Car cover question....
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 1,857
Likes: 332
From: Cartersville GA
Car cover question....
Yes I have read thru about a dozen different threads on the subject and came to the conclusion that for my needs I might as well just use a tarp.
Now let me explain.....All I'm looking for out of a cover is to protect the car from rain if I'm at a car show or on a short overnight trip....I'm sure the T-Tops leak and I want to keep all the water out that I can...It will not be covered while in the garage and with the paint being at best a 20 footer I'm not looking to protect it from the sun.
Anybody else in the same situation and if so what do you use.....?
Brian
Now let me explain.....All I'm looking for out of a cover is to protect the car from rain if I'm at a car show or on a short overnight trip....I'm sure the T-Tops leak and I want to keep all the water out that I can...It will not be covered while in the garage and with the paint being at best a 20 footer I'm not looking to protect it from the sun.
Anybody else in the same situation and if so what do you use.....?
Brian
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 992
Likes: 28
From: Sutton MA
I had a Technalon Car Cover years ago on my Mustang. Best car cover I ever had, I recently did a search and found they are still made. Water proof, Breathable, Soft and padded for those accidental bumps with car doors or whatever. Not cheap but simply worth every penny.
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 19,294
Likes: 2,753
From: Charlotte NC
I do not know if they are still made....but I believe the car cover companies made a cover that just covered the T-tops and glass. So the rest of the car was exposed. Small and easy to travel with...this may be an option.
And knowing that you are not using it for any major protection...you should be fine.
I personally do not like car covers for exterior use. I have seen more damage to paint jobs due to them than anything else....especially on Corvettes. If they are used outside ...they take effort and maintenance to make sure the cover is good and the car is good also.
DUB
And knowing that you are not using it for any major protection...you should be fine.
I personally do not like car covers for exterior use. I have seen more damage to paint jobs due to them than anything else....especially on Corvettes. If they are used outside ...they take effort and maintenance to make sure the cover is good and the car is good also.
DUB
Drifting
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 1,950
Likes: 498
From: Chino Hills CA
[QUOTE=DUB;1589805734]I do not know if they are still made....but I believe the car cover companies made a cover that just covered the T-tops and glass. So the rest of the car was exposed. Small and easy to travel with...this may be an option.
And knowing that you are not using it for any major protection...you should be fine.
I personally do not like car covers for exterior use. I have seen more damage to paint jobs due to them than anything else....especially on Corvettes. If they are used outside ...they take effort and maintenance to make sure the cover is good and the car is good also.
I have had very good luck with those 50 dollar 7 layer covers they sell on ebay. They work well, are breathable, and keep the car reasonably dry in rainstorms. The only thing is that they don't stand up to the sun very well and only last about a year. This time I kept my old one and use it as a 2nd cover to protect my new one from the sun. So far so good.
And knowing that you are not using it for any major protection...you should be fine.
I personally do not like car covers for exterior use. I have seen more damage to paint jobs due to them than anything else....especially on Corvettes. If they are used outside ...they take effort and maintenance to make sure the cover is good and the car is good also.
I have had very good luck with those 50 dollar 7 layer covers they sell on ebay. They work well, are breathable, and keep the car reasonably dry in rainstorms. The only thing is that they don't stand up to the sun very well and only last about a year. This time I kept my old one and use it as a 2nd cover to protect my new one from the sun. So far so good.
Safety Car
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 4,652
Likes: 80
From: Lakeland Florida
I have a think mylar type cover that is waterproof that I keep on my 75. Its parked outside, and it keeps the rain out. The benefit is since it is so thin and light, it does not take up much space in the rear compartment when I roll it up.
When my C5 is parked outside I keep a better quality cover on it. I have had this for almost 3 years with no damage to the paint.
kdf
When my C5 is parked outside I keep a better quality cover on it. I have had this for almost 3 years with no damage to the paint.
kdf
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 1,857
Likes: 332
From: Cartersville GA
Thank Ya'll for the advise....Sounds like maybe the $50 eBay option may be my best bet....It would stay folded up in the back of the car 99% of the time unless we get caught out in the rain.
Brian
Brian
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 40,368
Likes: 787
From: Redondo Beach, California
My car cover experience...
In the mid 1990's I decided to stop driving my 1970 BB. I was undergoing a financial minimum..then there were insurance costs..and the California DMV was hassling me with smog test problems. I stopped driving the car and stored it under a car cover in the back of my house. It just sat there and I rarely took the cover off to look at it. It was just to disturbing to me to look at it. It doesn't rain much in So California, but it does rain. When I finally got a chance to move it to a closed area and also have the money to start to restore it, I removed the car cover and was horrified. The bumpers were rusted so bad as to be useless. All the exterior chrome pieces were ruined. The engine compartment was horribly corroded. The interior was about the same except it smelt moldy. Many of the front of the car exterior chrome pieces of a 70 are $$$$$ to correct.
When you store a car with a car cover and it's out in the weather, when it rains, the cover gets either soggy or moist...in either case it creates a humid environment tent for the car and this humid environment corrodes things...especially in warmer climates.
My 08 Corvette sits outside under an expensive cover with a plush soft lining. The car cover is to protect the car and expecially the clear plastic headlight lenses from ultraviolet. When the weather report predicts rain, I take the car cover off and let the rain fall on the car. When the car is dry, I replace the car cover. So far so good. The 08 doesn't have external chrome and the engine compartment polished aluminum, etc still looks good.
My 68 is under a canopy to protect it from rain. It has a car cover, but the car cover doesn't get wet. It's a ShelterLogic canopy.
In the mid 1990's I decided to stop driving my 1970 BB. I was undergoing a financial minimum..then there were insurance costs..and the California DMV was hassling me with smog test problems. I stopped driving the car and stored it under a car cover in the back of my house. It just sat there and I rarely took the cover off to look at it. It was just to disturbing to me to look at it. It doesn't rain much in So California, but it does rain. When I finally got a chance to move it to a closed area and also have the money to start to restore it, I removed the car cover and was horrified. The bumpers were rusted so bad as to be useless. All the exterior chrome pieces were ruined. The engine compartment was horribly corroded. The interior was about the same except it smelt moldy. Many of the front of the car exterior chrome pieces of a 70 are $$$$$ to correct.
When you store a car with a car cover and it's out in the weather, when it rains, the cover gets either soggy or moist...in either case it creates a humid environment tent for the car and this humid environment corrodes things...especially in warmer climates.
My 08 Corvette sits outside under an expensive cover with a plush soft lining. The car cover is to protect the car and expecially the clear plastic headlight lenses from ultraviolet. When the weather report predicts rain, I take the car cover off and let the rain fall on the car. When the car is dry, I replace the car cover. So far so good. The 08 doesn't have external chrome and the engine compartment polished aluminum, etc still looks good.
My 68 is under a canopy to protect it from rain. It has a car cover, but the car cover doesn't get wet. It's a ShelterLogic canopy.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 992
Likes: 28
From: Sutton MA
My car cover experience... In the mid 1990's I decided to stop driving my 1970 BB. I was undergoing a financial minimum..then there were insurance costs..and the California DMV was hassling me with smog test problems. I stopped driving the car and stored it under a car cover in the back of my house. It just sat there and I rarely took the cover off to look at it. It was just to disturbing to me to look at it. It doesn't rain much in So California, but it does rain. When I finally got a chance to move it to a closed area and also have the money to start to restore it, I removed the car cover and was horrified. The bumpers were rusted so bad as to be useless. All the exterior chrome pieces were ruined. The engine compartment was horribly corroded. The interior was about the same except it smelt moldy. Many of the front of the car exterior chrome pieces of a 70 are $$$$$ to correct. When you store a car with a car cover and it's out in the weather, when it rains, the cover gets either soggy or moist...in either case it creates a humid environment tent for the car and this humid environment corrodes things...especially in warmer climates. My 08 Corvette sits outside under an expensive cover with a plush soft lining. The car cover is to protect the car and expecially the clear plastic headlight lenses from ultraviolet. When the weather report predicts rain, I take the car cover off and let the rain fall on the car. When the car is dry, I replace the car cover. So far so good. The 08 doesn't have external chrome and the engine compartment polished aluminum, etc still looks good. My 68 is under a canopy to protect it from rain. It has a car cover, but the car cover doesn't get wet. It's a ShelterLogic canopy.
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Race Director
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 19,294
Likes: 2,753
From: Charlotte NC
Once again...I CARE LESS on what the manufacture 'SAYS' the cover will do...A cover inhibits air movement...>PERIOD! And IF the car is neglected and NOT checked out and the cover removed and allow the car to get opened up and breathe...your car will have problems. This is NOT my opinion...but FACT. And if a person feels that I am full of crap...then re-read what happened to 68/70Vette...and if that is still not good enough....then all I can 'say' is that I wish you the best.
Living in the desert with no rain or humidity is NOT REALITY. The process that '68/70Vette' uses with the '08 Vette is CORRECT....or if the cover is on the car and gets rained on...when the rain stops...TAKE THE COVER OFF!!!! and dry it out along with allowing the moisture around and under your Corvette to dry out. OR...you will have a 'greenhouse' effect and have a problem. So...any of you who use an outside car cover...do as you wish.....and all I can 'say' is that I hope I never read a post where a person show photos of their paint job with small blisters/bubbles in it. Because this problem of moisture contamination is not going to happen overnight....it is YEARS of being subjected to this...and then one day.....BAM....you have blisters/bubbles. SO do not ever say you were not warned.
DUB
Living in the desert with no rain or humidity is NOT REALITY. The process that '68/70Vette' uses with the '08 Vette is CORRECT....or if the cover is on the car and gets rained on...when the rain stops...TAKE THE COVER OFF!!!! and dry it out along with allowing the moisture around and under your Corvette to dry out. OR...you will have a 'greenhouse' effect and have a problem. So...any of you who use an outside car cover...do as you wish.....and all I can 'say' is that I hope I never read a post where a person show photos of their paint job with small blisters/bubbles in it. Because this problem of moisture contamination is not going to happen overnight....it is YEARS of being subjected to this...and then one day.....BAM....you have blisters/bubbles. SO do not ever say you were not warned.
DUB
Drifting
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 1,950
Likes: 498
From: Chino Hills CA
Once again...I CARE LESS on what the manufacture 'SAYS' the cover will do...A cover inhibits air movement...>PERIOD! And IF the car is neglected and NOT checked out and the cover removed and allow the car to get opened up and breathe...your car will have problems. This is NOT my opinion...but FACT. And if a person feels that I am full of crap...then re-read what happened to 68/70Vette...and if that is still not good enough....then all I can 'say' is that I wish you the best.
Living in the desert with no rain or humidity is NOT REALITY. The process that '68/70Vette' uses with the '08 Vette is CORRECT....or if the cover is on the car and gets rained on...when the rain stops...TAKE THE COVER OFF!!!! and dry it out along with allowing the moisture around and under your Corvette to dry out. OR...you will have a 'greenhouse' effect and have a problem. So...any of you who use an outside car cover...do as you wish.....and all I can 'say' is that I hope I never read a post where a person show photos of their paint job with small blisters/bubbles in it. Because this problem of moisture contamination is not going to happen overnight....it is YEARS of being subjected to this...and then one day.....BAM....you have blisters/bubbles. SO do not ever say you were not warned.
DUB
Living in the desert with no rain or humidity is NOT REALITY. The process that '68/70Vette' uses with the '08 Vette is CORRECT....or if the cover is on the car and gets rained on...when the rain stops...TAKE THE COVER OFF!!!! and dry it out along with allowing the moisture around and under your Corvette to dry out. OR...you will have a 'greenhouse' effect and have a problem. So...any of you who use an outside car cover...do as you wish.....and all I can 'say' is that I hope I never read a post where a person show photos of their paint job with small blisters/bubbles in it. Because this problem of moisture contamination is not going to happen overnight....it is YEARS of being subjected to this...and then one day.....BAM....you have blisters/bubbles. SO do not ever say you were not warned.
DUB
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 992
Likes: 28
From: Sutton MA
DUB,
There's passion in your words and I don't doubt knowledge and facts. I will certainly take that as a warning when I do buy my cover, and I will go with the technolon It did wonders keeping my black mustang looking like brand new for a long time. Of course I drove the car too so the cover wasn't on it all the time and it wasn't left sitting.
There's passion in your words and I don't doubt knowledge and facts. I will certainly take that as a warning when I do buy my cover, and I will go with the technolon It did wonders keeping my black mustang looking like brand new for a long time. Of course I drove the car too so the cover wasn't on it all the time and it wasn't left sitting.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 1,238
Likes: 288
From: ESCONDIDO CA
2025 C2 of the Year ('63 and '67) Finalist - Unmodified
C2 of Year Finalist (appearance mods) 2019
Decision may already be made but here's another vote for the $50 buck 7 layer or now 9 layer. Nicely disposable after about 6 months but even the more expensive covers get dust and dirt on the inside and really need to be tossed after that happens. The breeze lifts them up like a full skirt but the cotton liner is very soft.
Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 38,923
Likes: 1,481
From: Southbound
Cruise-In II Veteran
Wee: Purchase a breathable good quality car cover. Most of them come with carry bags so you can take it with you when you go to shows.
A tarp is not the answer.
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 19,294
Likes: 2,753
From: Charlotte NC
YES...I have PASSION in trying to convey my experiences in what I have seen first hand over the decades of dealing in Corvette and other car repair.
A person can do as they wish..I am NOT here to judge anyone.
REMEMBER a steel car is not a fiberglass/SMC car. Moisture can not migrate THROUGH steel. BUT...depending on the YEAR of a steel car. If it is an OLD car...I have seen 55-57 Chevys actually begin to fall apart at the seams due to moisture getting in the lap joints and accelerating the rust..and ruining the car. NOW...A NEW steel car is built entirely different..and can hold up to this type of 'green house' effect a bit better....but if the car is still subjected to a harsh moisture environment....one day...'something' may pop up and by that time...it is TOO LATE!
Once again...car covers are FINE....just do not cover your car and forget about it. It does take EFFORT.
DUB
A person can do as they wish..I am NOT here to judge anyone.
REMEMBER a steel car is not a fiberglass/SMC car. Moisture can not migrate THROUGH steel. BUT...depending on the YEAR of a steel car. If it is an OLD car...I have seen 55-57 Chevys actually begin to fall apart at the seams due to moisture getting in the lap joints and accelerating the rust..and ruining the car. NOW...A NEW steel car is built entirely different..and can hold up to this type of 'green house' effect a bit better....but if the car is still subjected to a harsh moisture environment....one day...'something' may pop up and by that time...it is TOO LATE!
Once again...car covers are FINE....just do not cover your car and forget about it. It does take EFFORT.
DUB
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 1,857
Likes: 332
From: Cartersville GA
I'm revisiting this thread because I have yet to buy a cover and the wife asked me what I wanted for my birthday.
Does anyone know of a form fitting cover for around $100 or less....? I don't think any of the cheap 7 layer ones on eBay are form fitting.
I would like to have one that would stay on during a thunderstorm.
Brian
Does anyone know of a form fitting cover for around $100 or less....? I don't think any of the cheap 7 layer ones on eBay are form fitting.
I would like to have one that would stay on during a thunderstorm.
Brian
Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 38,923
Likes: 1,481
From: Southbound
Cruise-In II Veteran
eBay or Wally World generic is not what you want. Order a C3 specific cover from any of the recognized forum vendors. My most recent two were from Willcox. They are good quality and came with storage bags.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 2,623
Likes: 22
From: Boise Idaho
St. Jude Donor '09-'10, '15, '17
If you don't want to spend a lot I bought one of these and told them I needed it for a 1968 Corvette. It fits great. http://www.ebay.com/itm/9-Layer-Car-...wAAOSwg3FUbivY
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 992
Likes: 28
From: Sutton MA
Check out the MaxTech covers from Corvette America. I bought an EconoTech because ours is just for indoors on Ebay for $54. Looks like on Corvette America's site the MaxTech which is rated for outdoors is $89 before shipping. It fits well and comes with a tie down cable and lock with so called scratch resistant grommets. I say so called because I don't tie it that tight so I don't know for sure.
The link in the post above me seems like a better deal for sure if it fits well.
The link in the post above me seems like a better deal for sure if it fits well.
Last edited by Tooonz; May 31, 2016 at 02:28 PM.
Safety Car
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 3,800
Likes: 1,712
From: Summerville SC
You need to buy a cover with a fabric that BREATHES, water resistant not water proof. That will let the humidity out through the cover vs the water proof one, which won't let water go either way. If you want to save some $$ on a form fitted one, get the best cover you can afford, buy some grommets from the Depot and put them in the hem ( the bottom inch or two of the cover) and put a rope thru the grommets and pull it tight. Please don't use tarp, blue or green, you will regret it.