CHOOSING A CAR COVER: WHAT REALLY MATTERS
BASIC COVER REQUIREMENTS
DUST TIGHT - SOFT - STURDY - FIT - BREATHABLE
are the basic features that any car cover must have to do it´s job properly
No matter where your car is stored, a car cover must be
DUST PROOF *
There is no point in using a cover that can't keep dust out. In fact, dust between cover and car may cause abrasion.
A cover must be
SOFT on the paint
and
STURDY, to protect the car from scratches and to withstand multiple handling.
It must
FIT properly. It should cover the whole car without being too large. If a cover is too large it will drag over the floor, dirt and dust will attach to the inside and will be dragged over your car.
And, last but not least, it must be
BREATHABLE, to allow any moist, be it from driving in the rain or from condensation, to escape.
Condensation can cause considerable damage to the body and metal parts, and mildew in the upholstery of the car. In the North-West European climate it occurs both indoors and outdoors. [more]
STORAGE CONDITIONS
Whether further features are required depends on the type of storage.
There are roughly four categories, each with their additional requirements, as follows:
1
HEATED INDOORS
basic requirements:
dust proof - soft - sturdy - fit - breathable
+ UV-resistant, if the car is
exposed to sunlight through
a window or glass roof
+ UV-resistant, if the car is
exposed to sunlight through
a window or glass roof
+ Non-hygroscopic
2
UNHEATED INDOORS
basic requirements:
dust proof - soft - sturdy - fit - breathable
3
CARPORT
basic requirements:
dust proof - soft - sturdy - fit - breathable
+ UV-resistant, if the car is
exposed to sunlight through
a window or glass roof
+ Non-hygroscopic
+ Water repellent
OR, depending on exposure
to weather:
+ Water proof
4
OUTDOORS
basic requirements:
dust proof - soft - sturdy - fit - breathable
+ UV-resistant
+ Non-hygroscopic
+ Water proof
UV-RESISTANT - If the car is parked outdoors, or indoors near a window or under a glass/transparent roof, UV-rays will affect the paint, upholstery and rubbers. A good outdoor cover offers protection from UV-rays but a regular indoor cover won´t, and will itself also be affected and not have a very long life span if exposed to UV-rays. In this case, even indoors a breathable outdoor cover is the best choice.
NON-HYGROSCOPIC - Because of the risk of condensation, the fabric shouldn´t absorb and retain moist, or the cover will lay on your car like a wet rag.
WATER REPELLENT - If the carport offers shelter from strong wind the cover won´t have to be completely water tight, water repellent will do.
WATER PROOF - An outdoor cover must protect the car from rain, snow, and bird- and tree droppings. It can't protect from condensation, so moist may build up under the cover. Therefore, while being water proof, the material must at the same time be breathable, to allow the moist to escape once it evaporates.
CAR COVER MATERIALS
Having established the requirements for a cover for your storage type, you'll need to find a material that meets them.
A few things to bear in mind:
WOVEN AND KNITTED FABRICS ARE LESS
dust proof than spunbond and other non-wovens*. Dust will penetrate the holes between the threads of woven and knitted fabrics; spunbond and non-wovens like e.g. polypropylene don´t have these holes.
STRETCHY FABRIC IS USUALLY KNITTED.
The holes between the loops of thread let dust and dirt through. The further the material is stretched, the larger the holes become and the more dust will penetrate the cover*.
woven
knitted
non-woven
*
COTTON IS ONLY SUITABLE FOR USE
in absolutely dry spaces without any risk of condensation,as it absorbs and retains moist.
WATERTIGHTNESS AND BREATHABILITY
are very hard to combine. PVC, nylon, canvas and plastic are water tight but not breathable. And even the best water tight breathable cover may let some water through with strong and incessant rain.
SOME POPULAR CAR COVER MATERIALS AND THEIR FEATURES
None of these materials ticks all boxes, so we decided to develop our own fabrics. As Polypropylene (PP) ticks many boxes and is adaptive, we have taken this material as a basis. By combining several layers of PP, each with its own characteristics, we believe to have created the perfect car cover fabrics, Supertex® and Moltex®.
Supertex® was designed for use indoors
or in a carport. The three-layer composition makes it
100% dust proof and sturdy, breathable and water
repellent with a soft inner lining.
Moltex® was designed for use outdoors
or in a carport. Its five-layer composition makes it
100% dust proof and strong, with a UV-resistant outer
layer and a soft inner lining. The middle layers work
like a membrane, making the material water proof
yet breathable.
Supertex®
Moltex®
TIPS
If your car is stored indoors in an unheated space, make sure the room is well-ventilated. Air circulation helps reducing the temperature difference between surface and air which helps reducing condensation. A drafty old barn is better than a perfectly insulated but unheated garage!
If you have a heated garage don´t overheat it and avoid the air being TOO dry, as this will affect the leather, rubbers and synthetic materials used in the car.
The ideal conditions for your car's paint, chrome, metal parts, upholstery and rubbers are
- air humidity around 50%
- temperature (though much depending
on humidity) between 10 and 20 °C
Leave the windows of the car slightly open during storage.
A convertible should always be stored with the hood up.
If your car has been freshly painted, say less than six months ago, consult the paintshop or paint supplier before using a cover, as the paint may not be fully curred.
If for a longer period the weather stays too cold to let condensation evaporate, allow car and cover to dry every now and then when the weather permits. Hang the cover out and take the car for a spin!
PITFALLS
Some outdoor covers are made water proof by using a spray, which usually declines in a few months.
Don't expect any car cover to actually prevent condensation: it's physically impossible. Condensation is the result of temperature differences between the air and a surface, in combination with the relative humidity in the air. [more] No car cover can influence this process.
The best any cover can do is to allow condensation to escape once it evaporates, in other words, be breathable.
A ventilation gap on the roof may be a sign that the material itself isn't breathable (enough).
Stretchy covers may look great, but their functionality often falls behind: due to stretching the material, the knit-loops* are widened, reducing protection from dust and scratches.
It may look as if the cover has kept the dust out when in fact you've just wiped it off the car when removing the cover.
Any breathable water proof cover may let some rain through during long and incessant showers. No need to worry, the breathability of the cover will allow the water to escape once it evaporates.
COVER HANDLING
-
Make sure the car is clean before you put the cover over it, to avoid dust and dirt coming between car and cover as this will cause abrasion.
-
Remove or cover (e.g. with a tennis ball) sharp edges on the car such as mascottes, antennae, fins, before putting the cover on.
-
Avoid dragging the cover over the floor: put it on the roof of the car and unfold it from there. When removing it work in the reverse way.
-
If the cover isn't machine washable, the easiest way to clean it is to leave it on the car and whipe it with a soft sponge or cloth and luke warm water. Don't use detergents or chemicals, these may damage the cover material or the paint of your car.
-
Snow must be removed from the cover as it limits breathability.
-
In stormy conditions outdoor covers must be removed to avoid them being damaged.