Car cover

[essextom]

Well winters on its way and my garage is full of stuff so it looks like the Rocco will be outside. Anyone recommend a decent waterproof car cover? Had a halfords one but it didn't last too long.

[craigwalton]

No advice from me unfortunately, I just bought a Halfords Advanced All Season cover today, medium size. Was is the same one you had? How long did it last?

[the edmundator]

The ones sold by Classic Additions are meant to be good.

[james butler]

imo Unless your car leaks water i wouldnt bother.
i have left my car out in the weather the last 8 years with no adverse effects.
plus your going to have to spend £50-100 to get a decent one.
what you can do instead is have it waxed profesionally by one of the leading companies
http://www.autocarecarvaleting.co.uk/pa ... ervice.php
this one is the one my mum uses for her 93 turbo saab.

obviusly you could do it yourself.
but seing as your going to pay x amount on a new cover which can prove more damaging.

[bluestreak56]

I bought a halfords all seasons cover for my E24 when I had it, was really good and not bad value for money (got it for under £16 on ebay). I'm sure they will do an equivalent to fit the Scirocco.

It was like this one (but large sized and cheaper!):

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/small-Halford ... SwEeFU5JlS

[hiltow]

Had a halfords one but it didn't last too long.

I've used the Halfords Advanced ones for years without any problems. Secure, breathable and doesn't damage the paintwork.

[james butler]

. Anyone recommend a decent waterproof car cover? Had a halfords one but it didn't last too long.

i had a halfords one and got constant condensation in the car that led to it rotting the bottom out of it.
not to mention the billowing in strong wind sanding the lacquer away.
i suppose it boils down to how long the cover will be staying on the car.
i use mine all year round especially in the snow as
1 - its blooming good fun
2 - it never gets stuck.
3 - using it prevents it condensating and going bad over winter.

[essextom]

Cheers for advice. It does need a cover really as it is in many pieces still. I had a basic thin halfords one which bleached in the sun and the ripped. I've got a trade card for halfords so I'll see how much an advanced one is. Cheers

[bluestreak56]

The all seasons cover that I had (which I believe is the same as the advances) has a 3 layer breathable material that regulated condensation. I had mine under for over 4 months and it was ok afterwards...

[eefy]

I had a really good quality cover for my MGB, however just note the wind will get under it and blow it around a little, this may have some impact on the paint. Our MG was under a cover for 2 years and even though it already needed a paint job the cover did dull it a little more.

[stu.gtx]

I've had a few generic covers. None have been completely waterproof and they've all blown off the car in strong winds. The only real use the cheap ones have is protecting from dust when stored in a garage.

[hiltow]

It's the Halfords Advanced All seasons cover that you need (grey fabric in a carry case). They are more expensive than others that they do, and I strongly suspect some of the bad experiences referred to above were not with the Advanced covers, but cheaper ones.

My Scirocco lives in the garage, which means my 'normal' car lives outside. I've used the advanced covers all year round on 3 different cars over the last 4 years without any of the problems that have been described above. I swear by them. No tears, fading, leaks, condensation or paint damage. It's left covered for between a week and a fortnight at a time usually.

At the moment I'm using one on an almost new saloon car that's as much my pride and joy as the Scirocco. I wouldn't use this cover on it if it were going to cause any damage etc.

[MRMENDER]

I got one from here expensive but fits like a glove, It has adjustable straps which go under the car so it cant blow off.
http://www.hamiltonclassic.co.uk/

They planly state they are only 95% Waterproof. However they breath. When it stops raining they soon dry out

[the edmundator]

They planly state they are only 95% Waterproof. However they breath. When it stops raining they soon dry out

This is key - fully waterproof is bad, because condensation can't evaporate. Cheap covers may well not be breathable.

I think if you've got a car covered outdoors, you should probably be taking the cover off on a nice day every couple of weeks anyway and cleaning/drying the car as necessary (ideally after taking it for a run, too).

[MRMENDER]

They planly state they are only 95% Waterproof. However they breath. When it stops raining they soon dry out

This is key - fully waterproof is bad, because condensation can't evaporate. Cheap covers may well not be breathable.

I think if you've got a car covered outdoors, you should probably be taking the cover off on a nice day every couple of weeks anyway and cleaning/drying the car as necessary (ideally after taking it for a run, too).

That's quite right.
One other point is may people are saying with winter coming I need a cover.
In my opinion storing a car in direct sun can be very damaging. Paintwork fades and it can trash interiors. Try and park in a shady area in summer time with a cover