Other Car Covers.

This site contains affiliate links for which LandyZone may be compensated if you make a purchase.
Henry_b

Henry_b

Think outside, no box required.
Posts
15,509
Location
somewhere else
Are they any good?

Thinking of getting one to cover my P38..

She sit's around old trees that tend to drop sap and other assorted plant juices also Bird sħit is an issue!

Cheers.
 
Got a half cover one myself from Lidl for 6 quid about a week ago. Only got it to stop the rain on the sunroof, mines sitting at the side of the house for weeks not moving and will be even when it's fixed! Can't report on it yet though haven't put it on.
 
Beware of potential paint damage if the cover is not fastened down hard enough & if the inside of the cover is not paintwork friendly.
I know a Porsche owner who was gobsmacked at the paintwork damage after a few windy weeks & a cover that could move around a small amount.
It was actually through to the undercoat.
I guess it's like fine wet & dry paper being vibrated against the paintwork repeatedly.
Any dirt left on the paint before covering also accelerates the abrasive effect.
 
Henry_b said:
Are they any good?

Thinking of getting one to cover my P38..

She sit's around old trees that tend to drop sap and other assorted plant juices also Bird sħit is an issue!

Cheers.
Click to expand...
I bought one very similar to the below, with mirror pockets. Had to rinse her off each time before putting cover on. One I bought had a microfiber lining, to help with the scratch issue. Unlike yourself, I was using the cover almost daily, as an on and off. Couple of issues showed up ( caveat I have one arm that doesn't like to play) It was a pain in the rear getting the cover off/on in rain/ snow/ wind. Any journey had to include, get the cover off, folded and stowed and reverse when home. I had to take it to the chandlers and get extra straps and click buckles put on , as middle to heavy winds were lifting it. Material , (even on mid - range, think mine was about £80) , rips easily.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Range-Ro...3621df1d3e:g:zhgAAOSw9~5ZRo7y&redirect=mobile

I no longer use it. It sits in the shed ;) If youre only taking off now and then , then make sure she's clean when putting it back on and it will certainly help with tree sap etc.
 
gold rover said:
I bought one very similar to the below, with mirror pockets. Had to rinse her off each time before putting cover on. One I bought had a microfiber lining, to help with the scratch issue. Unlike yourself, I was using the cover almost daily, as an on and off. Couple of issues showed up ( caveat I have one arm that doesn't like to play) It was a pain in the rear getting the cover off/on in rain/ snow/ wind. Any journey had to include, get the cover off, folded and stowed and reverse when home. I had to take it to the chandlers and get extra straps and click buckles put on , as middle to heavy winds were lifting it. Material , (even on mid - range, think mine was about £80) , rips easily.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Range-Ro...3621df1d3e:g:zhgAAOSw9~5ZRo7y&redirect=mobile

I no longer use it. It sits in the shed ;) If youre only taking off now and then , then make sure she's clean when putting it back on and it will certainly help with tree sap etc.
Click to expand...

Ah thanks Goldie!

looks like i'll be getting one of those..

She sits for very long periods so a cover will help preserve what is left of the paint ;)

:)
 
Henry_b said:
Ah thanks Goldie!

looks like i'll be getting one of those..

She sits for very long periods so a cover will help preserve what is left of the paint ;)

:)
Click to expand...
Forgot to add, I did ,leave it on for extended periods when away for work. Cleaned before putting it on and no adverse effects. I also bought one for the Volvo because of the rag top. Again , so long as clean before putting on and getting extra straps added, no dramas, when used for extended periods. My big complaint was as a regular use. The one I bought is not light because of the double layers.
 
we used a heavy lined one on my sons old metro and found it tended to hold any moisture under it and the car never dried so we gave up on it and left it uncovered:(
 
brianp38dse said:
we used a heavy lined one on my sons old metro and found it tended to hold any moisture under it and the car never dried so we gave up on it and left it uncovered:(
Click to expand...
The two I bought were breathable. They were great if not using for a daily driver. The Volvo was a rag top and it worked great for it. I had spent days refurbing the ragtop that summer and it was in just as good condition ,after the winter under the cover, as when wrapped up. I live on a hill with no protection from the weather tearing in from the west and didn't have a garage for her. I suspect the rag top would have been a rag after winter.
Golden Girl had no adverse effects from being covered and no moisture issues, due to the magic woven into the material :)
 
I think the one I had may not have been breathable, I picked it up at a boot sale for a few quid to put over my Cortina as one time it looked like it would have to sit outside for a time for a garage rebuild that didn't happen, we don't get such bad weather but everything gets a film of aviation fuel, my caravan gets vey black on top:(
 
brianp38dse said:
I think the one I had may not have been breathable, I picked it up at a boot sale for a few quid to put over my Cortina as one time it looked like it would have to sit outside for a time for a garage rebuild that didn't happen, we don't get such bad weather but everything gets a film of aviation fuel, my caravan gets vey black on top:(
Click to expand...
Handy if you need to accidently have the RR burnt out ;)
 
Datatek said:
A lot of the car covers disintegrate in sun light, they fall to bits after 3 summers here in France.
Click to expand...

I think that is absolutely right. Same with boat covers, all the deterioration seems to take place in the summer months. If you can nurse it through the summer, it will always last the winter with the low light levels.
 
You gets what you pay for in my advice. I have 2 cars and they both spend time in storage under car covers due to work. However when I say storage I mean parked outside under a cover because I am working away. First is a Rover 75 car cover bought at Halfords 50 Quid lots of straps and good liner been used to cover the car from 3 to 9 months over various conditions and the car is fine no issues.
Spent good amount on a cover for my Range rover in Russia no straps no nothing had to buy separate straps. The thing ruined my pant work and pretty much fell apart in the summer sun. When I got home it was rags. Not impressed but hey that's Russia.
 
OK here's my two-penneth, Having had both full & half covers for a RR that is used on a semi-regular basis ie about fortnightly.
1) +1 for Datatek's comment.
2) for long term storage use a full cover, but only a half on for my type of usage, or more regular.
3) the most convenient full covers are those that have a cord running in a hem around the base, so no tapes to pass under the vehicle & get messy from wet ground contact.
4) if your model has exposed rain gutters protect the front corners (top of the 'screen) to prevent chaffing.
5) I don't think any of them are fully waterproof (despite the manuf. claims) but even if they were the cover wouldn't be breathable, which is what you want.
6) the covers 'wick' in wet/damp weather & the resulting condensation will cause the cover to freeze to the roof during freezing overnight temperatures.
nb: The manuf. recommend pouring warm water onto the outside of the cover before attempting removal, but I've never tried it, also gale force winds & covers don't go together !
7) despite what the adverts say, cover manuf. do not make covers for specific models, they are generic so finding a decent fit is a question of luck. Usually the product can be returned for exchange, for example if a cover for a RRC is required don't 'click' on RR as it will be too big, a Freelander 1 or Jeep Grand Cherokee/Honda for example is about right.

Strangely (or not) enough I'm more inclined to cover the car during high summer in order to protect the (difficult to obtain) screen/window rubbers from UV rays.

Hope this advice is of help to you.
 
Last edited:
norseman said:
OK here's my two-penneth, Having had both full & half covers for a RR that is used on a semi-regular basis ie about fortnightly.
1) +1 for Old Divers comment.
2) for long term storage use a full cover, but only a half on for my type of usage, or more regular.
3) the most convenient full covers are those that have a cord running in a hem around the base, so no tapes to pass under the vehicle & get messy from wet ground contact.
4) if your model has exposed rain gutters protect the front corners (top of the 'screen) to prevent chaffing.
5) I don't think any of them are fully waterproof (despite the manuf. claims) but even if they were the cover wouldn't be breathable, which is what you want.
6) the covers 'wick' in wet/damp weather & the resulting condensation will cause the cover to freeze to the roof.
nb: The manuf. recommend pouring warm water onto the outside of the cover before attempting removal, but I've never tried it.
7) despite what the adverts say, cover manuf. do not make covers for specific models, they are generic so finding a decent fit is a question of luck. Usually the product can be returned for exchange, for example if a cover for a RRC is required don't 'click' on RR as it will be too big, a Freelander 1 or Jeep Grand Cherokee/Honda for example is about right.

Strangely (or not) enough I'm more inclined to cover the car during high summer in order to protect the (difficult to obtain) screen/window rubbers from UV rays.
Hope this advice helps you.
Click to expand...

Cheers Norseman 'twas some great advice..

Appreciated.
 
norseman said:
OK here's my two-penneth, Having had both full & half covers for a RR that is used on a semi-regular basis ie about fortnightly.
1) +1 for Old Divers comment.
2) for long term storage use a full cover, but only a half on for my type of usage, or more regular.
3) the most convenient full covers are those that have a cord running in a hem around the base, so no tapes to pass under the vehicle & get messy from wet ground contact.
4) if your model has exposed rain gutters protect the front corners (top of the 'screen) to prevent chaffing.
5) I don't think any of them are fully waterproof (despite the manuf. claims) but even if they were the cover wouldn't be breathable, which is what you want.
6) the covers 'wick' in wet/damp weather & the resulting condensation will cause the cover to freeze to the roof.
nb: The manuf. recommend pouring warm water onto the outside of the cover before attempting removal, but I've never tried it.
7) despite what the adverts say, cover manuf. do not make covers for specific models, they are generic so finding a decent fit is a question of luck. Usually the product can be returned for exchange, for example if a cover for a RRC is required don't 'click' on RR as it will be too big, a Freelander 1 or Jeep Grand Cherokee/Honda for example is about right.

Strangely (or not) enough I'm more inclined to cover the car during high summer in order to protect the (difficult to obtain) screen/window rubbers from UV rays.
Hope this advice helps you.
Click to expand...

Some good advice but I think it just shows how different each experience is. It is all a matter of location, which cover you buy ,how often it will come on and off etc.
For example, I live in a very exposed location. Where the veh is parked is like a wind tunnel. I've even had someone's garden shed window , blown from God knows where, drop out of the wind and smash , just behind the Golden Girl. She has a 1mm dent in the tailgate from where part of it hit her. This was the catalyst for me buy my first cover. Which was indeed the drawstring type. It lasted two weeks and one, not as high as they can be, wind (35-50mph) :(
I then bought the, 'with ties fitted ' type. I came out, after yet another litle bit breezy, event. The cover was hanging to the side and off the front.
So I went to the chandlers and got straps added. Issue over and as they are on pull tight buckles, all I do is throw them under the car, click the buckle and pull tight. No messing about. Although two points to consider 1: which side do you have more room to be able to get a good throw and 2: which side does the wind blow from in the winter. No point having the throwing side 6 inches from a wall and even less use trying to throw against the wind. Although anyone who has seen it, has found it quite funny............rather than helping :( Not so funny when I locked them outside, just as the rain started :p:D

P.s the hill gets gusts of over 80mph during the winter. Which is why I wouldn't be without webbing straps on mine.
 
I bought a storm force breathable outdoor one for the e12. As datatek says it's been a great cover but starting to fall apart now at 3 years so I need to get a new one. It has a soft lining and clips to tie it down for windy weather. Seams to be bird **** resistant too. Had a quick look and it's £180 for the P38
 
gold rover said:
Some good advice but I think it just shows how different each experience is. It is all a matter of location, which cover you buy ,how often it will come on and off etc. I then bought the, 'with ties fitted ' type. I came out, after yet another litle bit breezy, event. The cover was hanging to the side and off the front.
All sounds very familiar ;)
The cover manuf. all make wild claims as to their products suitability for 'all weather' usage but in reality the standard methods of securing the thing are not fit for purpose above a gentle breeze. I got to the stage of adding an extra cord attached to the tow-ball to ensure that, should the cover blow off, it remained in the vicinity of the vehicle.

nb: one manuf, assured me that their cover was tailor-made for the RRC, I returned it with 'photos showing it was over a foot too long! Either they couldn't read a tape measure or maybe they modeled it on the LSE?
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

C
Noise from (possibly) LH front drive ... Freelander 2 SD4 XS
Replies
5
Views
485
chj
C
R
L322 4.4tdv8 change oil cooler
Replies
8
Views
295
roythebus
R
DollyBird
P38A Searching for die hard P38 guru - EAS
2
Replies
20
Views
2K
DollyBird
DollyBird
S
P38 or l322
Replies
17
Views
2K
Grrrrrr
Grrrrrr
awkwardbob
L322 Gearbox / Torque Conv Replace / Rebuild or not
Replies
15
Views
635
marjon
marjon
Back
Top