Posts: 4137
Joined: 4/6/2005 From: West Los Angeles Status: offline
If you get a decent cover you can put it on as soon as you get home, assuming you've dusted the car off first. Also be sure to use detail spray to get off any bird surprises, mud that may have splashed up along the sides (especially behind the rear wheels) and the back bumper, which is usually covered in soot. You do that to prevent a buildup of dust, dirt and whatever on the underside of the cover. If you put the cover onto a dirty car it will scratch the clearcoat and leave marks on the windows.
The good news is that if you do it properly and cover your car nightly you'll be able to go a long time without having to wash your car or the cover. If you let it slide now and then it will show and you'll start leaving the cover off, leading to possible cat footprints or who-knows-what. Be sure to get a cover that you can just throw in the washing machine and air dry.
I got the one with the Pony on the front and it's been working fine for over 2 years.
Why only when clean and do you know if i can cover car while still hot
if car is dirty or dusty, cover will just scratch the car when putting on. i agree with beaustang. as long as exhaust is cool enough to touch you should be alright. since you drive a black car, you will want to cover it by all means.
Posts: 429
Joined: 1/15/2005 From: New Bern, NC Status: offline
I covered my last car every day at work for about 25 years. (I didn't cover for the first 4 years) I didn't clean, wash & wax, wipe it down, or whatever before I covered it. I wanted to protect it from the sun and sun rot. After all those years all were amazed it was still the original paint. I had a friend with another car that covered his without fail just about anywhere he went, if it wasn't moving, it was probably covered. Looked great!
I think you can cover it any time you damn well please! In the case of my '05 Screaming Yellow GT when I cover it I "flop" the cover on and off, carefully folding and unfolding from the roof top, I don't drag the cover over any paint and I don't go to lots of trouble making a tight pretty package of the cover. Takes a couple of minutes to cover and to uncover.
On the other hand, my 4' 10" wife covers our '89 GMC S-15 red pickup just about every working day for the last 19 years, and since she is "vertically challenged" she needs to drag the cover on and off the roof. When I get up there to wax, looks mighty fine! People can't believe the GMC has 169k miles and nearly 20 years on it and it's paint!
I have covered mine since the day I got it. I got the cover from American Muscle and I have no problems with it. Whenever I know I am not going back out I cover the car up. I use the california duster....and a microfiber towel on the rims. The cover also works great for protecting it against rain. Its well worth the money.
Posts: 140
Joined: 4/22/2007 From: Hudson County, NJ Status: offline
Eve;
Black car..... cover it. Black Bullit..... Always cover it! I have a black stang and have covered it from day one. Mine is garaged and I use a covercraft fabic cover as mentioned before. Just took the stang on a roadtrip to Chicage and bought the all weather cover from American Muscle. It repled the water great and was a bit tougher to get on then the fabic one, especially outside in the wind. One thing.... any cover you get, make sure you get a tie down for the center. I tried to go without for the American Muscle one and it tried to come off.
Hope that helps
< Message edited by NJBLK07GT -- 5/13/2008 6:02:33 AM >
I cover. My car is Vista blue and I park in my drive under several trees. I have been covering it for the past year, wiping it down with a California duster before I do. My cover is the weathershield one from the Ford dealer. It has a grommet for the antenna to go through and 2 grommets for a cable and lock. Pretty much the only time I do not cover is if the car has gotten wet from a surprise shower. (I really dont drive it much in the rain if I can help it.) It certainly saves on washes and I do a quick touch up with ICE after I take the cover off. It is washable as well so that is another plus. The pony and lettering are silk screened and look great on the car. Ford does have different overs for cars with the rear spoiler or without. It fits great.
I'm going to have trouble with the "only cover when clean" thing cause I live in So. Fla. and we have rain showers pretty much year round not to mention the time factor. Is it an absolute must? Is there a cover that is more gentle on the paint?
I agree with the others about when to cover the car and NOT do it when dirty!
+1 this is a very good cover, very good on the paint. if you have a dark color stang, or any color for that matter, MAKE SURE THE UNDER LAYER IS VERY SOFT. or it will ruin your paint over time, causing dull areas over the corners and where the cover is tight on the car, especially if it is outdoors from the wind. covercraft makes very good covers. dont skimp on the $$ for a cover, get a good one, it will cost you over 200 probly. but it is well worth it. a SC costs about 5k, and so does a good paint job, possibly even more. if you care about how your stang looks, cover it, especially if it's outside. an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
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2007 GT 5spd Whipple Crew Member Boomtube Crew Member My Car
Posts: 4137
Joined: 4/6/2005 From: West Los Angeles Status: offline
quote:
ORIGINAL: eve
I'm going to have trouble with the "only cover when clean" thing cause I live in So. Fla. and we have rain showers pretty much year round not to mention the time factor. Is it an absolute must? Is there a cover that is more gentle on the paint?
Thank for all advise
That's a question I can't answer. Usually if my car gets caught in the rain it gets so dirty from spray kicked up by me and others that I'd have to wipe down most of the car with detail spray when I got home. But I can't get a good detailing job when it is so damp, with high humidity. So that usually means I just won't cover it again until I get a chance to wash it.
Anyone have experience putting covers on wet cars? I imagine you'd have to spend more...
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To cover or not to cover? - 
RE: To cover or not to cover? - 
