[Dodge_Viper]

How about the effect of hot and humid climate like Mumbai on covered car? Are there any downsides of using car cover specially if parked whole day under sun.

[Thad E Ginathom]

"I won't cover the car, I'm going out again tomorrow..."

And whenever I say that, tomorrow turns into a week or more, and, yet again, the poor car has become invisible under the dust.

Even with a Tyvek cover, some of the finest dust gets through, but it is only 1%. The car has a car port, so it is open to the dust-carrying wind, but not to the rains. There is no reason not to cover it, unless it is actually wet on returning home, and in this city, that is just very few times. At least it does not "sandpapered." I'd rather have it dirty than have the paint ground down with a damp rag.

The cover is good. The cover is necessary. The only thing I do not do is cover the very front and radiator grill when the engine is still hot. Another point of safety would be to avoid hot exhaust pipes.

How about the effect of hot and humid climate like Mumbai on covered car? Are there any downsides of using car cover specially if parked whole day under sun.

I don't think so. In fact it should cut down that paint-fading UV radiation. An ideal car cover would be seriously UV-resistant and Dupont claim that Tyvek actually does cut out 99.8% UV. Before we built our car port I found that the Tyvek made a big difference to the amount of heat build up inside the car. That is seriously good for the interiors, as well as our comfort when we get in.

If I sound like a Tyvek salesman ...I'm not! Just a happy user!

[mikon]

Originally Posted by Swanand Inamdar

Excellent thread Sirji! Loved reading through it!

My car is 'out in the open' while in office, cause the brilliant architect who designed the SEZ forgot to make covered parking for all the cars coming in. So, whatever the weather, my car is left in the open while in office. But its a relatively dust free area, so no dust at the end of the day.

At home though, its a different story. The car has a dedicated covered parking. So, do the other cars in the house. Plus, a guy who washes the car daily. I also give it a, once a month professional washing treatment (twice a month in monsoons).

In my case, its totally the opposite!
But doesnt daily wash crop up the paint swirls? Or its the black colour of the car which highlights it more!

[sumeethaldankar]

What timing, Got a cover for my Civic last week for 1050 from milan subway.I had noticed a scratch on the headlight and the bumper most possibly made by a bicycle.Decided to cover the car.I got a Indian make rather than 'imported' one. The quality is ok but when i was inside the car and the cover was still on i could see a few gaps where water could seep in.So i guess it's not going to be water proof.But i hope at-least it's bicycle proof.

[sohail99]

Nice thread! A cover is absolutely required here!

I use 4 covers on my car and when it's parked on the roadside, a thick long Styrofoam piece to cushion the blows!(as a cover will protect the car from scratches, but not dents)

Polco makes good Tyvek covers!
Coverite is great too with great burn resistance from the exterior!

[amit_purohit20]

The biggest problem with Car covers are they are not designed properly to attach rigidly with the car. Either the car covers have sort of plastic hooks (low quality) which break after some time and cannot hold a mild breeze flowing over the car. Some better car covers have two Underbody belts which hold the car cover to the car body. Its troublesome throwing the belt hooks below the entire width of the car and then collecting it on the other side and attach them to the female belt hook. One more problem is where you need to park your car very close to a wall, because then you cant throw these belt hooks below the car through the entire width of the car as one needs to get between the wall and the car and bend down and either throw the belt or collect the belt if the belt has already been thrown below the underbody from the other side. These underbody belts hold only the part of the car cover which fits over the cabin space but then the cover fly's over either the bonnet or dickey side.
One gentleman who wanted to help me by avoiding my car cover to fly over to the side in a breeze kept two bricks on my Car roof. As the cover tried to move it caused the brick to scratch my roof due to the micro movement of the bricks with the car cover :(.
I also tie the front and back end of the cover to the front grille and to the exhaust pipe or any other hook available at the back although at the back there is nothing substantial to tie the car cover rope to.

[sinhead]

My car is parked outside, next to a tree, hostage to all the situations Mikon mentioned. I cover my car no matter how tired I am after a drive. It hardly takes 2 mins and is worth the effort.

My experience with covers -

1) The Parachute material - local make - Easy to put on and take off, fairly dust repallant.
It used to get really wet during rains and wouldn't dry for hours and would cling to the car body. I hated that.
2) Thick so-called waterproof - local make - was not water proof. Colour bleeding was a common occurrence. Difficult to put on the car.
3) Polco bought from Reliance Autozone - This has been the best till now. Light weight, easy to use. Dries really fast. I can wash it easily if it gets too dirty, can leave it on the car during rains since it will dry up reasonably fast. Slight dust gets in but I'm ok with that.
Disadvantages - Fragile. It is torn in many places within a year. Dog or cat nails I guess. Overall fit was nice but very tight around the bumpers, but that meant that it would stay on even in the harshest of winds, when covers of other cars would be struggling to break free. I never needed to use the belts.
4) My next cover will be tyvek most likely. Hope it can withstand the nails .
--
@sohail - I was considering foam.
@ajmat Sir - would the inner side collect all the dust and grime from the outer side when it comes in contact on folding? It is definitely a better idea than dragging though.

[amit_purohit20]

Where to get Tyvek covers from in Pune/or anything available online for my Vista? How much do they cost and are they really so good?

[engrohit]

I am leaving for my hometown and my 5 month old duster would remain un utilized for 15 days. I have a proper covered parking in my society. Is it OK if I do not cover the car in this period. My neighbour can ensure that the car is cleaned once in 2- 3 days by the regular cleaning boy.
I don't have a cover and just contemplating whether to buy or not?
Thanks

[sohail99]

Personally, I'd suggest a Tyvek cover!
Regular improper cleaning(I'm guessing that the car cleaning guy is using rags and just rubbing the car) is definitely likely to induce swirls and scratches! + bird poo + kids just scratching the car for fun+ sun's uv bombardment are just some, among loads of risk factors that your car will be exposed to!

Just ask neighbors to watch that the cover doesn't blow off or anything(or secure the cover to the underside of the chassis with cloth line clips)

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by ajmat

I stopped letting the daily person "sandpaper my car" since my car is undercover everyday at work. I normally brush the car down and cover it. I personally wash the car thoroughly once a week.

If the car is dirty during the rains, or after a long journey. I let the muck accumulate and get it professionally cleaned.

One tip about the cover. Avoid "throwing" it and dragging it onto the car. I put it on the roof and fold it out and vice versa.

Yes its nice to roll the cover off and roll it one again rather than throw it over...

[pganapathy]

Originally Posted by engrohit

I am leaving for my hometown and my 5 month old duster would remain un utilized for 15 days. I have a proper covered parking in my society. Is it OK if I do not cover the car in this period. My neighbour can ensure that the car is cleaned once in 2- 3 days by the regular cleaning boy.
I don't have a cover and just contemplating whether to buy or not?
Thanks

The biggest advantage of a cover is it removes the need for unnecessary cleaning of the car. Definitely invest in a cover and if you want, ask your neighbour to have the car washed a day before you return. The problem with washing is that if you are not careful, it is very easy to wash with dirt and wind up scratching the car (swirls particularly). Why go through that

[Kiran_Nayak]

I would vouch for a car cover 100%! I live in an upscale building and sadly a lot of people here actually toss food out the window. It's just appalling! I got a car cover with my Ertiga and 4 weeks later it literally looks like a buffet meal is being served top side. So if you're parking under such people's windows or a tree with too many birds, go in for one!
Additionally, it even stops the pesky kids from ripping off some stickers you may have on the vehicle, at least when it's covered.

[mikon]

There is one more issue I faced.
You drive the car whole day, dust settles down. In the night, you cover the car. But next day morning when you un-cover it, there would be minor hairline scratches due to rubbing of the cover with dust particles on the car body.

[amit_purohit20]

How does your car cover attach itself to the car? For all the three car covers used by me.
The car cover comes with plastic flexible hooks (of poor quality) on the sides at the B pillar position. One has to attach these hooks to the car under body on the sides.
There is no way by which the front and back of the car can be attached to the car cover. Only way is pierce a hole at the front and the back of the car cover and tie it up with strings to the front grille.At the back I am yet to find a position to tie the car cover, Vista hardly has any projection at the back where I can tie the car cover.

The recent car cover is made up of canvas type material. It has two straps going under the belly of the car from LHS B pillar to RHS side B pillar. On the front I attach it with the help of nylon strings to the front grille and at the back I once tried to tie it to the exhaust pipe which did not hold long.