[Ravi Yadav]

I have been using covers for a year now . When its dirty i soak them in a big bucket with a few table spoon of any detergent and leave it for two to three hours. Wash it off in a running tap water.
During rainy seasons i prefer to go without covers.

[Pedaltothefloor]

Just wondering if there is anything wrong with using a car cover during the rains? it's been raining for 2 days in a row and my car is soaked. I haven't removed the cover as I am using my bike these days. Should I remove the cover? I thought the cover was to protect the car against the rain.

[bluevolt]

Originally Posted by Pedaltothefloor

Just wondering if there is anything wrong with using a car cover during the rains? it's been raining for 2 days in a row and my car is soaked. I haven't removed the cover as I am using my bike these days. Should I remove the cover? I thought the cover was to protect the car against the rain.

It is not good idea to keep the car covered under rain for long period as this may trigger rusting. I never cover the car during rains.

If you have to keep the car covered during rains (in case you are out of station) then it is best to cover the car only after cleaning it.

Never cover a dirty car.

[gpa]

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

^^^2 covers for a car that is parked in covered parking. And my wife thinks I am car-obsessed. I bow to you, Sir

Just loved this line. Only a few understand the passion us Bhpians have.

[Modifiedsachin]

I have heard many of us saying do not use cover in rains.

What I understand so far: -

1. How ever you clean the dirt (Tar marks specially) stay on the car in rainy season
2. The car is hot and if you place the cover at that time then the water vapor might play some role -- agreed
3. If inside of cover is not fully dry then it might damage the paint or leave some marks (which can be rubbed & polished) but agreed

What I want to understand: -

1. Is there any other reason which I have missed completely?
2. If its not a covered parking then the cover is good?
3. If the car is parked under trees (In Mumbai, I have a colony full of trees & have a rare place where parking is not under tree.) then tree leaves & other things fall on the car, they find their way to the dicky tunnel and the grill above the wiper linkage. Then they start accumulating in the dicky tunnel (At the corners when it starts bending down) and in the wiper linkage bay. Even though the car is completely dry the leaves and muck inside is not dry and we find rusting in those areas. I do wash my car on every Saturday in rains and make sure that I pour lot of water in wiper linkage bay & clean the dicky tunnel. But will a cover solve this?
4. Is my understanding of covering the car when hot is correct???

Well the thread was not read and a year back I washed my car cover in a washing machine & used dryer too. (It was a old semi automatic machine, which was about to be given out. But the result was good, the water from cover was thrown away though it was not completely dry . And the machine was also not dirty that much. I just kept the water level to high and only cover was inside so there was enough water to wash it off. We still have the machine, rarely used, but no harm done to machine. Just for the sake of cleaning as the cover also had bird **** on, i wiped the wash drum with soap water and then normal water, and it was clean again (I mean without any bird s*** remaining (my mom was convinced).

[Chris_Xtreme]

Apologies for giving life to this thread after such a long time. I currently wash my car cover (Silvertech) once in 3 months by having it on the car using a mild detergent and a bucket of water. Previously was washing it by soaking it in a bucket of water. But find the current method as easy and less cumbersome. Not sure if there is any other better method.

[saket77]

I put my Polco car cover in my front loader WM & select the program which is easy on the stuff. I make it a point not to spin dry it too much. Not more than 30 seconds may be. Comes out fairly clean if not sparkling new.

Regards,
Saket

[lemedico]

Living in a dusty city is a massive job keeping the car and its cover clean. I've also tried out various styles of washing the cover namely bucket and soap, whilst on the car itself and washing machine. To be honest neither was appealing to me and then i found another way.

One of the doors to the house opens outwards into the lawn. I simply hang the cover on the door (as if to cover the door) and use a high pressure water stream to wash it starting from the top. There is a second advantage which is that the run-off water is into the grass and plants thus watering them!

Its a slight inconvenience if the cover doesn't dry up before its time to lock up the house and go to bed (I attend to the car's needs in the night after dinner)

[Arunshek]

One quick method of washing the car cover will be taking it to a local garage/car wash where they can use the pressure wash. They might take 30-40 bucks, but it's worth. Once its washed, pack it in a clean big cover and dry it at home.

[khoj]

You bought the cover for the car's benefit and now you are using the car as a washing platform for the cover. Your car's delicate clear coat must be thanking you every time it is used as a laundry slab

A more cumbersome method for you but definitely beneficial for your car is to soak the cover overnight in a bucket of water + a cap full of car shampoo. Next morning just a light hand scrub using one of the old but clean microfiber cloth does the job, air dry in shade if possible. Keeps the cover clean and going strong for years at stretch.

Originally Posted by Chris_Xtreme

Apologies for giving life to this thread after such a long time. I currently wash my car cover (Silvertech) once in 3 months by having it on the car using a mild detergent and a bucket of water. Previously was washing it by soaking it in a bucket of water. But find the current method as easy and less cumbersome. Not sure if there is any other better method.

[dre@ms]

Originally Posted by khoj

A more cumbersome method for you but definitely beneficial for your car is to soak the cover overnight in a bucket of water + a cap full of car shampoo. Next morning just a light hand scrub using one of the old but clean microfiber cloth does the job, air dry in shade if possible. Keeps the cover clean and going strong for years at stretch.

When going through this thread from the beginning, this thought was exactly lingering in my mind. Why use a detergent, why not the car shampoo.
Since you must have tried this with yours, I will try the same with my car cover too.
Yes, it is easy to wash the cover when on the car, but chances of abrasion if the inner is not clean is on the higher side. And why use our pricely possession as a laundry slab.

[subhro1988]

My car cover is covered with bird droppings more rather than dust. Will washing it in a bucket of water mixed with car shampoo work?

[khoj]

Yes, it will. My car cover has bird poo, tree sap etc and does come out clean. I soak it overnight and if the water is too dirty in the morning I repeat the soaking process and then wash. Do not use a cloth brush of any sort as that will rip the cover for sure.

Originally Posted by subhro1988

My car cover is covered with bird droppings more rather than dust. Will washing it in a bucket of water mixed with car shampoo work?

[Thad E Ginathom]

I put my Tyvek cover in the washing machine, yesterday. It filled the entire drum. The fabric is almost waterproof: that means it is going to get trapped in some places, and maybe not reach others at all.

I took it out of the machine again, and left it as a problem for our maid to cope with

[straight6]

I rinsed, snow foamed the cover with a pressure washer and rinsed it off without using any brush and it turned out pretty good except for a couple of bird poop stains on the roof. Those should go with a brush next time.