owc6

Since the new coupe purchase, my '05 Vert with a Grey-beige top has been outside (covered by the '08 coupe's cover), and now Michael (the storm, not the husband) has made me wonder if storing it under a cover may be doing more harm to the top than possible cat paw prints to the paint?

How have other Vert owners (especially with light-colored tops) dealt with moisture (deluge at this point) and discoloration/mildew? Considering the miles, the top looks almost brand-new, with only a few dark marks in the creases. I don't want that to change.

The cover is polypropylene with a fuzzy inside, but it doesn't take long before crap can grow before it dries out.
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BadAV

Buy a 303 Fabric Convertible top Care Kit or a RaggTopp kit. Clean the top with the cleaner, LET IT COMPLETELY DRY, then put the protectant on the top. That is all you really need to keep the top in good shape. I have always used RaggTopp in the past but tried 303 this summer; 303 appears to bead water off the top for a much longer time than RaggTopp. My car is garaged so I only do the treatment every 2 years; I would do it each Spring if it stayed outside all of the time.

I am fairly sure you are already aware, but putting a cover on a dirty car can grind the dirt into the paint in windy conditions.

Icecap

Sounds to me like your cover is similar to mine from Corvettes America, their Soft Shield brand fleece lined outdoor cover. I store our Corvette convertible in a car port when it's off the road unused from October through March. I live in the rainy high humidity Pacific Northwest. With the car being stored outdoors but covered mildew and mildew stains would be a problem but I get around that by putting a Dry-Z-Air container on the floor in the cabin of the car an one in the trunk as well as a box of baking soda fridge deoderizer in the trunk and cabin. I check and empty the water collected and replenish the desiccant in the dry z air containers every couple of months so a couple of times during the storage season. The car has always been fresh smelling inside with no musty or mildew odors when I uncover it.

I live in a flat open area that tends to be quite windy at times so during storage I use a bungee strap across underneath the car to keep the cover taut against the side of the car which keeps the cover from inflating and flapping against the side of the car when it gets windy.

Dragan187

If it were me, I would eat the 60 bucks or so a month in rent and have it in storage for winter. Peace of mind is everything.

shaggyvette

owc6

This isn't for winter, it's permanent as long as we own the car.

Brenda1

Covercraft makes a cover just for that, but they are expensive. The material is Sunbrella......used for awning, lawn furniture and other soft goods that are in the sun. It has a 5 year warranty.You can go with lesser materials 3 and 4 year warranties and just replace them more often.Covers probably work better in dry climates as there is far less possibilities of water being trapped under the cover and mold.Go to www.covercraft.com read all about the covers and materials. You can even get a price for the cover for your car.

Patsgarage

FWIW, we have stored our 89 Vert outside under a cover for 10+ years with no mildew issues with the top. I do put on the hardtop for the winter, but the other 7-8 months of the year it is just the soft top.

Dano523

Downside I see leaving the car out side, is it become winter nesting ground for pretty much any varmint around. So chewed wires, nests in the car, and pretty much that lot of problems. You could go buck wild with mothballs trying to keep them out of the car, but that only works half the time if your lucky.


As for a storage locker area to keep the car there in winter storage, again go buck wild with the mothballs and even rat and mouse traps, since even those can end up with varmint still using the car for nesting as well. Also, if the storage area does not have 110 power to use a battery tender on the battery, then pull the battery and put in on a tender over the winter in your own home instead.

owc6

Good advice, Dano, for those who are looking for winter storage. You are one of the more knowledgeable posters here.

But, this is not about that. This is about the foreseeable future on this car. She is outside from here until (frankly, we can drive her over 250,000 miles (only 1500 miles away) so we can say we actually did this , and then, we put her on the market). Honestly, we wouldn't even consider selling her, except we fell into an great deal on the '08, and this is one more Corvette than we can drive at the same time.

Or garage. We still wouldn't consider selling Bertha if we had a place to keep her in the manner in which she is accustomed.

owc6

Ok, the cover is officially more trouble, and potential damage, than it's worth.

If this was a coupe that rarely got driven (the 2008 we just bought), then I could see the advantage, but not a Vert with a light top, that still gets driven regularly.

ruxvette

You are missing the basic Corvette calculation:
Three Corvettes minus two garage spaces = One Corvette too many. You are over-Corvetted.

ben z

Dk about verts but I keep my coupe outside all the time in FL and use an indoor-outdoor cover made by Wolf that I got on the Bay for <$100. Water goes through it but also evaporates quickly in the sun. It's the sun and bird poo I'm trying to protect against. The covers I worry about are the "waterproof" ones that trap dew underneath, against the paint, and then it cooks in the sun.

Smokeysvette

You may not see them but they are there and can do all sorts of damage. Mice love to nibble on electrical wiring!

jrose7004

Personally I think covers do more harm than good, the car has to be totally clean when you put it on and the wind blowing cause to cover to flap back and forth on your paint.

ruxvette

I agree. Perhaps a Costco portable carport not raised all the way or with sides.