Car cover propping

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dudload
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Car cover propping

Post by dudload »

Evening all!

Was thinking, as it's been raining alot recently and I notice on cold mornings there's still some moisture under the cover I have on on cold mornings.

Has anyone ever put anything underneath the cover to lift it above the bodywork slightly to give that extra bit of breathability? I was thinking of thick felt pads on on each corner, which would be easy to place. Anyone do w this before?
kennatt
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Re: Car cover propping

Post by kennatt »

if you want my advice ,throw it away the quickest way to get micro blisters(Google it) in the roof and bonnet is to use a car cover,even inside Putting pads would b e even worse they would concentrate the wet area and hold it against the paint .A cotton dust cover is ok inside but any that cause condensation will eventually damage the paintwork.Been there .... never again.
ianmack
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Re: Car cover propping

Post by ianmack »

I think felt pads will act like sponges and hold water. I try to avoid having a car under a cover during the winter but if I have to I use plastic milk bottles, primarily to stop sharp corners ripping the cover but they also allow some air movement. I cut them to fit over any projections. I don’t think a car under a cover will ever be completely dry.
dudload
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Re: Car cover propping

Post by dudload »

milk bottle is a good suggestion - nice and soft so won't cause any damage. yup agree that the car will never be dry, but as it's a traveller I want to keep the wood as dry as possible. Just had the roof and bonnet resprayed in 2k, but I'm not a paint perfectionist and don't mind a few small hairline scratches. I've been using covers for a few years with no issues, but only just thought about ways to keep the cover from the paint recently.

more concerned with keeping rainwater out of the wood, inside and chassis rails to avoid rust as best as possible. agree a garage would be the best option but they are few and far between (or prohibitively expensive!) in zone 1.
panky
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Re: Car cover propping

Post by panky »

I bought a Stormforce cover for my Traveller and will not use it again. Used it a couple of winters ago resulting in micro blistering on the roof and rotten joints in the wood. There was already staining on the wood in places but instead of protecting it it seemed to make it a whole lot worse. The car is now in bits undergoing a restoration, including new wood, and when it's finished the cover will not be coming out of the bag :cry:
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SteveClem
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Re: Car cover propping

Post by SteveClem »

Travellers are tricky beasts. When we moved house 5 years ago we lost the big agricultural shed that the old cars lived in. So needed to extend the double garage to a 'double,double '. The Traveller had to live outside for 3 autumn months...damp and chilly. By the time the garage was ready there was spots of black mould appearing on the wood. Only cosmetic,but unsightly.
Five years on they have almost disappeared and could almost be considered 'patination'. All the usual tricks to remove them made little difference.
So just about got away with it but I wouldn't want to risk it again.
I agree that covers can lead to microblistering too, over the same period my beetle sat outside under an expensive cover and got badly blistered. Had to have her resprayed in the end.
I don't think there is any substitute for a dry ,well ventilated area but how many of us can provide that?
With hindsight I would have rented space for the cars over the period. The good news was that my A30 kept warm and dry! You always look after your favourite! :wink:
kennatt
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Re: Car cover propping

Post by kennatt »

The easiest way to keep a car dry in winter is to keep driving it,they were built to be used all weather, there is no doubt covers cause blistering matters not what paint 2k or celly,but if absolutely essential then a cover propped off the bodywork to prevent chaffing and some form of ventilation ,maybe a fan blowing under,may help,But its each to their own.
. I've had micros in two vehicles,one under a cover,and one which was stored outside but in the lee of a high fence where one side was always in the shade therefore that side was damp and covered in blisters. The one under cover had to b e stripped back to bare metal for a full respray the other was put into an oven and baked to get rid of the blistering.
Fortunately ,In a former life, I was the body builder and paint sprayer in our family garage and had access to the paint shop and booth without that skill and access the ser11 which required stripping would have been scrap the cost of paying someone else would have been three times more than the car was worth.
As an aside It has never been proven exactly what causes blistering,fiberglass bodied cars are the worst. Many theories from solvent popping to moisture in the primer, in the early days cars were built and stored outside in large car parks and fields round the factory so subject to extended periods of rain ,maybe this comes back in later years to cause it.
.When we were doing paintwork in the garage we never touched the primer with bare hands or wet flatted to eliminate moisture getting on the surface ,I am of the opinion that its caused by osmosis as a result of long turn dampness .My cover went in the skip.
Good luck.
Nickol
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Re: Car cover propping

Post by Nickol »

I am interested to hear what others think - my Traveller and the other OldTimer have go into the garage for the winter. The garage is really like a barn but is not sealed, i.e cracks in the wally allow air from outside to circulate. Being of Fachwerk construction, dried clay/straw walls ensure the the barn is seldom damp. (It absorbs moisture out of the air) I cover them with a propriortory car cover just to keep the dust and occaisional bird droppings off. Underneath the cover are blankets. Is doing this way a good idea ??
Gott schütze mich vorm Sturm und Wind und Autos, die aus England sind.
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palacebear
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Re: Car cover propping

Post by palacebear »

Winter before last I stored the car in similar conditions to those described above by Nickol.
I used cotton dust sheets with a 'breatheable' car cover over them. After two months I found evidence of micro blistering. I left the car uncovered for the rest of the winter.

Last winter the car stood outside uncovered except for two days when we had exceptionally snow, during which time I threw the 'breatheable' cover over it, resulting in very bad condensation.

This winter, thanks to delays with council planning etc., my house/garage extension still exists only on paper. The car is outside. I'm using it daily, and will do so unless there's snow/ice on the roads. Has the added bonus that it uses less fuel than my daily driver 4x4!
1956 4-door called Max
kennatt
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Re: Car cover propping

Post by kennatt »

inside just use a cotton dust sheet,or non at all,unless birds can get in and cr....p on it,as long as there is air circulating it will be ok but DO NOT use a waterproof cover even the top price ranges risk condensation forming on the cold bodywork.Its possibly still will form on damp days but uncovered the damp will evaporate with the airflow.I would avoid blankets they could be just as bad as a car cover if they got damp,the moisture would be held on the bodywork and take longer to evaporate.
Anywhere inside will be fine,the only consideration would be to keep the car clean, hence cotton dust cover.
good luck

just remembered another thing about the micros. I popped a few and there was fluid inside when I put the tip of my tongue on to it, it tasted like vinegar .Still can't work out the how's and whys.
paul 300358
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Re: Car cover propping

Post by paul 300358 »

I used a cover all last winter with no problem, but it was removed during the day, even if the car was not being moved. I'm not sure what the advantage is as the car would be wet through with condensation on a dry cold morning!
kennatt
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Re: Car cover propping

Post by kennatt »

They really aren't worth the risks,some get away with them other don't. I've come to the conclusion that it depends on the car,if its original paint and was not stood in a field in primer at the works then may not have any moisture in the primer or paint,if the car has been re sprayed at some time in its life (highly probable) then it depends on how the job was done, if bone dry (only possible with a heated booth/oven) and never wet flatted or touched by bare hands,and sprayed with air supplied via water trap compressor system,then may be ok.
but then osmosis needs to be considered, its a massive problem with boat hulls regardless of what paint is used, so who knows.
As previously posted,bitten twice never again
Blaketon
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Re: Car cover propping

Post by Blaketon »

There's no substitute for a garage and if I needed temporary extra room, would look at https://dancover.co.uk/blog-new/folding-garage. I had one of their folding garages, that had doors at both ends but never used it (The plan changed), so sold it on Ebay.

When I bought my house, I looked for a flat plot (No need for retaining walls), that was big enough to accommodate a garage of about 30 X 20 feet and still leave me with a bit of garden for a lawn. It's funny how, even now, when I see houses, I am always thinking to myself, "Where would the garage go?" Aside from if I ever move back to the family home, I don't intend to sell my house but you could say I have a thing about garages. These look interesting for those with limited space - https://gazebox.it/. Has anyone ever had one?
panky
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Re: Car cover propping

Post by panky »

The first thing my wife looks for is where the Christmas tree would go :roll:
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ianmack
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Re: Car cover propping

Post by ianmack »

I had a look at the Gazebox site and they look good. I didn’t find any prices though, does anyone know what they cost? Somehow I don’t think they’re going to be cheap.
Trickydicky
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Re: Car cover propping

Post by Trickydicky »

If I was going to prop the cover my way would be to use 21mm overflow pipe, easy to make a frame like a tent frame so the cover does not sit on the car and the connections are available.
https://www.wickes.co.uk/FloPlast-OS10W ... 3/p/175676
https://www.wickes.co.uk/FloPlast-OS13W ... m/p/175678
https://www.wickes.co.uk/FloPlast-OS11W ... pdpsimilar
That said I keep mine covered in a concrete garage, it's only a cheap indoor cover but I have a 14" desk fan on a timer mounted in the roof pointing at the car which keeps the air moving around the car.
I have not suffered from paint blisters since doing this, the car is covered all year round in the garage mainly to keep the debris of that blows in through the eaves.
Richard

Opinions are like people,everyone can be different.
ianmack
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Re: Car cover propping

Post by ianmack »

I’ve now taken the plunge and invested in a Dancover garage/tent and impressions so far are favourable. The metal tube frame went together well and seems robust, albeit with one or two strange translations in the instructions which need deciphering. The big plastic cover was more of a struggle but to be fair it is pretty thick and it was a cold day. Once it has hung for a day or two and the packing creases have dropped out we’ll have another go at fitting it exactly.

It comes with four tubular pegs to anchor it and my drive has a pretty solid substrate with rocky soil beneath. I’m thinking about how I can make a system of holding brackets using the weight of the car to hold it down as the mog is stored long term. I’ll let you know how that goes.

The only serious gripe so far is the ordering process, where a £40 delivery charge pops up at the last minute turning a £210 garage to £250. The website doesn’t mention that they come from Denmark although I suppose the clue is in the name.
ianmack
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Re: Car cover propping

Post by ianmack »

The Dancover garage is currently held down using shackles and chains as shown in the attached photo, although there hasn’t been a strong wind yet to test it. There is a chain from the suspension at each corner of the car but this might be less suitable for a good condition car with the wings fitted. The photo also shows the tubular peg supplied which I was unable to drive into the ground. I didn’t want to dig four big holes and also don’t want to be restricted to one location for the garage.
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