deptotpr

What are the benefits -vs- the cons of using a car cover? I am thinking prevention of paint fading, but does holding water causing molding, etc? Any feedback, experience, or advice is appreciated. What is your .02 cents?

racer

Yes.!

Indoors.. nice for keeping dust off... and if there are young kids/hands etc in the garage it could protect against some of that type of wear. Need to make sure there is good ventilation or check frequently the interior to prevent any mold/mustiness

Outdoors? not worth it imho, unless you are trying to prevent against brutal conditions. Usually outside, they scratch the paint, trap dirt, trap moisture and promote fading and heat soaking the interior.

I see you are in Tampa. Not sure what your garage situation is, but I would take the time to make sure the car gets a good wax job a couple times/year; Make sure the top is kept clean; Use a dash cover/screen to keep out the sun off the dash.

I suppose it might cut chances of folks driving by and coming back later to steal/vandalize.

If outside, some states require the license plate be visable to prevent "storage" of illegal vehicles.

mikefocke

I had a car cover on my car for 4 winters...on and off dozens of times sometimes with snow still on the cover. Never any damage to the car, quite the opposite. They are made to breathe water vapor out from the car. There are also covers made that go over only the top that would stop UV light from invading the leather. Never had one on in the summer or your climate. Ask over at PedrosBoard.com as there are a bunch of FL folks there including Pedro himself.

fanny bay r1

I have the same question but I'd prefer to here comments from northern states and Canada and the UV high temp issue is of no concern. I'm thinking the car is clean and stored outside during winter - preferably with the Porsche spec out door cover?

Macster

Shortly after I bought a new 02 Boxster, I bought the Porsche outdoor cover -- quality cover! -- but I seldom used it or use it now.

When I lived in the mid-west I'd just leave the car naked to the elements like at work or running errands or on trips about and around the area.

I did have a covered garage at home and the car was in the garage when I was home.

The cover took too much room so when I traveled away from home the cover stayed home.

The only issues I had were upon occasion in snowy/cold weather the side windows would freeze.

What I learned to do was check if the side window didn't drop when I pulled up on the door handle. If it didn't I'd carefully open the door and then turn on the key and use the manual lower window button and some gentle shoving on my part to lower the window. I'd work the window up and down until I was sure it would drop/raise ok.

Neither the top or the interior appear to have suffered any from the exposure.

The only time I use the cover now is when I leave town and take the other car I park the Boxster under a carport and cover it. Mainly to keep the bird mess off the car while I'm away. The carport isn't thick with birds but some seem to use the carport for a shortcut and there's sometimes a spot or two on the car after a few days of sitting there.

These are tough cars and as long as they are parked away from trees or places where birds like to, like to, well hang out and do what birds do the paint/top will not be much affected.

If you want to cover the car as long as the car is clean -- so putting on the cover doesn't possibly scratch the paint/finish -- and dry that's ok.

My problem is I could ensure my car was clean and dry only at home with the benefit of having a garage in which I could go over the car and clean it.

Once on the road the car would get grimy as cars do when driven in the winter and then I didn't want to use the cover when I stopped for any length of time.

Sincerely,

Macster.

fanny bay r1

Thanks that's an excellent response!! Much appreciated!!

996_North

I've had my 996 in the driveway for most of the winter. It's been so mild, I have had it out a lot. I do have a car cover, and when I shopped for one I found there are many different types, mainly differentiated by the number of layers of protection. When not using the cover, I have experienced the window freeze issue on my driver side just as Macster described, as well as the door lock not releasing when using the key. But these were temporary issues. I ended up getting the NOAH from BuyAutoCovers.ca, with mirror pockets. So far so good.

mikefocke

My car cover was used for extended periods of expected winter weather when I probably shouldn't be driving it due to summer tires. Fabric was Noah By California Car Covers and was supple and in excellent shape after 5 years of use. No negatives except for the 2 minute 1 man on and 1 minute 1 man off time.