Car Covers

[Ladderman]

Hi. I know there are mixed views about Car Covers, but I'm trying one out because my garage is a work shop & the local woodpigeons love splattering a freshly washed car. Also over the winter period when the car is no driven the hood gets lots of green algae on it.

I purchased the cover from https://www.specialisedcovers.com its a STORMSHIELD + OUTDOOR COVER, Customisable outdoor cover
Fully tailor-made in our Yorkshire factory. Waterproof and breathable 3 layered material with soft fleecy lining. Helps prevents rust and mould. Provides UV protection. Perfect for long-term, outdoor protection.

As I knew the weather in Co Durham is going to be heavy rain this week I thought I'd try it on the car for a few days. The fit seems nice and snug, and It comes with four adjustable straps that fit under the car, so there is no flapping edges. I will leave on the car until the weekend, then see what things are like when I take it off. Photos will follow

 

[Ladderman]

Just took these in the rain

 

[bearded_ed]

Hey that looks good.

Please keep updating as you go, I'm curious to see if it marks the paint at all.

I may end up getting a second larger car as well as the Zed! Which means I couls cover it.

 

[bz4kev]

Just fitted this storm force one View attachment 1

 

[earthdweller]

I have a stormforce cover it’s excellent

I put it on over winter in the garage as well; keeps it snug as a bug

 

[Ladderman]

Update time about my new car cover. Over the past week we've had heavy downpours almost everyday, but today it's been lovely and sunny so I thought I'd take the cover off and see how things looked. I have to say I'm impressed so far. The paintwork and hood were completely dry and no visible scratches. The inner fleece section of the cover was completely dry, so it's doing its job and wicking away moisture. I know it's early days cos the main tests will be when the covers on for long periods over the winter months, the weather can be really shitty in the Northeast of England. Anyway I made the most of the sunny weather and had a run out over the Dales.

 

[earthdweller]

Looks good and seems to have worked well

I’ve no regrets with mine

 

[baconJazz]

I was going to go for an ultimate cover from Classic Additions for around £190 , until I kept coming across reviews saying how good the Halfords all weather cover was (£60) . So anyway , found myself a "used only once" Halfords cover on Ebay for £35 and thought I'd give it a try. If I find it's not up to the task I'll go back to plan A. But thought it was worth a punt (?) 8)

 

[Ladderman]

I was going to go for an ultimate cover from Classic Additions for around £190 , until I kept coming across reviews saying how good the Halfords all weather cover was (£60) . So anyway , found myself a "used only once" Halfords cover on Ebay for £35 and thought I'd give it a try. If I find it's not up to the task I'll go back to plan A. But thought it was worth a punt (?) 8)

i hope it works out ok for you. After all the research I did & the mixed reviews about the potential damage they can course to your paintwork I came across this company from Yorkshire who tailor the cover to the model of your car. The Stormshield + cost £320. I know it’s expensive, but in the grand scheme of things I feel the car is worth it. I hope it’s money we’l spend, time will tell.

 

[mr wilks]

Its not the rain or wet that can cause issues , its the wind & 2 of the Zs i bought clearly had a cover on at some point in their lives so for those looking to fit a cover longterm over the winter a suggestion to help guard against potential scratches , clingfilm the front / rear wings , nose & bootlid ( or as i did one winter knowing it wasn't being used clingfilm the whole car ) applied after a detail when removed the car was just as it was pre clingfilm

 

[baconJazz]

Its not the rain or wet that can cause issues , its the wind & 2 of the Zs i bought clearly had a cover on at some point in their lives so for those looking to fit a cover longterm over the winter a suggestion to help guard against potential scratches , clingfilm the front / rear wings , nose & bootlid ( or as i did one winter knowing it wasn't being used clingfilm the whole car ) applied after a detail when removed the car was just as it was pre clingfilm

Sounds like a good idea , thanks. The Halfords cover is actually fleece lined so I guess that helps. I think the better the fit the less chance of "ballooning " in the wind and hence the least risk of scratching. I'm receiving my cover today and we'll see how it fits . It's a medium and all the measurements check out for a snug fit.

 

[skelters]

£12.99 from Amazon.

Works in the garage that has a sometimes leaky roof.....

Large Waterproof Car Cover https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B003TNUGK4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_K7BKDb4MRQ4WW

 

[Ladderman]

Its not the rain or wet that can cause issues , its the wind & 2 of the Zs i bought clearly had a cover on at some point in their lives so for those looking to fit a cover longterm over the winter a suggestion to help guard against potential scratches , clingfilm the front / rear wings , nose & bootlid ( or as i did one winter knowing it wasn't being used clingfilm the whole car ) applied after a detail when removed the car was just as it was pre clingfilm

That sounds a really good idea. When I bought the car 15 months ago there was already some chipped paintwork on the bonnet & front bumper, it's my intention to have a full respray or wrap in the future. I regularly clean & waterproof the hood with Autoglym & I use Autoglym Super resin polish on the bodywork. We have a lot of trees & wildlife close to the house, so when the car is parked up over the winter months the hood gets green algae on it + lots of bird dropping. I live in a elevated location & do get strong winds, so I'll be keeping an eye on things to see how much the cover flaps in the wind. When I fitted the cover for the first time last week I thought the sides were nice & snug, but felt the area over the bonnet could of been a better fit. I might try to get my hands on the type of clingfilm they use to wrap boxes on pallets, it's wider & and a lot stronger.

 

[mr wilks]

Its not the rain or wet that can cause issues , its the wind & 2 of the Zs i bought clearly had a cover on at some point in their lives so for those looking to fit a cover longterm over the winter a suggestion to help guard against potential scratches , clingfilm the front / rear wings , nose & bootlid ( or as i did one winter knowing it wasn't being used clingfilm the whole car ) applied after a detail when removed the car was just as it was pre clingfilm

That sounds a really good idea. When I bought the car 15 months ago there was already some chipped paintwork on the bonnet & front bumper, it's my intention to have a full respray or wrap in the future. I regularly clean & waterproof the hood with Autoglym & I use Autoglym Super resin polish on the bodywork. We have a lot of trees & wildlife close to the house, so when the car is parked up over the winter months the hood gets green algae on it + lots of bird dropping. I live in a elevated location & do get strong winds, so I'll be keeping an eye on things to see how much the cover flaps in the wind. When I fitted the cover for the first time last week I thought the sides were nice & snug, but felt the area over the bonnet could of been a better fit. I might try to get my hands on the type of clingfilm they use to wrap boxes on pallets, it's wider & and a lot stronger.

I used 2 rolls of 99p stuff , worked a treat , you definitely don't want stuff that is remotely sticky .
Pic here of finished wrap https://www.instagram.com/p/BOxhhCHDgOG/
would definitely do the same again for any car i intended to SORN over winter months

 

[Ladderman]

Its not the rain or wet that can cause issues , its the wind & 2 of the Zs i bought clearly had a cover on at some point in their lives so for those looking to fit a cover longterm over the winter a suggestion to help guard against potential scratches , clingfilm the front / rear wings , nose & bootlid ( or as i did one winter knowing it wasn't being used clingfilm the whole car ) applied after a detail when removed the car was just as it was pre clingfilm

That sounds a really good idea. When I bought the car 15 months ago there was already some chipped paintwork on the bonnet & front bumper, it's my intention to have a full respray or wrap in the future. I regularly clean & waterproof the hood with Autoglym & I use Autoglym Super resin polish on the bodywork. We have a lot of trees & wildlife close to the house, so when the car is parked up over the winter months the hood gets green algae on it + lots of bird dropping. I live in a elevated location & do get strong winds, so I'll be keeping an eye on things to see how much the cover flaps in the wind. When I fitted the cover for the first time last week I thought the sides were nice & snug, but felt the area over the bonnet could of been a better fit. I might try to get my hands on the type of clingfilm they use to wrap boxes on pallets, it's wider & and a lot stronger.

I used 2 rolls of 99p stuff , worked a treat , you definitely don't want stuff that is remotely sticky .
Pic here of finished wrap https://www.instagram.com/p/BOxhhCHDgOG/
would definitely do the same again for any car i intended to SORN over winter months

cheers

 

[Sail]

a suggestion to help guard against potential scratches , clingfilm the front / rear wings , nose & bootlid ( or as i did one winter knowing it wasn't being used clingfilm the whole car ) applied after a detail when removed the car was just as it was pre clingfilm

mr wilks that's a brilliant idea!

I see you have stated to use "zero adhesion clingfilm". Is this a special kind of clingfilm that can be bought from somewhere, or will any clingfilm do off the shelf from a supermarket?

Thanks.

 

[baconJazz]

Update ;

My Halfords cover arrived and it seems to be of very good quality. It's quite weighty and has a nice soft lining underneath. It also has 3 clip straps that go underneath the car. Being the medium it fits very well over my coupe. Any way I'll see how it copes with the coming winter months as I'm leaving the country soon until February for work.
£60 new . Bought mine nearly new for £35. Could be a bit of a bargain considering I was going to pay nearly £200 for one that seems to be made of the same material !

 

[veryverydarkblue]

Shameless plug for my 'for sale' listing in case anyone wants to go the Specialised Covers route for an E85 without the wait...

https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=117852

 

[Mike123]

Re the shot of the roof (Image 0281)- I have the tear / mark on the drivers roof side...

Anyone has this and knows is the cause ???

Mike

Update time about my new car cover. Over the past week we've had heavy downpours almost everyday, but today it's been lovely and sunny so I thought I'd take the cover off and see how things looked. I have to say I'm impressed so far. The paintwork and hood were completely dry and no visible scratches. The inner fleece section of the cover was completely dry, so it's doing its job and wicking away moisture. I know it's early days cos the main tests will be when the covers on for long periods over the winter months, the weather can be really sh***y in the Northeast of England. Anyway I made the most of the sunny weather and had a run out over the Dales.

 

[davros]

Re the shot of the roof (Image 0281)- I have the tear / mark on the drivers roof side...

Anyone has this and knows is the cause ???

Mike

Update time about my new car cover. Over the past week we've had heavy downpours almost everyday, but today it's been lovely and sunny so I thought I'd take the cover off and see how things looked. I have to say I'm impressed so far. The paintwork and hood were completely dry and no visible scratches. The inner fleece section of the cover was completely dry, so it's doing its job and wicking away moisture. I know it's early days cos the main tests will be when the covers on for long periods over the winter months, the weather can be really sh***y in the Northeast of England. Anyway I made the most of the sunny weather and had a run out over the Dales.

That’s really weird. A similar ‘scar’ has appeared recently on my roof in almost the same position and size. I’ve no idea how or where it came from.

I’d also be very interested if anyone has any theories or know the cause.