Daily use of a car cover??

I

imported_eggroll

New member
One of my friends is going to get a custom paintjob and asked me what i suggested to protect the paint. He also wanted to get a custom car cover, this car will be stored outside in AZ sun and i believe will be his daily driver.



I advised against the car cover because he would have to put the cover on a dirty car everyday and marr it little by little. I told him he would have to wash, dust or QD before putting on the cover which i know he won't do.



Did i do the right thing? I told him to just put some sealant on it and it should be ok. What processes do you that have car covers do?
 
IMO,



During good weather if he gets into a regimen of meticulously qding and then dusting before putting the cover on *everytime* he should be fine. Once he get the hang of this he'll be surprised how quickly it will go by. If he's caught in bad weather and it doesn't let up in time then probably best to leave it uncovered, if the weather does let up, then I don;t see the harm a little wash with qew and the optional following with qd can do before re-covering it.



Covers are a godsend in intense sun and heat :up
 
I would not put a sealer or wax on a freshly painted car until the paint is fully cured. It would not hurt the paint if its out in the sun for a few days, it would be better for it. A lot of people buy a metal car cover to put on there driveway.

They do make high quality car covers that does not scratch but even though you would still have to dust the car off.

Zaino Bros' makes exterior sealer/wax 100% uv protection



My truck Ford Ranger 4x4 is parked under a tree, the nuts fall on it, and a little sap, bird crap but I clean it off asap, Hey its a truck but still I like it looking good and protected /w a good sealer, Yesterday went 300 miles in Sacramento valley the windshield was full of bugs I mean big bugs plus a rock hit my window now I need a new one



Pacific Detailing
 
Thanks for the replies. I'll use VM then seal it for him the next month.



So I'll tell him to put a car cover on when he's gonna park it for long periods of time in front of his house. The rest of the time it can be uncovered?



It's just his current car is neglected and rarely washed. I know however that he will be trying to take care of this new paint. I just don't know how much time he wants to put into it.
 
I've had nothing but good results when covering a car consistently every day. I alwys made sure the paint is absolutely dirt or dust free first.
 
as long as the car is clean and free of dirt/dust, he can put the car cover on. well, just make sure he doesn't get carried away like in that old Honda commercial where the guy puts his car cover on even though he is picking up his date. :D



but i think the benefit of a car cover outweighs the "scare" of scratching the paint. a good car cover, like the weathershield from covercraft, is another layer of UV protection, keeps dust and other crap off the paint, keeps the car dry from passing showers - you know when it rains for a few minutes, and can keep the interior cooler, which is especially beneficial for leather. as for scratching the paint, it can happen, but these scratches can be removed with a PC and a good polish.



without a car cover, it *may* mean more time spent cleaning the car. i guess it all depends on what you or your friend want to do.



just teach your friend the proper way to clean his car, and since he's getting a custom paintjob, that might be a good incentive for him to learn.
 
My gripe with covers when I used to keep one all the time on my old Buick that sat in the driveway (:wavey Bill D), was that the pollen and dust used to get forced through the weave of the cover, so I would take it off after a few months and the car would be covered with fine dust in the pattern of the cover, which was glued to the surface of the car. Kinda defeated the purpose. The cover was a Kimberly-Clark Evolution, but that was a long time ago, maybe the new Evolution fabric or others are better.



I have covers for all my cars...I just rarely use them.
 
My $0.02...



I use custom weathershield car cover on my car.

I put the cover on even when the car

is a little bit dusty. I am sure I am getting marring from

the cover. However, I think the benefits outweigh the

negatives.

First, I am not a terribly good at washing or QDing my car

(unlike Mr Accumulator - our residential car wash guru here :bow ). Without the car cover, I am constantly washing

and QDing my car and thus introducing a lot of swirls in

the process.

Also, where I live, in the winter/spring, we often get brief

showers followed by bright sun. Those wonderful bead

of waters instantly turned into pollen-ingrained water spots.

Horrible!

Lastly, I have black leather interior. It is an inferno inside the

car without the car cover.
 
I use a cover daily - a few minutes with a QD and a CCD are worth it to protect from the garbage in the air and inconsiderate door-dingers.



If the car's truly dirty, or filthy wet, I skip the cover, but the great majority of the time they get covered.
 
Keeping the car clean before putting the cover on is a small price to pay for the excellent protection a good cover will bring you.



You have to keep wax (or in this case, a sealant) on regardless of whether its covered or not. With a cover, you will have to wash it less, and your prepped surface will stay streak free longer. As long as he has a good place to park the car, I'd say go for it.



I would not, however, advise that you use a cover at your destinations, like at work or at a shopping mall. A car that has a cover and is exposed to crowds may invite spiteful acts. Just put it on when you get home, and that will be plenty. I would definitely get a cover for any of my prime cars, as long as it is in an isolated parking area or yard, even a garage.



BTW: You must get a good quality cover. Marring or streaking from modern covers are unacceptable. I've haven't had any problems yet from mine!
 
for a good quality cover contact California Car Cover. I have them for all our cars.





Everyonce in awhile I'll go on a neat kick and will cover my car everyday at work and then at home. Takes me about a minute to put it on/off. I get lazy then go a few months w/o using it.
 
Originally posted by eggroll

One of my friends is going to get a custom paintjob and asked me what i suggested to protect the paint. He also wanted to get a custom car cover, this car will be stored outside in AZ sun and i believe will be his daily driver.



I advised against the car cover because he would have to put the cover on a dirty car everyday and marr it little by little. I told him he would have to wash, dust or QD before putting on the cover which i know he won't do.
Click to expand...



Why would your friend want a custom paint job on a daily driver?and then not look to care for it? :nixweiss :nixweiss

Thats almost like throwing money away.









AZNAvusM3 said:
If he's getting a custom paint job, he should be ready to protect and care for it.
Click to expand...



:up



Just my $.02

"J"
 
First of all, I would like to thank eggroll for starting this thread for me. my name is Austin, and since she started this, she has learned more about me and called me a "closet autopian"



let me answer the first question... I am assuming it was a complete thought because there was a question mark at the end.



"Why would you want a custom paint job on a daily driver?"



The answer is because I have put nearly $100K into this car so far, and unlike so many people I know, I actually use my vehicles. I would rather do the job right the first time, maintain, and enjoy it each and every day, rather than keep it to myself in a garage or only bring it out to shows. It reminds me of estate sales, where I buy bottles of wonderful old wines that the deceased had purchased "for a special occasion". Rather sad I say. I look at Garaged Ferraris that are only buffed and rubbed with a diaper (gasp, I mean micro fiber cloth) and know that Enzo is rolling in his grave.



and now on to part 2 I assume: "and then not look to care for it?"



well, in all reality, isn't my asking for help from eggroll "looking to care for it?" isn't this whole thread a means to look for help in which to care for it? So rather than criticize, why don't you help out a bit.. will ya? Damn there is always so much hostility on the Internet. judgment judgment judgment :-)
 
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