Best way to protect outdoor car? Help please!!

D

drewski59

New member
Hey guys,



I will be taking my car to school with me in the fall, and it will sit outside 24/7. How can I best protect it, especially during our hard winters? It'll probably be driven about once/week.



I was thinking about a car cover, but am so afraid of scratches and marring. But I also fear the damage from bird crap/tree sap/snow/salt/sun.



I was definitely planning on having about 10 coats of Zaino before I leave.



Please help me!



Thanks.



:wavey
 
I cover my silverstone Z everyday...sits most of the winter...the few fine scratches that you may get with removing and putting on cover outweigh all the crap I see that on my cover and not on my car!..I always brush off my cover before removing and my cover is machine washable so once a month I clean it too..
 
I too would probably deal with the minor marring from a car cover. I think the benefits would outweigh the bad stuff.
 
I would recommend a high quality car cover. The benefits far outweigh the risks. I agree with the comments that both the car and the cover must be clean to minmize the damage to the paint from dirt. I would also recommend that you buy a cover made for your car as it will fit better and flap around less in the wind. You should also probably buy one you can lock on your car so it doesn't walk away one night.
 
A car cover is a good thing. From your post it sounds like you are going to cover your car at school (where are you going anyway?), which I dont know how it will work out. I thought about doing the same, but don't think I am going to just because people are morons, and if they see a car in the lot with a cover, they're more likely to screw with it. Same principle as everyone touches the thing that says "dont touch". Especially if you are only going to see the car 1-2 a week, I would be cautious about putting a cover on. Might just be asking for trouble.
 
Prometheus said:
A car cover is a good thing. From your post it sounds like you are going to cover your car at school (where are you going anyway?), which I dont know how it will work out. I thought about doing the same, but don't think I am going to just because people are morons, and if they see a car in the lot with a cover, they're more likely to screw with it. Same principle as everyone touches the thing that says "dont touch". Especially if you are only going to see the car 1-2 a week, I would be cautious about putting a cover on. Might just be asking for trouble.
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I'm going to the University of Michigan. I worried about that, too. Without a cover, my car would just blend in, not draw attention to itself. I will be parking in a rural neighborhood, but still I'd worry.



With this risk in mind, what does everybody think?
 
Will you be living in campus housing or in an apartment/house? If you will be able to park your car right outside your living place, then I would go ahead and use the cover, it also helps if your campus or apartment has security patrol.
 
It's kind of up to you now. Go for the cover if you are really worried about your car or don't go with for fear of some idiots doing something to it.
 
truzoom said:
Will you be living in campus housing or in an apartment/house? If you will be able to park your car right outside your living place, then I would go ahead and use the cover, it also helps if your campus or apartment has security patrol.
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I'm living in a dorm, and it's not guarded, and the only parking is in the surrounding streets(nice homes), where many students park.
 
theives know where nice cars are and people aren't. schools, malls, and office buildings are prime targets because they know most people won't be coming back to their vehicle soon.



You can probably check the campus police records or the police reports for the neighborhood you'll be parking. It's probably all online. Then you can tell how big of an issue auto theft or vandalism is.



But, from what you'd said so far, I'd go without the car cover - no point drawing attention to yourself. Just give the car run through a touchless car wash once a week and protect it as best you can. You can get out a few scratches or etches with effort, but it'll take some $$ to pay that higher insurance pemium if the car is damaged.
 
medic said:
theives know where nice cars are and people aren't. schools, malls, and office buildings are prime targets because they know most people won't be coming back to their vehicle soon.



You can probably check the campus police records or the police reports for the neighborhood you'll be parking. It's probably all online. Then you can tell how big of an issue auto theft or vandalism is.



But, from what you'd said so far, I'd go without the car cover - no point drawing attention to yourself. Just give the car run through a touchless car wash once a week and protect it as best you can. You can get out a few scratches or etches with effort, but it'll take some $$ to pay that higher insurance pemium if the car is damaged.
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Yeah, that's about what I'd do, especially at U of M. Just buff it out really nice in spring, and you should be good to go. That's what I did this year, and it turned out fine.
 
Thanks guys.



I have decided NOT to use a cover. I'll try and get it protected real well with Zaino before the fall, and do a full detail in the spring.



And this decision saved me about a $100. :D
 
Glad we could all be of help. Not often we have a valid reason to convince someone NOT to buy or use a cover. Best of luck.
 
A good quality car cover is the best way to go, provided that you have a safe place to park it. For ice, you could either go with calcarcover's supreme weave, as it is supposed to fend off the ice and offer superior protection (dry car in many wet weather conditions). What you could do, is what I did that I found to be effective, is to buy a quality car cover, and then buy a cheaper, slick surface car cover (both or any cover MUST be breathable). The second, cheaper, slick surface car cover will fend off snow and ice, which will stick to some other covers and possibly cause peeling of the cover.



I used a car cover for three plus years, and I never had any instance of marring, or streaking. A good quality cover will guarantee that it will not marr or scratch in any way, and the best covers IMO will not scratch. You must take care, however, in insuring that the car is clean underneath, and that the cover is securely fastened to the car.



Now, if we are talking about a car or an instance where you cannot use a cover, then the best thing is to keep the car as clean as possible, use a very good wax or sealant (wax IMO) to apply deposits during the warm months, and maintain a consistent wash and paint care routine during the winter. This alone will have the greatest impact towards keeping your paint and appearance in excellent condition. Lots of experience with maintaining outside cars, with or without covers!
 
i like my car cover.....i went forever w/o one and i say i like the results of having one much more...especially if the car will be parked a week at a time



make sure you get a nice soft cloth one...the plastic ones will kill the car with the condensation
 
I'm going into a similar situation next year, and my plan is to go without a cover. I'm going to use Souveran over 2 layers of FK2180. I thought about Collinite, but I'm moving to a warm environment. If I was moving somewhere where it snows, it'd definetly be Collinite x2 over 2180 x2. I'm hoping that my car won't get messed with, but I've got comprehensive and it's developing CC failure on the nose, so it's not a huge deal if I get keyed (preferably on the hood and front fascia only :)).
 
One of my cars sits outside and the "Weathershield HD" fitted car cover by Covercraft does and excellent job protecting the finish. You can order it with protected seams to minimize any marring and it is home machine wash & dry.



I also use a "Noah" cover but the "Weathershield HD" is superior IMO. It is much lighter and repels monsoons with ease.



Apologies for digging up an old thread. I realize the original poster has made a decision but others who may perform a seach may benefit. :)
 
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