With winter just a stone’s throw away and fall in full swing, we’re looking at what could be some very harsh weather conditions in late 2008 and into 2009. I’m not a meteorologist like Bill Murray was on Groundhog Day. …However, whether you’re in the Midwest where leaf foliage is at high levels, or the West or East Coast areas where rainfall can reach extreme levels, I’m going to go over one of the easiest ways to protect the exterior of your vehicle. It’s as simple as one two three with a car cover. You will remain protected at a very reasonable price, keeping your precious vehicle in tip-top condition.
For me the problem became apparent that I need something to protect my ride when I had bird and tree droppings on my windshield on a weekly basis. The cost to get my 350z detailed is about $50. I would wash it at least twice a month to keep it nice and shiny, so these costs really added up. It looked great, but I still had to deal with bird stains on my windshield in between the details. Let me tell you, I despise seagulls a lot now 🙂
So what I wanted to find was a better long-term solution. It seemed like a car cover would require a lot of manual labor and I really didn’t want to deal with it on a daily basis. What I ended up discovering was that it took me about 1 minute to put it on when I got to work, and less time to take it off. And I was able to reduce my itemized costs to once a month. I could trim that down even more now, but I like having the bright interior… the Z looks great that way.
So this leads to my general recommendation. Since I have a feeling it’s going to be a harsh winter, I really think that those who spend a lot of time and money on keeping their car in good condition should get an outdoor car cover. It also helps protect your vehicle from those little bumps and dings that can happen in parking lots.
What I found at most retail stores like Walmart were pretty cheap covers, but I didn’t just want to wrap my car in a towel. I have read that on windy days cheap car covers have the potential to scratch the paint when they flap in the wind. So what I looked for was an outer cover that was made of high quality material. That’s all I want to put in my car, otherwise it wouldn’t be worth the investment.
I chose a fabric with several durable qualities, here’s what it offers:
The heavy duty polyester base fabric is naturally UV resistant. To make the car cover more resistant to the rigors of sun exposure, UV inhibitors have been added to the polymers to help slow natural degradation.
* weatherproof
The fabric sheds water as soon as it touches the car cover, leaving your vehicle dry.
* top dry time
Because car cover fabric wicks away moisture, it has a wicking factor of just 2%, compared to up to 40% for standard woven and nonwoven fabrics. That means if your car cover has been exposed to rain, just shake it off and it’s practically dry.
* Breathable
The car cover fabric allows any heat or condensation that collects under the cover to easily escape.
* UV resistant
Special additives in the fabric prevent UV degradation while protecting your vehicle’s paint and interior.
* dust proof
The auto cover fabric’s patented fiber encapsulation process prevents dust from seeping through the fabric.
* no scratches
Polymers give a silky-smooth finish to the fabric and provide superior paint protection. The fabric has been tested to 1,000 cycles on abrasion wheels without scratching (the surface must be clean and waxed).
* Sustainable
The encapsulation process is not affected by heat or cold and will not degrade over the life of the car cover fabric.
* easy care
Unlike non-woven fabrics, you can clean most car-sized car covers in your home washer and dryer.
* Small and light packages
The car cover is packed into 1/4 to 1/2 the volume of standard multi-layer non-woven fabrics.