Paint-friendly CAR COVER

[J Clark]

I'm looking for a high-quality car cover for an e36 that wont harm the paint (or harm it the least amount). It needs to be pretty tough, used mostly incase i have to park outside in a snowstorm somewhere, however i dont want to hurt my finish.

any suggestions? i thought i'd post this in the detailing forum because u guys would understand

[Kompressor]

Didn't have to post it 3 times Jess

http://www.autosportcatalog.com/inde...pid=503&cid=27 Looks good to me.

[nadir]

just don't cover it with alot of dirt on it.... i can't really think of anything else.

[J Clark]

sorry about the triple post there, my comp was giving me attitude.

thanks komp, i'll remember that one. anyone heard anything about the Noah car covers that many high-end car manufacturers sell for their cars? porsche, etc.

[Midnight Shark]

I have the Evolution car cover from BavAuto, it's very paint freindly. It even feels nice and soft on the inside lining. it's a good all around car cover but it's a bitch when removing ice from it becuase of it's fabric. Also it gets soaking wet when exposed to prolong rain lasting more than 6 hours straight even on light rain. What I did is buy a cheap car cover from Autozone for $28, feels very rough, looks like it would do swirls galore to your car if applied, but the thing is so fukking rugged and water proof so I use that cover over the Evolution car cover. Ice is easily removed from it. If you buy the cover from autozone/pep boys, make sure you buy the one for the 5 series since the 3 series cover is too small.

[J Clark]

thanks midnight shark, i'll look into those.

[bimmerdawg]

any others.. I notice problems with dirt, especially when rolling up the car cover to store. If you roll it up then the dirt on the top of the cover will get on the inside part. Thats one reason I hate using covers.

[TOGWT]

~ One man’s opinion / observations ~


I would recommend:

Inclement Weather: Noah by Kimberly Clark — one third less the material weight of the Evolution cover, a three-layer fabric ultrasonically bonded to provide more water resistance than most covers as well as UVR protection for extended outdoor use, but especially heavy rain protection. Places a soft, paint protecting finish against the vehicles surfaces

Car Covers 101

Placing Cover on Vehicle:
To place car cover on vehicle; start by placing the rolled-up cover on the centre of the roof (do not drag cover across vehicle surface as it may cause scratching) unroll from the middle to the rear of vehicle and then middle to front, unroll left side and then right using mirror `pockets' (if fitted) Ensure that cover is `tight' and attach cable and lock (if required) Remove from vehicle opposite to the above and store dry cover in storage bag (if supplied)

Usage Tips:
Do not place a car cover on a dusty or dirty car (dry surface with a waffle weave towel or remove dust with a car duster) Ensure that the cover fits well and keep the cover clean (dust / dirt between the inside of the cover or the vehicle surface will cause scratching) Purchase a good quality cover that is manufactured from a durable fabric suitable for your local climatic conditions and expected usage.

Washing and Care:
Covers should be taken to a commercial Laundromat and washed in large automatic washers without agitator.
Use Woolite (no soap or detergent). Wash your cover using the "Normal" or "Permanent Press" cycles in cold or warm water. Do not wash in hot water.

Put the cover through two rinse cycles - it is important that the entire cleaning solution be removed in order to preserve the cover's water resistance, and then air dry.

Do not put the cover in an automatic heated dryer (the fabric can melt or shrink)
Do not dry-clean covers as the chemicals used will negatively affect the fabric protection abilities and durability.
.


~ Hope this helps ~

Knowledge unshared is experience wasted
justadumbarchitect / so I question everything/ Jon

[bimmerdawg]

Nice Write-up! Thanks.

I need to wash my cover. ONe thing is.. When you roll up the cover, the inside(touching the car) will get dirty from coming in contact with the outside part right?

[Midnight Shark]

what i do when taking off the cover is I fold one side to the middle, then fold the other side. Once both sides are folded and now arranged in the middle, you can either roll the cover from the front or back. I prefer starting from the front going towards the back that way you can immediately put the cover in the trunk without having to carry the cover from the front end if you started from the rear going toward the front.

Now, when applying the cover, it's just the reverse process. Roll from back to front, then one half then the other half.

added tips: make sure you don't let the cover touch the ground, clean your car from dust before applying cover, on windy days it's best to have someone around to help you and it helps to snugly apply the side mirror portion first when bringing one side down in order to prevent the cover from flying off before bringing down the other side.