Decent Outdoor Car Covers?

[TheDude]

Do you know any decent water proof car covers that hold up to the sun and aren't crazy expensive? I've been through a bunch of different covers from Amazon and usually get a few months out of them before they disintegrate or water just passes through them. The last one said all the right things, thousands of reviews. Nicely made and worked great for a few months, then it lost its water resistance and makes the car a mess when it gets wet. 

I'd love to get something that will hold up at least a couple years without having to spend a fortune. Thanks

 

[jscott]

Because I love to spend other people's money.....

https://www.amazon.com/FASZFSAF-Semi-Automatic-Hydraulic-Anti-Storm-Retractable/dp/B091L481TS/ref=sr_1_22?dchild=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwzOqKBhAWEiwArQGwaAUSWnhKvLc66zfCSHjlOxc1-FCz-5skhcJ8lMZmHVrBNBYFE31pKBoCFiEQAvD_BwE&hvadid=485162166884&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9010858&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=11768107445839763223&hvtargid=kwd-306694408227&hydadcr=8791_11538609&keywords=folding+garage&qid=1633356822&sr=8-22

 

[MooseStang]

And since it's camo no one will even know it's there.

 

[TheDude]

Well that's something.  That would actually be cool if I could get away with it. I'm thinking more like $100-$200 kind of price range for traditional roll up car cover. Maybe something more subtle like this baseball hat for the car, lol https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VGR3FQ6/ref=sspa_dk_detail_0?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B07VGR3FQ6&

 

[c9zx]

You do not want a waterproof car cover.Moisture will get under the cover and be effectively trapped. This one is just a tick above your $200.00 limit.


COVERCRAFTCustom Covercraft 3-Layer Moderate Climate Car Cover



From $219
Ships Free



 1 Review(s) | Write a Review




Our best fitting custom car cover for protection or storage in moderate weather conditions & treated with extra UV Resistance. 



Color: Gray



 






 

 

[TheDude]

Thanks. I actually do want waterproof, just not super snug fitting. It doesn't rain much here so keeping it covered is mostly about keeping it clean, but then making sure that when it does rain occasionally it won't just wash the dirt through to the car. I've had both types and for where I'm at, at least the waterproof ones with a soft backing do keep things cleaner, like uncover the car after 6 weeks and it's still clean. It's not wet enough here to worry about moisture build up if the cover isn't skin tight.  

I'll take a closer look at CoverCraft. I'd be willing to shell out a bit more for the cover like maybe one of their 5 layer models if I thought it would hold up. I'm a bit jaded now and feel like they will all let me down in a few months. 

Thanks again

 

[midlife]

Well that's something.  That would actually be cool if I could get away with it. I'm thinking more like $100-$200 kind of price range for traditional roll up car cover. Maybe something more subtle like this baseball hat for the car, lol https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VGR3FQ6/ref=sspa_dk_detail_0?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B07VGR3FQ6&

That's the stupidest car cover I've ever seen! 

 

[TheDude]

Agreed. I want to show up to a car show and put that thing up and see what happens. 

 

[tony-muscle]

My experience is with boat covers. The good ones will last 3 years and the very good ones about 5+ years if left outside the whole year. That's in Wisconsin. In Cali I expect them to last much less unless under natural shade. For a 21' boat, I budget about $100/year. Meaning that a 3-year one will cost $300+

 

[TheDude]

Thanks. And same here actually. I'd have pretty cheap covers on my 21' boat (recently got rid of it  :classic_sad: ) that would last several years. Those are way bigger covers than the a car cover as it goes over the cabin and would have a tougher elastic etc around the whole thing. They were also made of stuff I wouldn't want rubbing against my car, but that outer layer was tough. 

I think I'm going to try a CoverKing cover.  You can get a custom fit model from through Costco for I think $179 and a model with a softer inner layer for about $220 direct from them. Still just a 3 year warranty, but if I can get 2+ years out of it, I'll be happy. That would put me at around that $100 a year number you mentioned. 

Edit.. Checking now they are showing OOS. Yesterday they were there and $220. Supposedly they are all made to order so not sure how OOS works in that scenario, but that's what they are saying. 

 

[tony-muscle]

Thanks. And same here actually. I'd have pretty cheap covers on my 21' boat (recently got rid of it  :classic_sad: ) that would last several years. Those are way bigger covers than the a car cover as it goes over the cabin and would have a tougher elastic etc around the whole thing. They were also made of stuff I wouldn't want rubbing against my car, but that outer layer was tough. 

I think I'm going to try a CoverKing cover.  You can get a custom fit model from through Costco for I think $179 and a model with a softer inner layer for about $220 direct from them. Still just a 3 year warranty, but if I can get 2+ years out of it, I'll be happy. That would put me at around that $100 a year number you mentioned. 

Edit.. Checking now they are showing OOS. Yesterday they were there and $220. Supposedly they are all made to order so not sure how OOS works in that scenario, but that's what they are saying. 

Not trying to go off topic but would you remember the brand of the "cheap" boat cover that lasted several years?

 

[TheDude]

It's been awhile so no idea, but I'll scrounge around my old boat expenses and see if I can find it. 

 

[TheDude]

This is going back a few years, but the last one I had was a Taylor Made and I think the TRAILERITE line. I had paid under $200 during a sale at WestMarine. That was for a 21' Walkaround and lasted at least 3 years full time in the sun. Before that I had a cover made by Carver that was cheaper and thinner, but lasted about 3 years as well then disintegrated all at once. Obviously this was several years ago and way different conditions than you have, but that's the results I had. And now I miss my boat  :classic_sad:  ... but not all the money it took to keep it going offshore. 

 

[tony-muscle]

This is going back a few years, but the last one I had was a Taylor Made and I think the TRAILERITE line. I had paid under $200 during a sale at WestMarine. That was for a 21' Walkaround and lasted at least 3 years full time in the sun. Before that I had a cover made by Carver that was cheaper and thinner, but lasted about 3 years as well then disintegrated all at once. Obviously this was several years ago and way different conditions than you have, but that's the results I had. And now I miss my boat  :classic_sad:  ... but not all the money it took to keep it going offshore. 

Thanks. That's the exactly what I have now, the Trailerite. Unfortunately their quality went down. The first one I owned lasted 5 years with some patching. My current one had to be patched after a year and now after 3 years has tearing all over so I am looking for a new one.

 

[Lazarus]

I know I am late to this discussion, but since you mentioned the waterproof thing, I thought I’d chime in. I have experimented a little bit with different outside car covers over the years. I live in North Carolina, where the sun can be fairly rough, and I have had more old cars than garage bays. 
 

I have found that very expensive ones did not hold up much better than more reasonable ones.  After a while under sun and rain, they all sorta give out and turn dusty and brittle. My humble advice is To find one that is breathable and plan to replace it every so often. Make sure its inner layer is easy on the paint and that it is secure enough that wind won’t cause it to flap and rub the paint. I would avoid the door access zippers and stuff unless I was certain that the inside could never scratch the paint. 
 

I personally have given up on the waterproof idea. Never had one actually be waterproof, and outside no matter what you do, pollen, moisture, and dust get under it. Remember, when you try to block water getting in, you sometimes only succeed in blocking it getting out.   In my experience water always finds a way in, you want it to be able to escape. Whether we are talking condensation, evaporated water from the ground, driving rain from the wind, or a small leak, you don’t want water sitting trapped. 
 

 

[tony-muscle]

I know I am late to this discussion, but since you mentioned the waterproof thing, I thought I’d chime in. I have experimented a little bit with different outside car covers over the years. I live in North Carolina, where the sun can be fairly rough, and I have had more old cars than garage bays. 
 

I have found that very expensive ones did not hold up much better than more reasonable ones.  After a while under sun and rain, they all sorta give out and turn dusty and brittle. My humble advice is To find one that is breathable and plan to replace it every so often. Make sure its inner layer is easy on the paint and that it is secure enough that wind won’t cause it to flap and rub the paint. I would avoid the door access zippers and stuff unless I was certain that the inside could never scratch the paint. 
 

I personally have given up on the waterproof idea. Never had one actually be waterproof, and outside no matter what you do, pollen, moisture, and dust get under it. Remember, when you try to block water getting in, you sometimes only succeed in blocking it getting out.   In my experience water always finds a way in, you want it to be able to escape. Whether we are talking condensation, evaporated water from the ground, driving rain from the wind, or a small leak, you don’t want water sitting trapped. 
 

Now that you mention waterproofing, I forgot to say that I had to apply seam sealer in all the seams to avoid water leakage. Again, this is based on my experience with boat covers and obviously depending if your cover has seams.

 

[TheDude]

Thanks. That's the exactly what I have now, the Trailerite. Unfortunately their quality went down. The first one I owned lasted 5 years with some patching. My current one had to be patched after a year and now after 3 years has tearing all over so I am looking for a new one.

Why is this not shocking at all. Seems like everything gets crappier over time. I know we always say they don't make em like they used to, but some stuff like fabric never really makes sense other than just using cheaper stuff. Well that and in the old days they would make everything with asbestos, DDT and ground up baby seals, which is sometimes frowned upon these days. 

I know I am late to this discussion, but since you mentioned the waterproof thing, I thought I’d chime in. I have experimented a little bit with different outside car covers over the years. I live in North Carolina, where the sun can be fairly rough, and I have had more old cars than garage bays. 
 

I have found that very expensive ones did not hold up much better than more reasonable ones.  After a while under sun and rain, they all sorta give out and turn dusty and brittle. My humble advice is To find one that is breathable and plan to replace it every so often. Make sure its inner layer is easy on the paint and that it is secure enough that wind won’t cause it to flap and rub the paint. I would avoid the door access zippers and stuff unless I was certain that the inside could never scratch the paint. 
 

I personally have given up on the waterproof idea. Never had one actually be waterproof, and outside no matter what you do, pollen, moisture, and dust get under it. Remember, when you try to block water getting in, you sometimes only succeed in blocking it getting out.   In my experience water always finds a way in, you want it to be able to escape. Whether we are talking condensation, evaporated water from the ground, driving rain from the wind, or a small leak, you don’t want water sitting trapped. 
 

I actually like the lighter weight more breathable ones. They just tend to make pass through so much dirt when they do get wet. The flip side is they are often washable to a point. We don't get enough rain to make it a big deal here if it's not perfect. For me I just feel like the car stays cleaner and keeps most of the water off because I don't want to think about my leaky windows. Yes, the right answer is to fix those. 

Now that you mention waterproofing, I forgot to say that I had to apply seam sealer in all the seams to avoid water leakage. Again, this is based on my experience with boat covers and obviously depending if your cover has seams.

This may sound weird, but one thing I've been doing lately is using spray on ceramic coating on all sorts of things, like wood furniture and even in places I'd normally use silicon spray. I've been using this on all sorts of things to just protect them. It goes a long way, doesn't really change the appearance and is pretty cheap. So I might actually try coating my next cover with it when I get it. People will think I'm nuts waxing the cover. But I'm thinking if It' can make the surface a bit hydrophobic it might stay cleaner and maybe last a bit longer. Probably dumb, but I might give it a shot. 

 

[midlife]

Hell, just build a garage with a roof and waterproof walls.  If you can't do that, buy a different house with sufficient garage space and then move.  That's what I did.  Yeah, it cost me a few 10's of thousands of dollars, but you ain't going to leave that money to any of us, so why not spend it?

 

[TheDude]

Boy I wish I could. Around these parts, that move would cost several 100's of thousands which ain't in the cards right now unfortunately. So sadly my money pit lives outdoors.