Car Covers

[Blown03]

Good Morning all ,

those of you that are like me and not fortunate enough to own a garage anylonger, but do cover your pride and joy . What car cover(s) do or have you used ? Pro's, Cons and experience of it/them ?

My weekend car was garaged it's whole life until life threw me a curve and had to make some changes a few years back . I've got and been using a Covercraft " Block It 380 " cover . It isn't an expensive cover and at $200 I certainly didn't/don't it expect it to last years upon years . But, that isn't all that "cheap " either .

I'm on my 3rd one , previous 2 were replaced via warranty . The first one was purchased in Dec. 2012 , and was replaced August 2013 , *( took over a month to get it replaced through the 3 year warranty) . The second one lasted until June 2014 .

The car sits in the back of my driveway and walking by it the other day I noticed on the passenger side roof it is now starting to get what I think is called " pillowing " look to it .

To back up some , the previous covers that failed started pillowing the same way . I'm getting to be an expert at identifying when a cover is beginning to fail . The pillowing hasn't had any adverse affects to the cover by keeping it from protecting the car . But , I have noticed this is how it starts .

What I mean by failing, when the previous ones failed they started " wicking " , holding the water in , kind of trapping it , so when you uncover it after a rain there's more water on the car then the daily drivers in the driver way . They all worked extremely well for first 6+ months or so , I mean excellent man , no dust , no water , nothing but a few small " cover marks" I'd call it , after a heavy rain . Which I can live with . When they work , all I've had to do when ready to take the car out is dust it lightly and go . Most times I'd do a rinseless just cause , well I don't need to explain why to you all right ?

The company was horrible the first time around , but this last time I was able to get a General Manager and she was nothing short of great .

I took a picture of the pillowing and will be sending it to her . I'd like to know if any of you have had any of these issues with same brand or another brand of cover . Their web site says to use 1/4 cup Simple Green wash on warm in non agitating washer and I've done this . Both times I did the cover literally began to disintegrate leaving millions of little white particulates from front to back of the car as well as "wick" way worse then before washing per their instructions . Bad enough that I will never attempt to wash one this way again . 2 times was enough for me , once a fluke right, 2nd time is no fluke IMHO.

I'm waiting to hear back from the manager as she was supposed to be meeting with the Manufacturer of the Fabric to look at the previous two that failed and figure out what's going on .

Now ,this isn't intended to trash the company , more of hoping to hear from some peeps and their experiences with car covers . Not sure what if anything I could be doing wrong , pretty simple really , cover a clean car , don't take the cover off damp or wet , store in my tote container that is clean when I'm out in the car it's covering ...

I'm sorry in advance for the essay here , hope to hear form anyone that has dealt with this or similar ......

thanks allot ,

 

[Mark]

Hello, I own a Covercraft NOAH Cover, bought for my '97 Tahoe. It is I believe now going on 2 years old this coming October. My vehicle sits under a Carport, where it is offered some protection from the New Mexico Sun, but does get hit on front and rear due to the vehicle facing west.

I would say this $330 Cover lasted intact about 1-1/2 years, then began to show signs of degradation to te material, that it began losing its water repellency, and as well began to weaken and tear in certain areas.

The areas that had begun to weaken and tear, were at the bottom hem, where I had used Gust Guard Clamps. Thus, I eventually concluded to omit the Gust Guard, and just only use the Locking Cable at the center bottom of Cover.

We get some pretty high winds here quite often, and it's rare that a day goes by that the cover isn't billowing from gusts, and a seeming never ending wind. I'm only 2 miles if that, from the western slopes of the Sacramento Mountains.

And probably some of the dustiest conditions in the entire United States. Often we get white outs and brown outs dependent on how the winds blow, and as well, I'm about 4 miles east of the largest Gypsum Field in the World, White Sands National Monument, and White Sands Missle Range. This dust is highly abrasive.

In fact where many seams join, I was getting marring of the finish.

When the cover began to rip in a couple areas due to wind damage, I contacted Covercraft, they gladly offered to repair it free of charge, but I knew basically that this was the beginning of failure, that more failure was likely to occur as more time passed.

I knew shipping would be costly, and my sole intention of contacting Covercraft was to only purchase the same material, so I could somehow initiate repairs my end here.

They sent me quite a substantial amount of material, free of charge, that was pretty cool of them I thought, and figured I had enough to material to perhaps initiate repairs for probably another 2 years of possible damage occurring over time.

The problems I then ran into, where the "Upholsterers", who wanted to charge me a beginning initial rate of $60, and go from there. For sure by the time these money hungry people here got through with me, one would simply be smarter-wiser to just buy another new Cover.

Doing Upolstery work myself for about 8 years when I worked for Amtrak-Chicago, I ultimately decided to buy a Singer Classic 44 Sewing Machine, and it has proven adequate for the tasks.

With enough material, I was able to add reinforcement to various areas of the cover, sew in pads at underside seams to eliminate paint marring, and repair some more recent additional weak areas, and small tears.

As for washing, the first year I did nothing but hose downs with the garden hose. Sometimes then reversing the cover to then get the dust off the inside. From day one, the cover was never truly 100% waterproof, usually seeing water intrusion at the front, and back. The cover does dry fairly quickly.

About 2 months ago, I did spray the entire cover down with Formula 303 Fabric Protector, but seems this is again only some small stop gap measure.

The cover has gone through hell, but evidently still seems IMO that it fell short of lasting the length of time that I had hoped it would.

Not sure what I'll do for the future, to go beyond the NOAH, to the TOTL?
Mark

 

[Merlin]

I have a Covercraft Weathershield HD

That has been an excellent choice for the HOT South Florida weather.
It can go in a washer/dryer and it cleans up and becomes revitalized.

 

[Mark]

I have a Covercraft Weathershield HD

That has been an excellent choice for the HOT South Florida weather.
It can go in a washer/dryer and it cleans up and becomes revitalized.

That is perhaps what I should've considered getting the first time around, and perhaps will seriously consider for the next cover.

Yes, I have read the Weathershield is a more compact cover, but not so sure "how compact" considering it is for a full size SUV?

Maybe next time I can request some material samples, and see how the Weathershield material compares to the NOAH?

 

[Merlin]

Here is the fabric comparison chart.

http://www.covercraft.com/carcovers/car_cover_fabrics.html

 

[Mark]

Here is the fabric comparison chart.

http://www.covercraft.com/carcovers/car_cover_fabrics.html

Thanks, Yes, I have perused that chart numerous times in the past. Still would like having samples in hand to inspect. Just perhaps the Weathershield line, as I of course know the NOAH Material.

I know the TOTL Covercraft Cover is almost $200 more than my NOAH, and truly wonder if it's worth the additional cost.

I've had cheaper indoor cotton covers many years ago, on both my '67 Stingray, and my SS396 Camaro. Indoors, in a garage, just about anything will last for countless years.
But for sure, an outdoor cover goes through hell. Reckon that's their purpose, they all will fail at some point in time, they serve a sacrificial duty, to take the beating, and protect what's underneath.

With the detailing, and correction, and good products, many being Carpro, my '97 Tahoe looks better today than it did 7 years ago.

 

[Blown03]

Hey guys thanks for the replies. It seems I'm not being notified , sorry for the late response .

I live in Delaware and mine sits outside , not under anything , nearest tree is about 40 yards away . On an clear day it is in sun half the day , shade the rest .

A year and a half would be nice if it lasted that long . I was told by someone they had a " Coverking" that lasted 3 years , outside 24/7 , in NJ . When it started to fail CK replaced it no questions asked .

I don't expect any material to last forever . However 6 months is little on the low side I'd say .. here's a couple pic's of the first one as it failed after 6 to 7 months ...One the amount of water that was left .

 

[Blown03]

Has anyone ever used any of the " California Cover " line of covers ??? They are some good $$$ , but if they last it'll be worth it I reckon . The manger I dealt w/ on this last go round w/ CC was extremely helpful and understanding , but I cant see shelling out any more money for another product from them . For by the time the 3yr warranty is up in Dec. 2015 I may be on the 5th cover .

It is nice for them to honor their warranty but , it is a real PITA and major hassle dealing with this every few months it seems . I worry about water etching , as I do not uncover the car every week . Sometime even during car/cruise season 3 weeks have zipped by from being busy or other factors like rain or heat .

I have a question for you Merlin , on coatings . Not sure if this appropriate section to ask but is has to do w/ covering a car . I read somewhere , not sure where or what coating was used but the guy said after a rain he felt he had to quickly remove any water spots or they would etch . I'm on the fence about coating my Cobra , if I do I know it'll be CQUK . But I thought coatings helped prevent water marks ? I thought UK would maybe be a great back up for lack of better term , in helping my Covercraft cover keep my pride and joy clean and me somewhat worry free that I don't have to constantly uncover it to make sure things are good to go under it .

Make sense what I'm trying to say?? I've never done a coating yet . Well , one on the roof of my daily and didn't have a good experience . It isn't sold here . Not sure if am allowed to name it by name so I'll hold off .

Not sure if the pic shows the pillowing or not , but this cover is just about a month old . Previously wicking has followed soon after . Hopefully I'm wrong .

Thanks again for the replies and experience you've both had with covers . Much appreciated .

 

[Merlin]

Item 1
As far as covers California covers and Covercraft they use a lot of the same fabrics.
My understanding is the difference between them is in the patterns they have created.
There are some fabrics that are company exclusive (E.G. Covercraft Weathershield HD)
The Covercraft Weathershield HD is perfect material for my hot south Florida area.
IMHO it is like having a garage in the driveway. Did I mention the HD is washable?
The HD has a five year warranty and Covercraft has very good about customer service.
I also went through 4-5 covers at first. Then I got a CC Weathershield HD (6 years ago)

Item 2
I personally have not used CQ UK but I have not had any issues like that with CQ Finest.
Granted, I spray Reload on top of the CQF coating and that that may make the difference.

 

[Mark]

My Covercraft NOAH Cover was ordered through California Car Covers.

AFAIK, they are one of Covercraft's premier dealers, so I would assume my Cover would be one and the same regardless.

I believe that California Car Cover simply places the order with Covercraft, and then the Cover is constructed by Covercraft at their Facility.

I have noticed some variance of model names though here and there, and that has left me a bit confused.

I too have been waiting a darn long time to also coat my Tahoe SUV with CQuartzUK. I am a bit concerned about the shelf life of the product, and it being still in useable condition when the time comes since I did open the bottle two months ago to coat my new 22" Factory Repro Wheels.

Seems like every time I get a day or two off, the weather has not cooperated here, with rain-bad weather in the forecast.

I would assume CQuartzUK would have a greater ability to resist water spotting and possible etching (just not100% sure though), and like you, do notice soak through and a loss of water repellency with my NOAH Cover.

I of course will additionally use Reload, and will maintain the finish exclusively with Reload as time passes.

I have the next 5 days off from work, and hopefully I'll be able to Coat my paint. The coating will be the easy part, I do wish to again do a very mild correction with my PC7424XP, Black LC 5.5" Pads, and Menzerna SF4500 to hopefully amp up the gloss even higher before applying the coating.

I'll no doubt have to do all the hard stuff again, clay, mask, polish, CP Eraser, then coat. If I can at least get the Hood, and all Side Panels done, I'll be happy for now. The Roof alone on the Tahoe is a one day PITA job, on ladders etc, and squeezing in between Roof Racks, Trim, etc, it's a pain to do.
Mark

 

[Blown03]

Merlin ,
Thanks for the info and taken time out to reply . I did not experience good customer service at all with my first replacement . Actually American Muscle ended up refunding my money after about 5 weeks of back and forth w/ CC . Ended up turning around and buying another . I honestly thought it was a fluke and didn't feel CC made inferior products. This go round w/ service happened after I PM'd them on FB trying to bypass all the BS I went through previously expressing my displeasure there in hopes of a different outcome , and it worked .

That's when a manger contacted me resulting in completely different service ,for the better. Originally she said they were making one from scratch . I had an idea/feeling that maybe American Muscle received a bad batch ,it happens . I wasn't PO the first time so much that it failed , as ### happens man , but in how things were handled ,better yet not . Anyway , it ended up they found one on the shelf in stock at the warehouse and sent it . So, my theory as there could be a bad batch , which could = 10-1,000 right covers? May still be somewhat feasible . I mean if people are not informing them and just dealing with it or ditching the cover ,then how would they know there is an issue ?

Or could it just be $200 gets you 6-9 months . However , I have hard time rationalizing that scenario ,how could anyone stay in business by haven to replace more then 1 cover throughout the 3 year warranty . Now ,I certainly do NOT know everything about everything , but it's been my 45yrs young experience that products tend to fail just after the warranty expires , not during ..LOL .Wouldn't ya'll agree??. If this cover lasted 3 years ? Shoot man I'd be tickled pink , and wouldn't be able to get my money out fast enough to buy another one for $200 ...

I'm Not looking to make an major ordeal here , as I've said I also don't feel my expectations are unreasonable . Its very frustrating , I mean if you have a cover , you care about your car , I'm pretty sure anyone would feel the same as I do being on their 3rd replacement cover in just over a year ,working on the 4th . That's all I am saying ..

Mark ,that's interesting , I guess fabric companies rebrand to . But don't CA covers start at like $400 + ? I think I'll look into the Coverking some more , I have a little time before the warranty is up .

Oh heck yeah Mark , I feel for yah bro , I maintain my parents '10 Jeep Grand Cherokee for them . It isn't to bad w/ them being retired they don't do a whole lot of traveling so it doesn't get many miles on it ,which in turn makes it easy to maintain ,it does sit outside however . But my point is those dastardly Roof racks !!!!!!!! UG!!! lol

I finally got wise and was able to remove the tie down cross rack , not sure what they're actually called but the braces that go from side to side , that made it a heck of a lot easier .A Jeep is half the size of yours . You have some acreage to cover my man no denying that ..Sounds like a solid plan to me brotha ! Have you ever tried Hyper Polish? It's so easy to work with , I think it makes me look waaay better then I really am ...lol

If you don't mind , I'd love to hear how you make out/thoughts on applying and maintaining the coating . Like how much does it honestly help reduce marring , repel dust and make the overall actual washing phase easier ,along with staying cleaner longer by the self washing abilities they're said to have .

The leaving spots thing worried me man . Specially w/ the present cover situation , it would have really Flipping stunk to put it mildly . Not fully uncovering the car for 2/3+ months like can and does happen over the winter months(just enough to get in and start it every 2 weeks ,used to do once a month but am running on the original battery in my 35K mile 03 Cobra lol had to bump it up to 2 weeks ,it was dying lol) to find I have spots that may or may not have etched in but , still would need full polishing .

I do love the overall concept of coatings ,but not being a pro and actually never haven even been able to see a coating in action in person .Don't take this wrong , as I do NOT know everything about detailing ,am constantly improving and learning ,just in my little group of peeps , of the guys/gals that are into detailing on the level as me/you us here on the forum etc.. They look to me to fix paint , which products to use and what not . Again , please don't take that statement as I think I'm a detailing god , couldn't be further from the truth .

No matter how many compliments I get on my Cobras paint ,engine bay or cleanliness , I'm always thinking I have a long ways to go before I would say more then I'm OK at it and half as good as many here ...Just want to make sure that that statement is interpreted wrong . I'm pretty much self taught with online help from our trusty forums . As I imagine most everyone learns that way , huh?

Thanks so much for the well thought out detailed replies guys. I really appreciate it as well as enjoy chatting . This is a really welcoming forum .

 

[Mark]

My buddy Dave (DaveT435), and an autogeek member (as well as I) sent me many products to try free over the last couple years. Heck of a nice fella, and yes, one of the products he sent me was Optimum Hyper Polish.

He swears by the product as well, and while I have only used a small amount of about 12 oz he sent me, I noted it was a bugger to get off the paint after working it with a DA. Maybe I wasn't working the product long enough?

Had I not bought a sewing machine, and know how to use one, my Covercraft NOAH Cover would be pretty much ready for the garbage can. THe cover has weakened and gone thin in all stress areas, like corners of the step bumper, and next to the bottom hem.

I'll probably get 3 years or so from it now, and the longer I can hold off from buying another cover, the better.

When the time comes, I most likely will request if covercraft can send me some small samples, probably of the Weathershield, and Weathershied HD to examine first.
Mark

 

[Mark]

You know, for the hell of me, I never initially understood what (the original poster) was speaking of, "pillowing"?

Are you meaning "Pilling"? This is where a material, be it underwear, socks, a shirt, sweatshirt, blanket starts to "Pill", meaning all those little fuzz balls, that you need a Pill Shaver to remove?


If so, yes, I've noted this with my Covercraft NOAH for many months now, and last Saturday before I yanked my cover to complete a CQuartz UK Application on my Tahoe, I took a couple Lint Brushes to the cover before removing and got a lot of crud Pilling off. Got 3 handful big wads of shyt off the cover via this method, looks a lot better.

Sure, this may be the beginning of fabric deterioration, a fact of life, nothing lasts forever.
Mark