Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General General For those with car covers???

I just bought a new car cover for my stique. It fits fine and it was a good deal. However, I was reading the instructions and it says that I should not use it when the car is wet or the paint may get messed up. When do you use your cover and under what conditions is it best to use it.

I used a car cover on my Lincoln and in one month it wore the paint on the edge of the hood down to the bare metal.

Blaze

I use my cover all the time, except when it is wet, or when the car is dusty/dirtier than normal. I have not noticed any problems with it.

I think my problem was I didnt have it tight enough and the wind got under it, though.

we only use the car cover to keep the dust off the cars when they're parked in the garage.
our neighbor's kid uses the garage like his front door so the garage gets heavy traffic and the dust can accumulate fast on the cars.
The car cover we got for the SVT was from Ford and it's clearly not meant to keep the car protected from the rain. definitely only a dust and maybe morning dew cover, that's it.
The one I have for my Cougar from California Car Covers is meant to be water resistant, but I still don't feel right using it for that.

I bought one of the high end covers from california car covers. I live in a duplex on campus and don't have any covered parking so the cover stays on 24/7. I do leave it of though when the car is dirty or wet after driving. No sense in covering a messy car... Anyways I also plan on using it when it snows up here. It should save me a lot of trouble. Anyways, if you buy a water resistant cover, you don't need to worry about rain.

Been using covers forever, not sure, probably since the 70's. In carports, in garages and especially (mostly) outdoors in Phoenix sunizona. The cover is for the sun. All other benefits are on the side, security, dust, bird airstrikes etc. Even my cars in the garage get a sheet of plastic over the carcovers, since the dust still finds it's way through.
I find that if I want the car to stay clean in the rain, another tarp or waterproof fabric must be put over the cover and attached in such a way as to weather a hurricane. It probably wouldn't, but you have to think that way. You WILL damage the paint if it gets wet underneath and/or if it gets the bellows effect 'thing' going in the wind. If mine's clean and I have the time before the rain starts, it gets a sheet of painters plastic over the cover and then a heavier older cover over it to hold it in place. About 15-20 min of prep to prevent a 3 hour wash and possibly other issues. One tip: if I ever could give one is that the car has to be clean when covered, and mine gets a kozak + window wash or a sponge bath every time its driven.
"The cover is only as good as the 'DIRTIEST time' it was put on the car". So, I never use it on a dirty car, which is to say if the car has been driven more than just a few miles, it's dirty.

I used to use my cover on my SVT (anytime the car wasn't dirty) to keep the sun off it . Even if you're meticulous , it still puts fine "spiderweb" scratches in the paint . Now that it's (finally) in a garage , it stays clean , and the cover is on it to keep the dust off . It's still on it full-time , BTW .

ok, after reading your posts it sounds like the cover wont do much for the rain (no big deal). I also dont want to damage my paint so if its wet/raining = no cover. However if snow is in the forcast would it be a good idea to put it on just so most of the snow doesnt get on it