Outdoor cover - Page 1 - Porsche General - PistonHeads UK

Any recommendations for an outdoor cover? Fed up with getting my car detailed and then it being covered in dust spots following even the slightest drop of rain. My biggest concern is not damaging the paintwork as the car is parked in quite a windy position.

Here’s mine…Supplied from Classic Editions £225. delivered. Just removed it after its first winter , car spotless and unmarked . The cover has 3 fasteners under car that can be adjusted for tightness so no flapping. I ordered without mirror pockets as I think it gives a smoother profile to allow easy run off. My car 991.2 gts . Also liked how the wheels are fully covered helping stop disc corrosion. For the price it’s a good bit of kit.

Another vote for Classic Additions. I have their half-cover for my 986S.

Hamilton Classic Breathable cover- excellent

Hamilton Classic vs. Classic Additions... ...but which is better?

Have just bought one of these for my 911. Good service, good fit……. https://www.specialisedcovers.com/c/car-covers-ran...

andyglos said: Have just bought one of these for my 911. Good service, good fit……. https://www.specialisedcovers.com/c/car-covers-ran... Does that have some stretch in it for a snug fit?

Yep a very snug fit and 4 straps to secure the cover…… very pleased with it as I wanted a more subdued black cover as opposed to grey/silver that many seem to be…..

I've used the classic additions covers for many years now. Well made cover and does a great job at protecting against the elements and in my case, neighbourhood cats. Car is spotless when the cover is taken off. Also protects against sun damage / fading. Just make sure the car is clean and ideally polished. Any dust/grime will cause hairline scratching. Not ideal but better than leaving uncovered.

How do you take the cover off without transferring the dust and detrius from the outside to the inside of the cover? Do you wash the outside of the cover first?

No matter how careful, that cover will end up filthy inside which will rub your paint.

andygo said: How do you take the cover off without transferring the dust and detrius from the outside to the inside of the cover? Do you wash the outside of the cover first? No. I fold from the boot and bonnet onto the roof meeting in the middle then fold the sides onto the roof. I then fold this up in half twice . You’ve then kept the outside face folded on itself and not touching the inner sections.

I am buying a cover for my newly-bought pride and joy. I used Richbrook cover for my DB9 and after 4 years it's still going strong. I only used it for summer coverage as I put her in storage from October through March. They fit very snuggly, so no flapping or movement in the wind. If you want, you can tighten them down with under-car straps. During the summer, strong sunshine is a killer for real wood dashes, and all the seeds, twigs, dust and other crap floating around gets into the window seals, door apertures and all sorts of places, birds deliberately aim for nice looking cars, and cats or other animals like to sit on the bonnet.All this really makes the car age and become difficult to clean. A good outdoor cover sorts all that. The Richbrook covers are very solid, with a soft fur lining. They are expensive (usually £200+) but my experience is they last for years. To those who worry about their paintwork, it's quite simple. If you are keeping the paint well cleaned and properly waxed/protected (you have no excuse not to do this) then all you need to do is ensure she is washed well with soapy water, allowed to dry off, then cover. You need to take extreme care that the inside surface does not go downside or land on your drive. There's a knack to folding/unfolding, fitting and removal. I give the cover a quick brush-over to remove any obvious dust/debris. Then I remove carefully, side by side, then draw the cover off the car to land upside down. Then I fold it in on itself, making sure the inside surface is preserved. Strangely, a bird has never crapped on it in those 4 years... Once, on a nice day I opened the cover out and went over the inside surface with the hand-held, but it was pretty clean anyway. Place a few dehumidifying cartridges (like these https://www.autopyjama.com/permapack-en/) and putting them in the cabin and boot will make a significant difference and the few cold nights that come along.

mikeh501 said: No matter how careful, that cover will end up filthy inside which will rub your paint. That's not my experience. With care, you can keep the inside pretty much dirt-free. After a few removals and refittings, you get the knack of how to do it. If it's windy you need two people. But after 4 years, my outdoor cover didn't affect my paintwork at all.

andygo said: How do you take the cover off without transferring the dust and detrius from the outside to the inside of the cover? Do you wash the outside of the cover first? See my reply below. If it's been a few days or weeks I brush the cover with a small brush (from like a dustpan and brush set) which removes any twigs or bits of muck. All the cars I've covered I can reach over so it was quite easy. I then "pop" the cover out from under the back, the front, the sides and the door mirrors so that it's just basically sitting on top of the car. The technique I use is to then reach over and pull the opposite roof edge of the cover toward me, walking backwards, so the cover falls to the ground and then rolls over onto its back. I fold the sides inwards so they meet, then fold both ends in so they meet, then fold in half etc and once it's down to about 3-4ft by 2ft I put it in the garage. Refitting is kind of the reverse, once I've opened it then I lift the edge nearest me onto the roof, walk around the other side of the car and pull it over. It falls down over the roof and side at the point, I open out the front and back, line everything up and then fit the wing mirrors in, and stretch over the front and back. Straighten out the sides and done. Sounds complicated but it's quite easy really. Takes a couple of minutes at most. But no, never put a cover on a dirty car. Even a 10 minute wash with some soapy water will get her clean enough to cover once dried off with air or a soft towel.

If you want to avoid damage to paint - soft indoor cover first, then put your outdoor cover on top.

Fl0pp3r said: If you want to avoid damage to paint - soft indoor cover first, then put your outdoor cover on top. but what about the dust and dirt under the soft cover? Every time one wants to put the cover back on you have to wash the car, dry it and make sure it is completely dust free - the first two is a hassle all the time and the latter impossible.

Jones the cat said: Fl0pp3r said: If you want to avoid damage to paint - soft indoor cover first, then put your outdoor cover on top. but what about the dust and dirt under the soft cover? Every time one wants to put the cover back on you have to wash the car, dry it and make sure it is completely dust free - the first two is a hassle all the time and the latter impossible. I would never put a cover on anything but a spotless car. Re indoor cover first, most decent covers are breathable. The car does form moisture that evaporates. An indoor cover underneath would retain dampness. Can’t be good for the car for an extended period and the indoor cover would likely deteriorate very quickly.