General: Living outside - Car Cover?

[altrezia]

Hey all

Another dumbo question from me.

My little old Amazon lives outside on the drive while I'm restoring my mini in the garage. I cant decide if it's best to keep it under a waterproof car cover which flaps around in the wind, or just naked and in the elements?

I use the car perhaps once a week. The driveway is beside the house, so it's exposed but has some minor cover from the side.

Any tips? I'd like to ruin the car as little as possible.

Cheers!

[Kev0607]

Originally Posted by altrezia

Hey all

Another dumbo question from me.

My little old Amazon lives outside on the drive while I'm restoring my mini in the garage. I cant decide if it's best to keep it under a waterproof car cover which flaps around in the wind, or just naked and in the elements?

I use the car perhaps once a week. The driveway is beside the house, so it's exposed but has some minor cover from the side.

Any tips? I'd like to ruin the car as little as possible.

Cheers!

Covers just trap moisture, which then leads to rust. They aren't a good idea.

[4x4]

Leave it uncovered

[altrezia]

Thanks - I suspected that may be the case. I reckon being outside means I may use it more too as it's less of a PITA!
Thanks

[Juular]

If it doesn't leak then best to leave it outside with good airflow and away from grass and foliage.

And drive it more!

[Splinelube]

Agreed. Will trap moisture , worse in the crevices.

[142 Guy]

Definitely a big no to any kind of waterproof tarp style protection. Waterproof tarps also tend to be stiff and if the wind picks up the tarp will flap and abrade the paint.

Most quality car covers are definitely not water proof and most are only mildly water resistant. With the various car covers that I have used, a good rain storm will wash significant dust on the outside of the cover right through the cover leaving me with a dirty car underneath the cover. My 142 has been living outside for nearly 10 years since finishing restoration and moisture / rusting due to the car cover is a non issue.

The primary functions of the car cover are
- dust reduction (as long as the cover stays dry)
- reducing / eliminating sun damage
- protection from bird droppings
- varying degrees of scratch / ding protection depending on the material used. This can be useful if you are continually having to walk past the car in a tight spot.

So, assess what your exposure to the elements are. If you get a lot of rain which will wash dust through the cover and necessitate washing the car anyway and you don't have direct sun exposure then a car cover may not have a lot of upside.

If you do go for a car cover do not go for one of the low cost 'fits a bunch of cars' option. They tend to be loose fitting and if you are subject to significant winds they will flap in the wind, potentially abrading the paint and may become air borne if not secured with a belly retainer under the car. Custom fit covers reduce the flap; but, cost more and take longer to arrive because the are cut to order. When you get to the custom fit cover level, you might want to consider the 'garage in a box option'

https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/s...3.html?loc=plp

[Othen]

Originally Posted by altrezia

Hey all

Another dumbo question from me.

My little old Amazon lives outside on the drive while I'm restoring my mini in the garage. I cant decide if it's best to keep it under a waterproof car cover which flaps around in the wind, or just naked and in the elements?

I use the car perhaps once a week. The driveway is beside the house, so it's exposed but has some minor cover from the side.

Any tips? I'd like to ruin the car as little as possible.

Cheers!

Best tip: install a cantilever car port.

[Burdekin]

My Amazon was stored outside on chuckies under quality covers for years and in my opinion no way it would be rust free if not covered. Good quality covers keep it dry and breath.

[Lancee]

Perhaps a breathable cover ? Example/s below;

https://www.halfords.com/search?q=al...Mzk5NS4wLjAuMA..

I had one on my V70 D5 for a year, it seemed to work rather well.