Best Car Cover: Are you even asking the right questions?!!

Looking for the best car cover is a common search when considering a top rated car cover. But I have found through professional experience, that most people over-simplify this strategy to the point where they are not even asking the right questions in the first place.
Tune in to find out if you are one of those people before you go out and drop your hard-earned money on the best automotive car cover.

[Solid_Snack]

I use a cover to cover my car cover. Then I cover that cover with another cover. I'm all covered.

[volvotoyota]

Car cover is not really meant for your daily driver car, but rather a second car. I go over my car cover with a damp cloth before I remove it to keep it as fresh as possible. Yes, one should wait till the cover is mostly dry before removing it. If one has no choice let it hang somewhere like over a stall shower. Some covers dry faster than others. There's nothing perfect. One big factor was left out. BIRD DROPPINGS ARE MUCH WORSE THAN SUPERFICIAL MARKS THAT CAN BE BUFFED OUT FROM A CAR COVER. Yes, try to keep cover on a mostly clean car. At times dust may develop under the cover. However it shouldn't cause any major damage. Rinse off or go over with a damp microfiber towel. A very soft towel is also ok in most cases as long as its damp. I take my covered second car for a weekly spin of a couple of miles most weeks especially in nice weather in the winter to keep everything internally sound, and place the cover back on. I look over the car before putting the cover back on where it could have gotten bird crap on without realizing it. By the way one can get Mark's or sand on car driving 50mph in certain areas as well. A covered car can sometimes keep a car better than some garaged cars if it's a shared garage. Garaged or covered car will still be exposed in bad weather if it's used in bad weather. You can minimize things but can never eliminate totally minor things.

[piebaldsatil]

Darren, I love your videos. As an "old lady car detailer and car fanatic", I find the level of detail you provide in all of your videos extremely helpful. Thank you for the obvious passion and love you put into your work!

[msw]

Car covers are not meant for daily drivers. I have two cars. Good points made in video. That cover is NOT a tailor made cover. Side view mirrors are not covered like a tailor made one. I clean my cover with a damp rag each time before I remove the cover. Rain and wind blew the front part of my cover loose. I ordered gust guards and waiting for it to be delivered. Rain didn't dirty the inside of the hood part of the cover. Yes, it could take 6 hours for the cover to dry on a cloudy day. I start my car up once a week when I partially remove the cover to gain entry in the car. Covers are more for luxury cars that aren't used that often. The wind can be an issue. I have a noah block it cover. I found birds try to nibble on covers. I have patches to repair it. One must be quick to put the cover on a day that it's windy but not too windy. The trick is to place it on the side view mirrors first in a tailor made cover to help prevent the cover from flying on the ground which is a no no. It could pick up pebbles that could scratch one's paint. Covers are for enthusiasts. On a freezing snowy day one has to wait for temps to drop if cover is sticking to the paint, as to avoid damaging the paint. My cover like I mentioned before was flopping around in a very windy day in ny by the hood. There was so much rain that it didnt scratch the hood I don't believe.

[stevenpowers]

I do have a black car and I have had the problems you speak of, I had to adapt so I sewed to California king sheets together and made my own scratch protector. I put it on first and then the car cover. I still have the same problems with rolling up a wet cover when it rains. But I made a drying rack using two hook for the cover on the side of my house. It's all a little work but my ride looks so sweet! If it's dry I use a small brush to get most dirt off the cover before I remove it. Oh and the sheets are easy to wash and even give my car that fresh downy smell! But bottom line NOTHING dirty touches my paint! Now I can't say that for the interior, I've been rolling pretty hard lately and some of the women I have been with are, well let's just say a little sketchy if you know what I mean....later Bro!

[delicatedetailing]

Good video! Its the little simple things most people don't think about! I only use my cover indoors, when storing the vehicle over winter which prevents the majority of the dust from accumulating up.

[CoDisafishy]

Good points, but now I'm more stressed than ever haha. It's almost winter and I don't have enough garage space for my car. I also just bought a car port for my car, but found out my city won't allow them so I had to take it down. I just bought a car cover, but found out that their reviews were cherry picked and they're not as good as people said they were. I wish I would've just paid for car storage over winter...

[thett]

My God 12 minutes of NOTHING but hearing yourself talk!!

[jimmydeen]

I so agree with you a car cover has ups and downs I don't use one anymore haven't for many years here in Pennsylvania it's just not worth it because it either rains too much or wind blows it around and they will actually run raw the corners of the paint finishes it's like years ago I had a Datsun 280Z and I had to have a front end cover "the Bra" which reminds me of a car cover the bra actually ruined my painted finish on the front of my car.. never again on either a car cover or a Bra (front end cover) great video Daren I enjoy all of your videos.. being 58yrs old I've learned ALOT watching your videos.. thanks again...

[davepuffett]

Concise! Thanks things to think about! Buy cheap buy twice.

[timothywolfe]

I have a full size BLACK sedan that I drive about 3 days a week. It sits outside in the Florida sun with little wind. I only want to keep it covered at the condo, not during a day of running around. I want my car to stay clean longer and keep the interior cooler between days not driven. I use a wheelchair and cannot stand but I'm capable otherwise. I need the balance of easy to roll on and off the car by myself. I've looked at several but I have yet to find something to fit this unusual scenario. Side note, my biggest difficulty is managing the cover with the 4 corners having the bungee materiel then the cover gets away from me. All feedback is appreciated.

[thbart]

I wish I could find a RV cover that would not stick to the sealant on the roof of my RV. I would not cover a car or a motorcycle for the reasons Darren gives but a RV is a different animal. Used a little.... sits a lot. I bought a cover and it did a good job but when I took it off it was stuck to the roof sealant on my class C motorhome. The cover lasted 1 season. If anyone has a fix for this I would like to hear it.

Thanks Darren for all the information. I love the videos and have learned a lot.

[andrewp.]

Great reminder Darren. Many people would never think of these things. Unless it's a win- win; it's a no go. I think the wax/sealant from the beginning is far better alternative than adding scratches with a cover in order to protect it from the UV rays. Just my .02$

[TheCarCrazyGuy]

I will never use a car cover again. The last cover I had on my truck abraded the paint where the stitching was. We have daily wind here just enough to balloon the car cover and move it up and down.

[Tovarizer]

I own a car cover for 2x years and my car looks better then my friends. And I wax every month too. A car cover is a must if you want to not just keeping your car clean but "Protection" against all eliminates! This guy is a detailer and his job is to clean your car, having a car cover makes it harder to clean your car. The best thing I ever did was get a cover. I have to keep in mind that I must protect my paint against the fading like Darren said. But it's worth it to me. All the hard work. It's worth it.

[genadigenadiev]

What about if you live in Vegas and you don't have e shadow or a garage to use during the summer? Which one is the smallest evil, the car cover or the crazy burning sun?

[sebastienmu]

Great video! My dilemma is I have a parking spot that have tree sap falling into my car every night. If i don't use the car cover what would you suggest I use? Thanks!

[anomalous]

Good information since I am now looking for a car cover. I agree that there are tradeoffs but having reviewed the good and bad I have decided that living in the woods with tree sap, birds, little animals, cats and falling leaves and tree branches warrants buying a car cover. one. I did buy a $60 cover that leaked after 6 months so now it’s time for a bit better cover. I am going to try the $200 Empire Armor Plus by Rustoleum. I will let you all know in 6 months how it is holding up. BTW, the $60 cover allowed $5300 of hail damage during the Northeast storms this spring. Thanks for your videos Darrin.

[TheWolfs]

Hello, Daren!
1. Thank you so much for all of your help. I have become a detailer, largely because of you!
2. Would you recommend a steamer for very old cars? (1962) I really don't want to do any damage to anything.
3. Would a YouTube Channel help my business grow?

[justinwollenburg]

Very strong points you covered, however I do have a question you didn't cover. One of my clients owns a 2016 Rolls Royce Dawn and it's going up north for business for the summer and I'm in charge of the car, the car is being left in a privately used parking garage so it naturally collects light tire dust so would you recommend a cover or just keep maintaining it by keeping the dust off?