[phaedrus]

Here's the situation:

A gracious neighbour has allowed me to park my car in his garage while they are in Florida for the winter; but this won't happen for another five weeks -- which means that my pride & joy will have to face old man winter during that time...

...or will she?

Being the geek that I am, I've decided to look into some options for all-weather car covers. Relevant threads and the FAQ section gave me some guidance, but still didn't answer my question when it came to my particular application:

I want to be able to cover the car, just for the night (for up to 12 hours), so that I don't have to go through the paint-damaging process of scraping off ice and snow. But therein lies the problem; the car will be wet and dirty (and likely salty) when I put on the cover, and ergo when I take it off. And I reckon that the salt in the vapours from the evaporating water, impeded by the cover, might possibly do even more damage to the finish...

Has anyone else done this? Am I better off simply letting my ride brave the elements (i.e. snow/ice removal) for the next five weeks?

 

[gr8britwjh]

I would only scrape off snow & ice from the windows, cetainly not from the bodywork. If you have to drive it on salted roads anyway then there's little point putting a cover over it. If you've slapped on a few layers of wax, you should be all set. Maybe a weekly trip to a touchless car wash or a manual wand-operated car wash to clean the undeside & wheelarches (remembering not to spray ice-cold water on hot brake rotors !!).

 

[jason2025]

I would only scrape off snow & ice from the windows, cetainly not from the bodywork. If you have to drive it on salted roads anyway then there's little point putting a cover over it. If you've slapped on a few layers of wax, you should be all set. Maybe a weekly trip to a touchless car wash or a manual wand-operated car wash to clean the undeside & wheelarches (remembering not to spray ice-cold water on hot brake rotors !!).

Though I believe it's actually illegal in most areas to drive your car with accumlated snow due to the fact that it can fly off and blind other drivers, not that I've ever seen such laws enforced mind you.

J\

 

[vagt6]

The best, modern car covers are made of "breatheable" material, that is, they allow an air exchange between the fibers. It's not a good idea to use a car cover that does not breathe.

Last year, I used a "Noah" (do a Google search for "car covers") cover all winter for another car, it worked like a charm. Even in icy conditions it kept the car relatively dry. I highly recommend the Noah brand, mine cost about $130 U.S. for a Triumph GT6.

If you must park your MINI outside, definitely get a quality car cover. You won't regret it!

 

[phaedrus]

Thanks, vagt6.

But I will be driving the car in the meantime! In other words, most of the time it would be dirty/salty when I put on the cover! Is this okay?

 

[MINIAC]

Putting a cover on a dirty car can't be good for the paint job.

 

[trico]

Although I'm now in California, I've been through a few Montana and Northeast US winters with no garage for a 70's MGBT. I would not recommend a car cover over a dirty/salty car, but not because of dampness or salt corrosion. (These can be taken care of with a breathable cover and A+ wax job.) The problem is one of wind. I found that the wind would push the cover around. On a dirty/salty car any appreciable wind caused abrasion scratches on the vehicle, not because the cover scratches, rather because the dirt and salt get moved and embedded by the movement of the cover. A better suggestion is to have your neighbor rent a storage garage for the time he's gone. If you're nice you can tell him if he does so you'd gladly retrieve his vehicle and meet him at the airport/station upon his return.

 

[sequence]

I only cover my MCS (with Stormshield) when it's clean, and always bungee-snug it so the wind doesn't jostle it around. SS covers work excellent in snow and ice.

Yet if the car's not clean I see no reason to cover. Jimbo

 

[phaedrus]

Although I'm now in California, I've been through a few Montana and Northeast US winters with no garage for a 70's MGBT. I would not recommend a car cover over a dirty/salty car, but not because of dampness or salt corrosion. (These can be taken care of with a breathable cover and A+ wax job.) The problem is one of wind. I found that the wind would push the cover around. On a dirty/salty car any appreciable wind caused abrasion scratches on the vehicle, not because the cover scratches, rather because the dirt and salt get moved and embedded by the movement of the cover. A better suggestion is to have your neighbor rent a storage garage for the time he's gone. If you're nice you can tell him if he does so you'd gladly retrieve his vehicle and meet him at the airport/station upon his return.

Hmm. Excellent point, trico. In the meantime, I think I might look into the rates for local storage garages

Thanks guys.