Ilike928

I put one of these tyvek car covers on my 1982 928 which is going to live outside for a while untilI bring it inside to paint. I also used one for my classic Mercedes. Both those cars have no overhead protection (such as a carport). I am out of garage space as the 78 928 us using it. I'm noticing lots of condensation under the car covers after rains.

If they are constantly wet from this condensation all winter, won't they rust?

The cover is supposed to be waterproof and breathable. Seems like good quality for a moderate price. Here is the cover:
http://www.budgeindustries.com/theShield.aspx

Thanks for any ideas. I'm aslo thinking about reconfiguring the garage to put both 928s in there but thats quite a bit of work that I would like to avaid if possible.

Mrmerlin

if the covers are holding water then the cars will have a higher tendency to corrode the 928 is galvanized but if its kept in a wet environment it wont be good for the car,
you would almost be better off leaving the cover off.
Also the paint may get water spotted and this will not ever come out.

Dave928S

I've got my 82 outside at the moment and I didn't want to just rely on a cover. I got a pair of king size cotton bed sheets (joined together) and put them over the car as protection for the paint, then a layer of cheap plastic to be positive that water couldn't get in, then the car cover over that pulled tight. Not a drop of water gets in and the paint is protected from abrasion. If you do this the car has to be bone dry to start with, inside and out.

As Mrmerlin, you don't want to have a cover on with water trapped underneath. The humid environment created when the sun hits it will play havoc with everything, especially the electrics.

BTW that cover is listed as 'water resistant' not water proof ... it'll let water in and out.

SeanR

Not unusual for the paint to start to bubble due to trapped moisture.

Danieldd

I've been contemplating a car cover for some weeks now and I'm convinced the only really good car cover is either a garage or a carport. The issue with condensation concerns me. Sure, there may be more expensive car covers out there, if you're willing to pony up $300 or more. If I'm going to spend that kind of money, I would certainly be looking at some outdoor pernament structure first.

I had a really nice quality OEM Miata car cover for my 99 Miata. My car was black and the car still got wet in heavy rains, and on top of that, dirt would somehow go thru the cover and sit on the paint. Then when you pull it off the car, you end of scratching the paint. Very noticeable with black cars.

SeanR

I'm in the process of buffing/claying/waxing a black 928 that has been in storage for a year. The paint is almost ruined from it. Water spots, scratches, it basically looks like someone took a dropper and dropped acid all over it, and then took sand paper on top of that.

You will be better off giving it a good coat of wax and leaving it be.

Edited to add, use wax, not polish.

Jim Devine

If you have room & can do it, this is probably better:

http://www.carportsandmore.com/shop/shopexd.asp?id=214

Humidity under a cover can cause a lot more damage than this costs.

You could also have them extend the sides down.

Ilike928

So this morning we have no clouds/nice weather. I took off the covers on both cars and there is no moisture at all. I did not expect the cars to be dry as we had light rain yesterday. I am very surprised.

The last time i checked (and found moisture) was after a night of rain. The moisture was due to condensation, not water getting thorugh the cover. Also just for clarity, the cars were bone dry and clean before I installed the cover.

So I think the smart move is to evaluate these over the next week or so. My guess is that when the air is laden with moisture there will be condensation. And it will dry out during non-rainy periods. I was really worried that the condensation would be trapped there for a long period of time. So far it looks o.k. in that regard. I'll keep monitoring it.

Jim, that carport you posted is a fantastic value IMO. Very tempting. The other thing I had considered is building a carport that lloks like a pergola, but has translucent plastic roof panels. that way it would actually enhance the landscape and provide a functional cover. Some ideas below:

Danieldd

FYI.. those pictured are expensive pergolas. Expect to pay 3K or more for those babies. I'm currently building one for our back patio using pressure treated kiln dried wood, as redwood is not available here in the south.

My wood cost is less than $500 at this point, but after cutting into the concrete and anchoring the 6X6 posts and covering the top with poycarbonate panels, I'll probably have close to $1K in it.

finally!

What cover do you have? Link?

Ilike928

The link is shown in the first post. It's called Budge "shield"

Actually I see they have a suposedly 100% waterproof one that is breathable:

http://www.carcoveroutlet.com/waterproof_car_covers

I paid $70 for the shield one and this "rain barrier" one is $63 from that link. I think I'll probably order 2 of the rain barrier ones and return the two "shield" ones. The shield was the most waterproof one that autozone had. It says "virtually waterproof" whereas the rain barrier one says "100% waterproof". It may all just be marketing-speak anyway though. but where I live I want maximum on the waterproof part.

Ilike928

Just ordered the 2 rain barrier covers. I talked to the guy at carcoveroutlet and he said the shield one was geared more towards UV protection. I'll return the 2 shield ones after the rain barrier ones arrive. i think the shield ones would do well in places where the car had a chance to dry out between rains. I'm worried that they may not have a chance to dry out where I live. I don't recall seeing the "rain barrier" being available when i got mine and autozone still doesn't carry it.

Ilike928

I put on the "rain barrier" cover on both 928 and after lots of rain both are totally dry underneath. Night and day difference between the "shield" car cover. One had standing water above the spoiler for over a day and no water penetration. For $63 i'm very happy so far.

Speedtoys

I cant use -any- of these where I live.

The day to night temp/humidity shifts soak everything under a cover, and IN the car.

Anything not garaged during the fall/winter/spring here and not driven every 3-4 days, rots.

Ilike928

Updating this thread:

I used the "rain barrier" covers all winter on 2 928s. They worked amazingly well. They were under constant rain, pine needles, and falling debris all winter. After taking the covers off the cars looked perfect. I won't mess with any other car covers now. These work. I got them from carcoveroutlet for $64 or $69 shipped can't remember exact price.