[Robby29]

I park my car outside and I'm getting a full detail soon. Wanted to start covering it at night even though I had it for over a year already

Anyone got good experience with any car cover for their cars?

[MuffinMan910]

Just my opinion but as a heads up car covers often do more harm than good. I was also going to get one because I park my car outside but unless your car is freshly cleaned, when putting a car cover over any dust or dirt, the car cover can scratched the paint when it gets put on or blows against the body work in the wind

[SDH]

Would have to agree, I believe they can possibly do more harm than good

[xG35c]

Honestly not worth the trouble unless you're storing it outside.

[Robby29]

Originally Posted by MuffinMan910

Just my opinion but as a heads up car covers often do more harm than good. I was also going to get one because I park my car outside but unless your car is freshly cleaned, when putting a car cover over any dust or dirt, the car cover can scratched the paint when it gets put on or blows against the body work in the wind

Thanks for the opinion. I heard of that too but I only use the car on the weekends. I usually clean the car as well.

Anyone use the Bmw car cover before?

[CalCarNut]

No, tempted though. I'm interested in one as well. My GC sits in the garage but still gets dusty. A cover would be nice.......

[Katar]

Currently not using one for my bmw but I am for my miata.

When people think of car covers they probably are imagining blue tarp held down with rocks or cheapo $10 walmart ones. You'd want the higher end ones like covercraft, coverking, or california car cover. Seriously though, custom fitted covers reduces flapping in the wind and the interior material is soft and meant to be gentle with paint. Car cover technology is more impressive than you might think.

I don't think the damage car covers cause is as drastic as people are suggesting but I will say that a bit more attention is needed when putting on the cover. To me, I think it's worth the potential damage. I'm not even super meticulous with my car cover and I've yet to notice any major damage. However, my car is gray so that might be masking it. Whatever damage was done is probably only noticeable with a magnifying glass.

[Robby29]

Originally Posted by Katar

Currently not using one for my bmw but I am for my miata.

When people think of car covers they probably are imagining blue tarp held down with rocks or cheapo $10 walmart ones. You'd want the higher end ones like covercraft, coverking, or california car cover. Seriously though, custom fitted covers reduces flapping in the wind and the interior material is soft and meant to be gentle with paint. Car cover technology is more impressive than you might think.

I don't think the damage car covers cause is as drastic as people are suggesting but I will say that a bit more attention is needed when putting on the cover. To me, I think it's worth the potential damage. I'm not even super meticulous with my car cover and I've yet to notice any major damage. However, my car is gray so that might be masking it. Whatever damage was done is probably only noticeable with a magnifying glass.

I agree! I would "risk" minor scratching to protect my car more. Higher end car cover is what I'm looking for. Thanks for listing the good ones!

[Reznick]

Originally Posted by Robby29

I agree! I would "risk" minor scratching to protect my car more. Higher end car cover is what I'm looking for. Thanks for listing the good ones!

One of the biggest concerns I would have with using a cover ( even if the car if freshly washed and detailed) would be the length of time you are leaving the cover on.Overnight is not a big deal. A week or 2 at a time is a different story.One of your biggest problems will be heat and wind. No matter how nice the cover, if you are in an area where the wind is constantly blowing hard, you're gonna end up with rub marks on the clearcoat.Especially where the edges pull tight across the car. I've seen it bad enough to wear through the clear. I've also witnessed the really high end chamois lined covers get rained on and the have the sun come out blazing later that day. It ended up baking the cover onto the paint. In my experience, you're always better leaving the cover off.I do custom paint and corrections. These cars were just a few that came to me to get fixed, but I'm in a pretty harsh upstate NY environment.

[Robby29]

Originally Posted by Reznick

One of the biggest concerns I would have with using a cover ( even if the car if freshly washed and detailed) would be the length of time you are leaving the cover on.Overnight is not a big deal. A week or 2 at a time is a different story.One of your biggest problems will be heat and wind. No matter how nice the cover, if you are in an area where the wind is constantly blowing hard, you're gonna end up with rub marks on the clearcoat.Especially where the edges pull tight across the car. I've seen it bad enough to wear through the clear. I've also witnessed the really high end chamois lined covers get rained on and the have the sun come out blazing later that day. It ended up baking the cover onto the paint. In my experience, you're always better leaving the cover off.I do custom paint and corrections. These cars were just a few that came to me to get fixed, but I'm in a pretty harsh upstate NY environment.

I can see your concerns with leaving it long term in a harsh weather situation. Fortunately I live in south Cali and I'll be covering the car probably 5 days straight at most. I think BMW future car cover is fitted well for our cars

[kenwelch]

Looks like you're in SoCal also, so this might apply depending on the vehicle color. Dark colors will show more cover scratches.

My M3 is SilverStone II and before retirement I used the car everyday. I used to park in the California sun under a "nest" of very large eucalyptus trees. The fallout from the trees and damage from the sun is a much greater problem than the minor scratches that the cover might create. Additionally there are times when there was some autobody activity (sanding and painting) in my Automotive Technology lab.

I was sorry after 13 years with my Arvus Blue E36 M3 that I didn't use a cover. The tree branches, student backpack, paint over spray, and the sun took it's toll.

Short of the "glass case" the cover worked great for 4 years and is still in great condition after 8 years. My 8 minute drive to school on a well maintained roads did not add much dust to the paint. I never covered my car when it was raining or when the paint needed a wash.

California Car Cover - Plushweave fabric in light grey
http://www.calcarcover.com/cover_find.aspx

Before retirement (2012) I used mine every day at work. It's easy to install and remove. Fit is perfect. I did not have to padlock the cover on because I parked just outside my classroom in a gated area.

Originally Posted by MMMorish

Umm, you cover your car everyday? At work? I think that's a bit anal, don't you think?

NO!
- it keeps the Southern California sun off the interior.
- no tree parts falling on the car.
- I can go about two weeks without washing (it's also in the garage at home).
- saves water to help with our shortage.
- it is good "modeling" for my students..they learn about pride of ownership.
- I teach Automotive Technology and park in lab area so it keeps the student's fingerprints and drool off the windows.

[CalCarNut]

Cal Car Cover has been around forever..think my office is fairly local to them in SoCal...

For my car, $230...have to price out the BMW branded version for comparison sake. My car generally isn't parked in the sun; it's either in the garage or parked in a parking structure so the 'dust stop' version seems doable....

[Robby29]

Originally Posted by CalCarNut

Cal Car Cover has been around forever..think my office is fairly local to them in SoCal...

For my car, $230...have to price out the BMW branded version for comparison sake. My car generally isn't parked in the sun; it's either in the garage or parked in a parking structure so the 'dust stop' version seems doable....

Thank you! ill check that out. I've seen the bmw version go for 250-300 cheapest but that's with private sellers. Usually price at 320-400 lol

[Robby29]

Originally Posted by kenwelch

Looks like you're in SoCal also, so this might apply depending on the vehicle color. Dark colors will show more cover scratches.

My M3 is SilverStone II and before retirement I used the car everyday. I used to park in the California sun under a "nest" of very large eucalyptus trees. The fallout from the trees and damage from the sun is a much greater problem than the minor scratches that the cover might create. Additionally there are times when there was some autobody activity (sanding and painting) in my Automotive Technology lab.

I was sorry after 13 years with my Arvus Blue E36 M3 that I didn't use a cover. The tree branches, student backpack, paint over spray, and the sun took it's toll.

Short of the "glass case" the cover worked great for 4 years and is still in great condition after 8 years. My 8 minute drive to school on a well maintained roads did not add much dust to the paint. I never covered my car when it was raining or when the paint needed a wash.

California Car Cover - Plushweave fabric in light grey
http://www.calcarcover.com/cover_find.aspx

Before retirement (2012) I used mine every day at work. It's easy to install and remove. Fit is perfect. I did not have to padlock the cover on because I parked just outside my classroom in a gated area.



NO!
- it keeps the Southern California sun off the interior.
- no tree parts falling on the car.
- I can go about two weeks without washing (it's also in the garage at home).
- saves water to help with our shortage.
- it is good "modeling" for my students..they learn about pride of ownership.
- I teach Automotive Technology and park in lab area so it keeps the student's fingerprints and drool off the windows.

That's right! Pride of ownership and longevity of the car's exterior and interior. So no cover during rain.. hmm makes sense! Thank you!