Protecting a car stored outside: recommendations?

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KiwiME

213 posts

Master Geek

#3130080 21-Sep-2023 11:07

I've used a SuperCheap outdoor-type cover on my white Kona EV for five years now and it has produced lots of fine scratches on the bonnet, despite that I quickly wash the car before covering it.

But that's better than having the lights yellowed from sunlight and the car still looks pretty good for its age.

I try to remove if it's going to rain because it's hard to dry out. With a bit of practice and a dry place to store it nearby, I only need about 1 minute to remove the cover.

I've also installed a shade sail which helps a lot with avoiding bird droppings but not sunlight. But in winter that's all I need so can avoid having to install the car cover.

In the end it makes me appreciate times when I've had a home with a garage.

tdgeek

29740 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#3130093 21-Sep-2023 11:32

Senecio:

How often does your wife use her car? If she's using it regularly then the act of putting on a removing a car cover is going to get tiresome real quick. They're really designed for cars that are being stored and not used for decent amount of time. Even then, they can often cause more damage than the elements that you are trying to protect the car from. Any wind just causes the cover to flap and move about which is going to cause scratches and abrasions in the paint.

Tiresome alright. We bought a near new Accord Euro, the cover was great, moulded for that model including the external mirrors. But a bit tiresome

Wheelbarrow01

1723 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Chorus

#3130278 21-Sep-2023 19:49

I bought a heavy duty car cover from Repco recently. It seems fairly soft whilst also being thick enough to provide decent protection, and the rain repellent coating seems to work well.

To be honest I'm not concerned about scratches as it's installed on my 30 year old race car which has plenty of scratches already! But it is so far performing its function well and my car is clean and pollen free under there. And the crazy winds this week have been no problem - the lower hem is well elasticated and there is a belt/buckle that runs under the middle of the car (but the tighter the fit, the better it will stay on).

I managed to score a deal - I needed the small size ($159) but the only one in stock at my store had been previously sold and returned. Because the cover had just been stuffed badly back into the box with no thought or care, I talked them into letting me have it for $100.

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