[sjcherian]

Around 10+ years ago we started covering our cars for the night ever since our dog chased a rat under the bonnet of our 800 and ended up scratching the entire bonnet of the freshly repainted car in the process.

Fast forward years ahead and same situation occurs with the dog and this time the Swift. Am attaching pictures of the shredded cover and the portion around the wheel where the dog bit the car through the cover. Luckily no other damage other than the car cover. We have always done the covering of all our cars as it minimizes the dust settling on the car.

As long as you remove the cover in a way that is always consistent and roll it up in a proper way - then putting it back on becomes easy and takes no more than a few minutes to unroll the cover and put the underbody strap.

[pganapathy]

Originally Posted by sjcherian

Around 10+ years ago we started covering our cars for the night ever since our dog chased a rat under the bonnet of our 800 and ended up scratching the entire bonnet of the freshly repainted car in the process.

Fast forward years ahead and same situation occurs with the dog and this time the Swift. Am attaching pictures of the shredded cover and the portion around the wheel where the dog bit the car through the cover. Luckily no other damage other than the car cover. We have always done the covering of all our cars as it minimizes the dust settling on the car.

As long as you remove the cover in a way that is always consistent and roll it up in a proper way - then putting it back on becomes easy and takes no more than a few minutes to unroll the cover and put the underbody strap.

Ouch, that does not look good. Luckily the cover seems to have taken more damage than the car and is cheaper to resolve.

Yes, rolling the cover on and off is preferable, especially if you are doing it alone. When you are two it is simple enough to throw or float on, kind of live a bed sheet.

[Enigmatic]

Originally Posted by mikon

"A stitch in time saves nine"

It’s India, and due to space constraint many of us park our beloved vehicle under an uncovered parking. Luck also prevails a major role in getting a parking spot also, be it in society we live in, malls, besides the excellent roads we have etc. It is a regular job for the person who drives his car daily. Everyday after all the permutations and combinations in time management, dodging the traffic etc. he reaches home and parks the car. Thus he completes this Stage-I situtation. The car goes to another cycle.

Cover your car

Excellent article, although I mostly come in the lazy category to cover my car every day. This is something i do intend to practice from my next car onwards.

Reading your article made me search for a pic i had taken some while back :-

[mikon]

Originally Posted by 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.
....

I've the same system. However, the elastics have gone loose. It just comes over.

Originally Posted by Enigmatic

Excellent article, although I mostly come in the lazy category to cover my car every day. This is something i do intend to practice from my next car onwards.

Reading your article made me search for a pic i had taken some while back :-

Attachment 1060651

Nice paperweights

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by 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.

The elasticated cover edge is good enough for me, even though the cover (supposed to be made for the model) is not quite long enough to fit right under the front of the car. I only use the strap when it is windy, or going away from home. Mind you, the care is parked under shelter, and protected from most wind.

Originally Posted by sjcherian

Around 10+ years ago we started covering our cars for the night ever since our dog chased a rat under the bonnet of our 800 and ended up scratching the entire bonnet of the freshly repainted car in the process.

Fast forward years ahead and same situation occurs with the dog and this time the Swift. Am attaching pictures of the shredded cover...

My wife has a wonderful story about how, when working in office, one day she felt something sharp on her legs: a rat had got inside her sari skirt! Thank god there was no dog chasing it

[Mortis]

sjcherian : Your dog needs to be trained better !! And get a cat to keep the rats away instead

[sjcherian]

Originally Posted by Mortis

sjcherian : Your dog needs to be trained better !! And get a cat to keep the rats away instead

No cats dare catch the huge bandicoots that run around at night. The dog actually is a good "mouser" . Caught one last weekend as well.
Anyway - the point was that the cover helped save the car !

[Chris_Xtreme]

Originally Posted by 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.

Never use a car cover without dusting the car. Hairline scratches and swirl marks would be the results if you use a car cover on a dust filled car. I remove the dust before and after using the cover with the help of Jopasu duster (Though it is a little time consuming, I have got used to this process). Since my WagonR is a black beauty, the Jopasu duster is a must have

[bblost]

Only recently have I started using a car cover. With a slightly darker car color, any dirt stands out and makes the car look very ugly.

But if the car is clean and especially when waxed, it looks very nice.

So at least for now, I regularly wash and wax my car.

I also park in a very windy spot close to an under construction tower.

To put on and remove the car cover, I use the following steps.

Took the pictures while taking the cover off. To put it on the same steps in reverse. Note that the belt is removed at the very end of removing the cover and its the first that I connect when putting it on.

[Gansan]

I buy the cover always from MGA for ~ Rs 1000.00. It is not water proof, and fine dust does get through, especially after a rain. But it is "breathable" which is actually good, rather than a waterproof cover. My car is parked within our premises but open to sky. Also our building is right on a main road, so a lot of dust is generated.

I don't take the car out daily, but whenever I go out and return, I cover the car immediately. Even If I will be taking it out again in a few hours time. As soon as I return, I will leave the hood open for 10 minutes,then close and cover the car. The engine will still be hot, but with a breathable cover it is ok.

The cover lasts about a year and then starts tearing. I will pay a cobbler sitting in front of my home Rs 40.00 per tear for patching up! This has to be done with the cover on the car, by tactfully placing a few sheets of news paper under the tear to prevent the adhesive touching the paint. That will extend the cover's life by about 3 - 4 months, after which it should be replaced. Car is a little more than 4 years old now, and I am on my third cover! I am thinking of getting a Tyvek cover this time.

We will require some assistance only while putting on a brand new cover for the first time. Thereafter we have to fold it back in a particular sequence while removing, and unfold in the reverse sequence while putting back. I myself do it in two minutes flat, with no assistance.

P.S.: As soon as we come back, before covering, we should brush off all the dust from the car. Any bird droppings should be cleaned off too. I don't ever wash the cover, unless it is automatically washed by the rain while on the car. But I do get the watchman to dust off the cover once in the morning and evening, while it is still on the car.

[satyakris]

I bought a cheap parachute type car cover for my Polo but it is prone to become very dirty and dusty (as I park it on the road; no covered parking). I'm worried that it might cause swirls and hairline scratches with daily use.

Now, I'm planning to buy a Tyvek cover from the dealer and he quoted Rs. 2962/- for it. It seems to be genuine with the VW logo and all but I wonder if it is really Tyvek material? Anyone here bought a Tyvek cover from a VW dealer? Is it genuine?

[Gansan]

My neighbor bought a Toyota Etios recently and also a cover for it from the dealer. It carries the name Tyvek and Dupont logo on the label.

[dre@ms]

I have been using Honda provided car cover for my City. Only issue is, it just have one belt in the middle and the connectors are just cheap plastic.
Moreover, for some reason the front part of the cover is prone to more wind and winds up showing the naked bonnet

When inspecting how to arrest it, found some nice gaps under the bonnet, where we can insert the side of the covers. I then inspected if the same kind of gaps are available at the rear but in vain. The cover is kind of plastic and smooth, gives good protection to the car. Happy with it.

Once when giving the car for service, asked them to clean the the car cover. They happily did, but not to my full satisfaction.

[bblost]

Originally Posted by dre@ms

I have been using Honda provided car cover for my City. Only issue is, it just have one belt in the middle and the connectors are just cheap plastic.
Moreover, for some reason the front part of the cover is prone to more wind and winds up showing the naked bonnet

In the case of my Sail the exact opposite happens.
The wind direction is such that I have to park my car with the bonnet pointing out. This restricts the space available for getting into the car.

[Gansan]

The cover billows out when the wind is strong whichever way I park it, but will stay on, though the car will be partly uncovered, if the bottom restraint is engaged. The elastic at the sides gives out and remains flabby after a few months.

If we don't buckle the cover up, it comes completely off the car during strong winds.