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Most of the others have given you solid advice on different options that will help alleviate problems keeping your car clean. I'm not used to hearing someone in the Corvette world that doesn't like to clean their car, that is indeed a rarity but, I sympathize with your plight. You obviously care a great deal enough to want to preserve it.
You stated that you have a "Winter" car cover and it's quite heavy, as it's supposed to be. Yes, taking Winter covers off daily is not what they were intended for. My suggestion would be to acquire a "Summer" gentler climate car cover that is obviously lighter, and was meant to be taken off a lot easier. No matter what, as soon as it's exposed the particles in the air will make their way to reside on your car, pollen and dust are no big deal but, having the bird ka-ka ritually hit your car is a concern, because some of it is downright toxic to paint. My advice....Get a second cover. Cheaper than storage in the long run, and your car is accessible right then and there.
Having a truck is a great thing, and a wonderful alternative to driving somewhere in it, with knowing the Vette is in the driveway covered, cleaned, and shielded from bird depth charges.
Good luck, sounds as though you have a really nice Vette....
EcklersCorvette.com has a Touchless Car Cover try that
those little black dots may be an issue if you have mulch near your car,there is a problem called shotgun fungus when the mulch rots Check your siding if you see dots on the wall maybe 5 ft higher or lower,that maybe the dot issue
Most of the others have given you solid advice on different options that will help alleviate problems keeping your car clean. I'm not used to hearing someone in the Corvette world that doesn't like to clean their car, that is indeed a rarity but, I sympathize with your plight. You obviously care a great deal enough to want to preserve it.
You stated that you have a "Winter" car cover and it's quite heavy, as it's supposed to be. Yes, taking Winter covers off daily is not what they were intended for. My suggestion would be to acquire a "Summer" gentler climate car cover that is obviously lighter, and was meant to be taken off a lot easier. No matter what, as soon as it's exposed the particles in the air will make their way to reside on your car, pollen and dust are no big deal but, having the bird ka-ka ritually hit your car is a concern, because some of it is downright toxic to paint. My advice....Get a second cover. Cheaper than storage in the long run, and your car is accessible right then and there.
Having a truck is a great thing, and a wonderful alternative to driving somewhere in it, with knowing the Vette is in the driveway covered, cleaned, and shielded from bird depth charges.
Good luck, sounds as though you have a really nice Vette....
Thanks, I had been starting to think about another car cover. Ay-ay-ay...this car and the covers. I guess my worry in the warmer seasons is going to be the risk during severe storms that the cover could come off and blow away if we get strong winds (which we do sometimes).
There once was a time when I didn't despise washing and cleaning cars, but the repetitive amount of how many times I clean just to get filthy in no time (and because I'm not in shape combined with the humidity and weather, this is hard work for me) I quickly grew tired of it. Nothing ever cleans nicely either, so if it's not me going over the car inch by inch with a pressure washer it's with a rag and cleaning spray. I enjoy the finished product, but the anger that comes after tiny brained birds ruin cars despite having a million other places they could drop their load really irks me.
I'm going to do a test where I put my truck where the Vette is and see if it's the car or the location. I mean they're literally a few feet apart but the Vette is behind a tall fence and the truck is not. Damn whoever made power lines that hang over driveways, they are the tools of the devil...
From: Ideals are peaceful...History is violent...St.Charles, MO.
2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (appearance mods)
C5 of Year Winner (appearance mods) 2019
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'12 thru'22
Originally Posted by BigBossMY03Z
Thanks, I had been starting to think about another car cover. Ay-ay-ay...this car and the covers. I guess my worry in the warmer seasons is going to be the risk during severe storms that the cover could come off and blow away if we get strong winds (which we do sometimes).
There once was a time when I didn't despise washing and cleaning cars, but the repetitive amount of how many times I clean just to get filthy in no time (and because I'm not in shape combined with the humidity and weather, this is hard work for me) I quickly grew tired of it. Nothing ever cleans nicely either, so if it's not me going over the car inch by inch with a pressure washer it's with a rag and cleaning spray. I enjoy the finished product, but the anger that comes after tiny brained birds ruin cars despite having a million other places they could drop their load really irks me.
I'm going to do a test where I put my truck where the Vette is and see if it's the car or the location. I mean they're literally a few feet apart but the Vette is behind a tall fence and the truck is not. Damn whoever made power lines that hang over driveways, they are the tools of the devil...
I hear you on the wind factor, we get that in STL as well. For a time, I had a very cheap cover on my C4, which is no big deal, the car needs to be painted, and it sits outside and I got tired of it blowing off from time to time. I bought a better cover, with mirror pockets, that has grommets on the sides and back and front. I tie it down with Type III nylon (550 cord/parachute cord) and never had a problem with it coming off again.
One thing about a lighter cover for summer weather is most household washers can handle it, and it's far easier to wash that, than constantly dragging out all the gear for a car wash. I bought a winter cover for a friend's C6 a few Christmas's ago, and there is no way in hell, I would ever attempt to put that in a household washer. Just make sure you wash it on delicate/hand washables and dry it on "Air" cycle and you'll be fine.
I thought about getting one of those cheep gazebos from the hardware store to use as a temporary car port. They are not ugly.
Actually I bought a hawkbird scarer, I had to order it from Australia. I haven't had the conviction to get on the roof and install it but I think this is going to do it. It's supposed to be up high and birds see it and think it's a natural predator and they stay away from it. It's ideally supposed to be mounted between two posts on a string so it can move around in the wind and look real. Haven't quite figured out how to do that on the roof yet...
The image I found said it was a Woolly Aphid, but I'm not positive that's identical? The most notable feature is they look like flying little white fuzz *****. Not sure how many other bugs that could be, but it's in Kentucky. It's like they're shedding that stupid fuzz off themselves and it sticks to the glass. I wonder if they're also dropping sap or something on to the car.
I don't like car covers...like was mentioned, they can rub on the paint and make wear spots on the clear coat...also, for some reason, whether they've been car or motorcycle covers, they all seem to generate static electricity, and then they turn into a dust magnet, which then transfers that dust to the vehicle. If a garage is out of the question, then I agree with the others saying to use the portable storage shelters...
Ok honest opinion time, is this car so god awful at staying clean because it's a C5 or because it's yellow? This is what happened when I hadn't gone out and wiped the car down for 3 days (It rained 2 of those 3 days).
This car looks beautiful when cleaned, but my god is it an endless battle. I think this car gets dirtier sitting in one spot than other cars I've owned even after driving around. Case in point, we also have an older Cadillac Seville that is a 2003 as well. Importantly though, it is maroon. It sits undriven far more often, and it has not been washed in weeks. Here's what it looked like at the same time I was cleaning the Vette.
I love driving the Z06 but this cleaning regimen is too much for me. I get attacked by mosquitoes and it's always pretty humid outside. I'm wondering if I swapped out the C5 for a C6 in something like maybe black or one of the shades of blue or red if I'd have a better time keeping the car looking decent. As you saw above, the car looks like hell if I don't clean it - and that stuff does not wipe off easily. I'm dumbfounded how that Cadillac stays so much cleaner...it's even the same year. Many more miles than my Z06 too.
I uncovered it about a month or two ago once it stayed nice enough regularly for me to drive it (I put summer tires on it and did not want to drive it in the winter for that reason). I have been treating the car cover like a "use it in the winter time" deal, not to be used until it gets cold again. But I am just at my wits end with this car.
Why don't you just cover the car when you're not driving it? Like a normal person.
I mean seriously...mine is outside. I can either clean bird **** every day or take the cover off and throw it in the trunk. I do like to clean the car before I cover it again though. Don't have to wash..usually a waterless wash type down works. It takes 10 minutes.
Originally Posted by CQRT
I don't have a sense for your weather patterns, but I think I'd find a storage facility rather than leave the car in the elements- certainly, that will keep it cleaner - -absent that, cover it every day or simply wait until you're in a better situation to have a home with a garage. You might also try Rejex or a similar product that sheds bugs and dirt more readily.
Good luck-
haha
Storage units that will fit a car here will pay your rent in most places. If there's even one available.
KY might be different but still...paying a monthly fee for parking isn't really helping him get in a better situation with regard to affording a home, is it?
Why don't you just cover the car when you're not driving it? Like a normal person.
I mean seriously...mine is outside. I can either clean bird **** every day or take the cover off and throw it in the trunk. I do like to clean the car before I cover it again though. Don't have to wash..usually a waterless wash type down works. It takes 10 minutes.
haha
Storage units that will fit a car here will pay your rent in most places. If there's even one available.
KY might be different but still...paying a monthly fee for parking isn't really helping him get in a better situation with regard to affording a home, is it?
I guess I only fight it because if I have to deal with that car cover every time I want to go somewhere I'm probably more apt to just take my truck instead. I don't mind an occasional wipe down, but it's either drive it as you saw or clean it which is what I'm doing. If I put the cover on it each time I parked it I'd have to make sure there's nothing on it before covering it too to make sure I'm not covering the car while it's dirty (which I know is not a good idea since the cover can smear/scratch stuff trapped underneath it).
The idea that yellow attracts bugs is an old, and pretty much valid one. I have a cover with the hold downs like you do, so there's no abrasion if it gets windy. Get a soft lightweight cover as your "daily" . C5's are not bird or any other type of target. You are just hung up on how good the car looks and want it to stay that way, like the rest of us. My neighbor's tree used to be a bird hangout so I cut the offending branches that overhung my driveway. Don't take the dirt, etc personally, those bugs/birds wish they had a c5!
The idea that yellow attracts bugs is an old, and pretty much valid one. I have a cover with the hold downs like you do, so there's no abrasion if it gets windy. Get a soft lightweight cover as your "daily" . C5's are not bird or any other type of target. You are just hung up on how good the car looks and want it to stay that way, like the rest of us. My neighbor's tree used to be a bird hangout so I cut the offending branches that overhung my driveway. Don't take the dirt, etc personally, those bugs/birds wish they had a c5!
Any recommendations for a lightweight cover? The one I bought for winter storage was a pricey Covercraft WeatherShield HP, it did great over the winter time and through the rain. I think most covers expect you to take them off if it's going to get windy/stormy, that would be my concern with putting a lighter cover on it. I wonder how true that is or if I should just use that Covercraft cover all the time? I've heard taking them off and on a lot wears out the elastic but I do have these little clamps that you tie down with a rope that keep it from blowing away in a stronger storm, maybe I could just rely on those if the elastic wore out?
Any recommendations for a lightweight cover? The one I bought for winter storage was a pricey Covercraft WeatherShield HP, it did great over the winter time and through the rain. I think most covers expect you to take them off if it's going to get windy/stormy, that would be my concern with putting a lighter cover on it. I wonder how true that is or if I should just use that Covercraft cover all the time? I've heard taking them off and on a lot wears out the elastic but I do have these little clamps that you tie down with a rope that keep it from blowing away in a stronger storm, maybe I could just rely on those if the elastic wore out?
Boss, when I had my black '02 Z, I had one of those "do it all" covers from th p/o. Well it was old and quickly showed it, not shedding water and leaving dust all over the car when I removed it. I replaced it with a thin, easy to handle waterproof cover that as mentioned earlier, if I covered the car with dust on it, abraded the paint in heavy wind. It did have mirror pockets and cost about $70. After I learned about the abrasion, I purchased a cotton flannel (read SOFT) cover for about $140. That combo was great, better than any other cover I've used. For your daily use I would recommend a lightweight indoor stretchable cover and save the heavy one for serious weather.
I guess I only fight it because if I have to deal with that car cover every time I want to go somewhere I'm probably more apt to just take my truck instead. I don't mind an occasional wipe down, but it's either drive it as you saw or clean it which is what I'm doing. If I put the cover on it each time I parked it I'd have to make sure there's nothing on it before covering it too to make sure I'm not covering the car while it's dirty (which I know is not a good idea since the cover can smear/scratch stuff trapped underneath it).
Which takes more time? Covering the car at the end of the day or cleaning bird **** every single day?
By the time I notice the **** on the car, it's always been dried by the sun to the point where it's like cement. So it won't come off easily. I wind up having to soak it with water or some waterless wash spray until it softens enough to wipe off. It's tedious.
It takes only a few minutes to wipe the car down at the end of the day (or the next morning if I get home late).
The amount of birds here pisses me off. They sit on all the power lines and just **** on everything. I've been all over this country and never seen anything like it. When I had a GTO I went to NC and I left that car parked outside all damn week and not a single speck of bird ****. We were like right across the street from the woods too. Here it's bird **** central. We need more hawks lol
In Salt Lake a seagull crapped on my car when I had the top off. Looked like a pterodactyl crapped on it. Like the size of a small dinner plate right on the passenger seat.
