find a storage company for winter storage and then just leave it outside in the summer.

I know storage isn't cheap, but the more out of the way ones are defo better value and much cheaper than a re-spray..........

[POORCARDEALER]

Avoid covers, as stated they ruin your paint....get a carcoon

[Gio G]

Our old 911 sits outside on the driveway from April/May, when not used, then goes into storage September time. When on the driveway I make sure it is washed and waxed regularly and also maintain the rubber/plastic trims from drying out. It is sad sometimes seeing it under torrential rain, however if you have used a good wax, it just beads off. I have used covers in the past, which seems to create problems for paints..

G

[lowdrag]

POORCARDEALER said:

Avoid covers, as stated they ruin your paint....get a carcoon

+1

[Paul J G]

Personally I wouldn't use a cover again as it will hold moisture between the cover and the paint and never gets a chance to dry properly.

[aeropilot]

Yep, outdoor covers are a no-no, do more damage than they save.

One of these foldable car port tents are a good option though for the months the car is not in storage. Can then be removed and stored in the winter when the car goes back into storage.

[medieval]

I had the same issues on a 911 with paint defects all over the front whilst using a car cover for some time

Had to have a full repaint in the end to address this and a number of other issues to correct but the problem is it then went into storage to keep it pristine and has not been used since!

Short of your own garage at home there does not seem to be a simple answer although the carcoon offering does appeal

[petjam]

Thanks for the replies all, no cover it is. I would love to put a carcoon on my drive but I don’t think my neighbours would be too happy.

[pcn1]

I've kept my 1998 SL under a waterproof/breathable tailored cover all winter.
I followed there instruction's of cleaning and drying the car first, don't strap it down too tight, and once every 2 to 3 weeks I removed the cover to let the car "air" for a hour or so.

My car was highly polished to start and I have noticed the shine has faded a little, so I need to re-polish and re-wax. Cant say I've noticed any serious paint defects otherwise.

I don't have access to a garage, and I just wanted to protect the car as best I could. Now the summer is here I use a half cover every night to keep the mould, bird s**t and the local cats fur off the convertible roof ! A lesson learnt from the way my Audi cab deterioted over many years of being left outside.

My car is a £10K investment for me, and I wont buy anything more expensive unless I do have a garage to keep it in, or send away for storage.

Its a difficult call, maybe depends on the cars paint, some paint types are harder than others ?

[petjam]

I have just bought a half cover for the roof, just had it replaced, would be good to keep the bird poo off it.

[yellow elan]

I have tried covers over the years and my advice to you is don't touch a cover they cause more problems. I have just bought a Clarke instant garage until I build my own garage. The best protection for a car is to use it and maintain it. Cars should be used not stored. All these car bubble things are also not without their faults also