Car covers any one use?

[Dark_flan]

Just wondering if anyone had used car covers to protect their cars paint jobs especially in those dirty dusty area whereby you can write on a thick coat of dust even yesterday's car wash? I need some comments of the cover that you may be using?

[Brendon1980]

unless I do not drive for like a month. and no I will not do that HDB MSCP.

[Cook1234]

i think not very common.

[Yeobh]

Not practical unless you are putting yr ride out of actions for weeks or months.

PS Few months ago I conducted a simple survey doing physical counting of motorcycles with protective cover in HDB non covered carparks, conclusion about 70% don't have them. Big potential business or no business ??

[Observer]

using coverking...check them out...good fittings

[Renegade777]

 

Hmmm.......... bad people will know you are not at home. Instant give away.

[ER-3682]

i am using it,keep the car clean & dry.

[Steptronic]

I use whenever I park under Sun for long time!

[Rncw]

i used to cover my car as i work in a shipyard, with neighbors spraying paints and sandblasting....

 

sunday after washed and polished, monday will get dusty ... so my car only shines for one day nia

[5936]

I dont use.

 

If car is dusty and sandy, canvas sheet movement will cause "sandpaper" effect.

 

At my office open carpark of 400+ cars, only 2-3 used cover.

 

 

 

[Ken_leong]

I use it cos I work in shipyard area. It's abut troublesome only when it rains and you have a struggle keeping the cover. Besides that, I don't mind covering and uncovering everyday even at my carpark which is open-air.

It really makes cleaning the car easier. Cuerently, there are more than 5 cars in my carpark using the cover(thought 2 are weekend cars) so nothing to be embarrassed about using the cover in an oper-air carpark.

Currently using those from Stamford tires. It cost more but it definitely fits better than those cheaper types.

[Darth_Goliath]

Use before when just bought a car...but so troublesome that i dump it away...

[Dark_flan]

I see. Thanks for comments of using the covers. I had bought one from Autobacs which is made in Japan. But since the cover is tight fitting therefore I notice a lot of scratches when I was dusting loose dust after work. Should be caused by the cover itself with sandpaper effect since my working area is full of dust that I decided not to use it by not driving to work since my working area is 15 mins bus ride unless travelling. I noticed also storing it is very troublesome and also very difficuit to put on. Wasting 5 mins to put on and if windy near 10 mins. Also rainy days when the cover is wet the car is still dirty by the dust + water when removing or putting on. Think cover like this is not suitable for dusty area. Waste of money and scratching the paintwork. Hope my company buy a transport for me soon.

[Dark_flan]

i used to cover my car as i work in a shipyard, with neighbors spraying paints and sandblasting....

 

sunday after washed and polished, monday will get dusty ... so my car only shines for one day nia

 

I see. I know ppl who wash their car everyday after work to maintain though but since you do use cover under the same dusty environment as me. Do you notice a lot of scratches where the cover is is tight? I am speculating that covers actually scratches paintwork... unless using the tentage car covers which I saw on youtube.. ha funny.

[Nzy]

The covers do cause alot of swirls. You might not notice it if your car color is those light colors. But if your car is black or any other black color the swirls will be very noticeable.

[Dark_flan]

Shame my car is black so it quite visible for my eyes since I am quite detailed with my ride. Think if kept using for a month. The affected area will lost it shine as a result. Polish to rectify is not remedy in the long run as clear coat thins..

[Topspin]

I work in the industrial area of Jurong. Lots of soot and paint aerosol flying around. I will always cover my car when the car is new. After a year or two, sian already, don't cover anymore.

 

Few tips for those who wants to consider covering:

 

1) Get the Polyester type of material only. Cost about $50-$100. Don't get that cheap PVC type that cost less than $20. The PVC type will not allow a wet car surface to dry completly and when under hot sun, will soften a bit then stick to the paint work creating stubborn stains.

 

2) Even if you cover your car, you need to maintain the car surface and cover clean. Any dirt trapped in between the cover and car surface will dull the surface when you remove or put the covers on (others in this thread has equated it to sandpaper). Dark coloured cars are worst affected. The 4 outer pillars of the car will be very dull as they take the most movement of the cover. Strong wind will cause the covers to flap around and the cover acts like a Black & Decker sanding machine but without a need to attach the power cord!.

 

3) If the air polution at the work place is very bad, say, lots of airborne paint aerosol around, then covering the car is still better than trying to remove the paint dots even though some parts of the car body will be dull looking. You then need to wax (not polish) the dull parts very frequently to restore the shine.

 

4) During a heavy rain, you will need to hold the umbrella in one hand and trying your best to remove the cover with the other. Better to put on your swimming costume first or wait for the rain to stop 3 hours later.

Edited July 18, 2011 by Topspin

[Dark_flan]

I bought mine for abt $90. So should be quality stuff. But any contaminations enter the cover betwen the car and cover will result in sandpaper like as mentioned. Think my best solution is not to drive to work but take public transport unless going out after work :P Save time washing everyday.