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Vintage Car Cover recomendations

Bready

board deviant
Joined
Nov 23, 2002
Looking for a cost effective yet adequate car cover for outdoors for my P1800

Suggestions?

Thanks
 
I'm interested as well. Looked at the most popular covers on amazon a few weeks back, and most of the reviews scared me off.
 
FWIW I've used those inexpensive ($100 or so) ones on Ebay for years and they work just fine, was just curious what other people use.
 
I am on the second of the more expensive covers on my 142. The latest is a Weather Tech made from Sunbrella fabric. The previous cover was Weathershield fabric and I think the company might have been Cover Craft. Both covers were custom fit. If you live in a windy location go for the custom fit because the 'close enough' fit will flog your paint to death in a wind storm.

My Weathershield cover lasted either 4 or 5 years before it completely disintegrated due to UV exposure. The Sunbrella claims to have the highest UV resistance. Mine is now 2+ years and the fabric is looking very good. The Weathershield fabric was relatively thin (definitely no dent protection) which makes it relatively easy to fold up and stow when its not in use. The Sunbrella is much thicker and heavier and is fairly bulky to store; but, it does provide some dent and rub protection. The down side to the Weathershield is that it is like parachute silk and if it is windy there is no way that you will get it on the car by yourself. It literally balloons up like a parachute and even though it was a custom fit if you forgot to fit the retaining cord that goes under the car it will lift off the car in a wind storm and end up in the neighbors yard. The Sunbrella is heavy enough that it tends to stay in place when windy; but, I still use a bottom retention cord.

Both fabrics are woven and breath. The down side to that is that after fine dust accumulates on the outside of the cover, if you get a significant rainstorm the dust will wash right through the cover and accumulate on the paint. Depending on how dusty your location is you will need to wash the covers at least once a year (they give you a procedure for doing that).

My son had a cover made from Noah for his RSX. He used it for outdoor winter storage while he was at university. The car cover spent 5 months each year under a blanket of snow and after 4 years looked really good; but sun exposure and dust accumulation was a non issue because of that snow cover. The Noah is really bulky and even more of a hassle to fold up than the Sunbrella fabric; but, its probably 1/2 the cost. It does provide reasonable dent and scuff protection.

If you want ease of use the weathershield fabric is the way to go. If you want some scuff and dent protection and better UV durability the Sunbrella might be a better choice. If you want to spend less, then Noah might be the choice. However, if you plan to R&R the cover every day don't get the Noah because it is enough of a hassle to remove, store and then reinstall that you will stop using it. If you are parking the car for the season and want some protection then it would be a good choice.
 
Looking for a cost effective yet adequate car cover for outdoors for my P1800

Suggestions?

Thanks

Iirc the cover I used is called Gulf Stream, (medium) under $40 with tax, and did it's duty perfectly without issues. Interesting reading 142 guy's post about dust accumulating/penetrating through the cloth, I believed I saw something like this near the cowl area.

:cheers:
 
Iirc the cover I used is called Gulf Stream, (medium) under $40 with tax, and did it's duty perfectly without issues. Interesting reading 142 guy's post about dust accumulating/penetrating through the cloth, I believed I saw something like this near the cowl area.

:cheers:

My car sits outside with no overhead protection and adjacent to a lane way that is packed with crusher dust and gravel. It gets a fair amount of local traffic and it has been so dry here this year that the traffic creates a lot of dust. If you live in the concrete jungle dust accumulation may be much less of an issue.
 
Looking for a cost effective yet adequate car cover for outdoors for my P1800

Suggestions?

Thanks

Amazon basics outdoor car covers are really quite good for the price. I have bought two of them now for smaller cars and a buddy has had one sitting out in the So-Cal sun for the past 6 months or so with no issues. Not exact fit but close enough, plus they have cotton lining and 3 cinch straps underneath.

Haven't bought one for a 240 but I think this is the right size: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07TB775HC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

$35 to Bezos but they are far better than any other cheap cover I've ever used.

If you're in the mood / have the budget for a "real" cover, I am very happy with the CoverKing StormProof for my 242. It's a super thin but high quality sheer material and does a great job with sun and dirt. Reflective and lightweight. Fits perfectly. Packs down small in the trunk, nice if you drive the car a lot and are taking it off & putting on frequently. Not the best for moisture though - condensation goes through on a cold night. And it is susceptible to mildew growth on the surface.

The CoverKing "SilverGuard Plus" is much thicker and has a cotton lining. Thickest of the three types I have. Heavy but still exact fit. More reflective, actually does a good job with moisture, and is cheaper than the StormProof. We've had one of these on my wife's 2002 for about 3 years and the only issue has been some thread deterioration at one of the corner seams, easy enough to fix.

Pelican Parts sells the CoverKing stuff and they are made to order, exact fit.

https://www.pelicanparts.com/catalog/coverking/cover_start.htm

AmazonBezics on NA Miata. Not perfect fit. Cheap and good enough.
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StormProof on 242. Perfect fit, sexy.
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SilverGuard Plus on 2002. Perfect fit, heavy. Seam issue.
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Both my V70R and the last Amazon I had had California Car Covers. I still use the Amazon one on a P1800 when I have to move one outside and don't want to leave it in the sun. You can choose your level of sun protection, water protection, etc.... and they are custom made. It's the only brand I'll buy from, the V70R cover has almost 6 years in the AZ sun and still looks new.
 
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