Car Cover???

[CaptAwsme]

So unfortunately I do not have access to a garage and I want to protect my my new black car with a cover when it's not being used. Can anyone give me a recommendation for a safe cover to use and why? I live in South New Jersey so I deal with all the seasons. (Sun/Rain/Snow) Thanks for your help.

 

[trekkeruss]

I've never used a cover, but I'd hate to use one on a daily driver. I think putting it on and taking it off every day would get old fast, and I'd quit using it. I don't have a garage either, and the weather here in the D.C. area is not much better. I went with a coating to protect the paint.

 

[RBJR]

So unfortunately I do not have access to a garage and I want to protect my my new black car with a cover when it's not being used. Can anyone give me a recommendation for a safe cover to use and why? I live in South New Jersey so I deal with all the seasons. (Sun/Rain/Snow) Thanks for your help.

I had to use a car cover a few years ago. Garage is back up now and I sometimes still cover my car while in the garage for any anticipated extended period of time. I purchased a Noah from CoverCraft. Excellent company. The Noah is all season. UV protection is very good however not made for intense sunlight. Intense sun light would be considered direct sun for more than 3/4 hours. Direct sun longer than 3/4 hours a day will cause the fabric to fail. CoverCraft has a good warranty and will honor it without any hassles. At least my experience was very good. I dealt with Kathy in Customer Service.

I had them line the seams to help minimize scratching. When I did use the cover I never put it on the car if it had any dirt, pollen, etc. I ensured the car was as clean as possible since any dirt on the paint would be agitated by the movement of the cover and more than likely cause scratching. The cover itself no matter how careful you are may cause some light scratching.

I also used the windshield to put the cover on and take it off --- Let me try to explain further --- Most recommend laying the cover down the center of the car, rolling it out to full coverage. By laying it across the windshield you can pull to the front bumper minimizing touching the paint as well to the back once the pockets are in the place over the mirrors. Hope this helps.


** I just remembered that I ordered the cover through Autogeek after getting some very good advice from a fellow by the name of Raymond that worked in support. I had to deal directly with CoverCraft after the cover failed. Failed due to my misuse of using it 6/7 hours a day in direct sunlight.

Ray

 

[RBJR]

I've never used a cover, but I'd hate to use one on a daily driver. I think putting it on and taking it off every day would get old fast, and I'd quit using it. I don't have a garage either, and the weather here in the D.C. area is not much better. I went with a coating to protect the paint.

It took me all of 3 minutes to put the cover on and take it off. And that was being very careful.

Ray

 

[trekkeruss]

It took me all of 3 minutes to put the cover on and take it off. And that was being very careful

Oh, that's not so bad. but then you said you can't put it on a dirty car. I'd have to dust off my vehicle every time I wanted to put a cover on it, meaning daily. No thanks.

 

[RBJR]

Oh, that's not so bad. but then you said you can't put it on a dirty car. I'd have to dust off my vehicle every time I wanted to put a cover on it, meaning daily. No thanks.

Daily would be very painful. If you had to put it on and take it off daily you more than likely would scratch the paint more doing the prep work to put the cover on.

 

[Jaretr1]

I have the covercraft Weathersheild HP. It is very light and virtually dust tight. The pros of the lightness is its easy to put on and off in calm winds, and folds up nice and small for storage. If its breezy, it can be a little tricky to put on. I use a bungee cord to keep it on the car and never had a problem with it coming off. It can also be washed in a household washing machine.

I had the NOAH, and in direct sunlight only lasted a few years (it was warranteed) and it was not dustproof, so whenever I would remove it, my car was covered in dust / dirt. It would also get completely saturated when it rained, and being thick it would take longer to dry.
The benefit is it could offer more protection against dings and or objects hitting the car due to its thickness.

 

[RBJR]

I have the covercraft Weathersheild HP. It is very light and virtually dust tight. The pros of the lightness is its easy to put on and off in calm winds, and folds up nice and small for storage. If its breezy, it can be a little tricky to put on. I use a bungee cord to keep it on the car and never had a problem with it coming off. It can also be washed in a household washing machine.

I had the NOAH, and in direct sunlight only lasted a few years (it was warranteed) and it was not dustproof, so whenever I would remove it, my car was covered in dust / dirt. It would also get completely saturated when it rained, and being thick it would take longer to dry.
The benefit is it could offer more protection against dings and or objects hitting the car due to its thickness.

For me the Noah only allowed dust & dirt in the extent you referred to was when the material began to break down from over exposure in the sun. I don't think the material breaks down all at once and is a slow process. I'm about 10 minutes from the nations capitol. Weather conditions do come into play making a selection I believe. I have the Weatherguard HP also and found it to cause more scratching than the Noah, didn't protect as well in the rain, snow / winter however has excellent UV protection.

Hopefully the fellow who started this thread is getting the info he needs to make an informed decision.

Ray

 

[Jaretr1]

For me the Noah only allowed dust & dirt in the extent you referred to was when the material began to break down from over exposure in the sun. I don't think the material breaks down all at once and is a slow process. I have the Weatherguard HP also and found it to cause more scratching than the Noah. Hopefully the fellow who started this thread is getting the info he needs to make an informed decision.

Ray

Hmm, I never put the car cover on my car unless its clean and I have not noticed any scratching whatsover from the weathershield at all. I didnt noticed any scratching from the NOAH either to be fair. I have two cars covered by weathershields right now and both have been polished.

You are right though, it did break down gradually, but it didnt come close to lasting the 4 years it was supposed to. My weathershields are 3-4 years old already and have shown no sign of deterioration.

If I had to buy another cover again, it would be the weathershield again.

 

[CaptAwsme]

I want to thank both of you very informative. The only bad part is those were the two I was contemplating getting, lol!