OT: Car covers

[gasman]

My son has my old ‘99 Suburban and instead of its previous life of being garaged it now has to sit outside under several trees on a north facing street. It stays wet and covered with fir needles and dead maple leaves.
This last week he discovered that the interior had a mold and moss bloom. I helped him get it to an auto detailer that steam cleaned everything and washed and waxed the interior. I’m looking at car covers to recommend one to help get this from happening again . It has a large car top carrier that will stay on the vehicle so a custom fit for a Suburban won’t fit.
Looking on line it seems that a water resistant cover would be better than a waterproof one.
The other alternative would be just placing a large waterproof tarp over it and leaving room around the lower end and using bungee cords to hold it down.
He does use the vehicle but clearly there are periods that it sits.
I also thing he should put a small container of calcium chloride,like that used in RV storage to help keep the moisture down.

I’ve checked all the door and window seals and they seem in good condition.

What do you fine folks recommend.

[Ken Robb]

Sometimes a waterproof cover is a BAD thing because it causes condensation under it that never dries. The second thought is: what do you do with a big, wet, dirty cover when you want to drive the vehicle? I think let the car sit outside and take it to a do-it-yourself car wash when needed would be my plan.

[Elefantino]

Originally Posted by Ken Robb

Sometimes a waterproof cover is a BAD thing because it causes condensation under it that never dries. The second thought is: what do you do with a big, wet, dirty cover when you want to drive the vehicle? I think let the car sit outside and take it to a do-it-yourself car wash when needed would be my plan.

Was going to say the same thing. The only time I would use a car cover is inside a garage or storage, to keep the dust off.

[AngryScientist]

I agree that i have seen car covers do more harm than good trapping moisture under them.

how about something like this? cheaper than i expected!

https://www.amazon.com/FINFREE-Carpo...069736611&th=1

[IJWS]

Do the Calcium Chloride and make a "rule" that the car gets washed every couple of weeks/whenever something really sticky lands on the truck (so there's an excuse to wake the car up every 2-3 weeks). We have a tent in our parking lot (but not on the street) that has been amazing but I'm guessing that your son's situation is less flexible.

[IJWS]

Jinx with Angry Scientist!

[tbike4]

Timely thread. My wife says, get me a car cover. I ask her the same questions posed here. Where will you put the wet nasty thing?
I would think the inside of a car cover would be some material that is good to your paint but if not I can't imagine dragging the thing across the paint I just spent 3 hours polishing and waxing. She is not one for detailing a car. I wash it once a week with 2 gallons of water in a bucket and this:

https://www.amazon.com/Griots-Garage...0&sr=8-13&th=1

[stackie]

Horrible. What do you do with thing when not using? Roll up and put in trunk.

Also, any dirt on it will abrade the paint over time. I'm sure this is not an issue for this vehicle. Just saying.

I'd put a damp Rid in the car to absorb moisture.

For the exterior, could try a ceramic coating. If not worried about looks, just clean with a prep and apply. Don't bother with paint correction. We splurged on a pro one (ceramic pro) for my wife's car about a year ago, and I'm amazed how much it does to make the car stay cleaner and easier to wash.

There's a guy who posted here years ago as BudgetPlan. He now works for Esoteric coatings. I called them and he actually answered the phone. I kind of trust him since he posted here and was doing that before the job with Esoteric.

I'm going to do the Kamikaze coating on my Mini and the kid's Subaru. Mini to make it look good. Subaru gets sap, etc, and the hydrophobic coatings make them come off so much easier.

Jon

[C40_guy]

I used car covers for a while, on a Volvo 740 sedan, and then a wagon. I could not imagine having to remove a soggy cover from a 'burban, or what I would do with it.

I would usually remove the cover before it rained...the goal was to keep sun and dirt off the finish...

As others have mentioned, a fitted Okay to sharecover will probably make the interior mold issue worse.

There's a leak somewhere. Moisture is getting into the vehicle.

[gasman]

Good thoughts everyone. I think a self standing tent would be great but he has to park on the street so the tent is a no go.

Damp Rid in the interior is a smart idea.

So no on the waterproof cover. There are some covers that breath and have a soft inner layer to protect the paint.I'm thinking something along these lines https://www.the-cover-store.com/cove...lockTite%20Max

Although that's not a big issue as the car has been beat up a bit over the years. The paint isn't perfect by any means.
Good point about what to do with the cover when he takes it off. I think he can put it in the garage.
Ceramic coating is a cool idea but with an old truck I'm not sure it's worth it.

He has a full time job, a girlfriend that lives 2 hours away and he works part time training dogs. He doesn't seem to have the desire or time to care for the rig.
I'll talk with him when he's back in town.

It boils down to it's his vehicle, now how is he going to keep this from happening again ?

[gasman]

Originally Posted by C40_guy

There's a leak somewhere. Moisture is getting into the vehicle.

This is true but it's hard to know from where. I suspect that the drainage ports on the front and back get blocked by fir needles so the water sits especially in the winter. It's just so dang humid and wet here in the winter, it's not a problem in the summer.

I may just have him run a hose on the car while I sit inside and see if I can detect a leak.

[AngryScientist]

Originally Posted by gasman

It boils down to it's his vehicle, now how is he going to keep this from happening again ?

I think no matter what, the first thing to do is spend a little time carefully examining all the weather stripping and seals. Replace what's broken, cracked or missing.

Step to is the drains, most of the seals on a car to deal with having to be driven down the road at 80 miles an hour are double sealed in some way and the water needs to drain. ditto on the sun roof if he has one. over time, drains can get clogged with debris and not pass water and you get interior leaks.

[pasadena]

this cover is good. I rate it
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07M5F3RSB

convenient to have the zipper open for quick access.
Good protection and they roll up quite small, like a fat sleeping bag.
They all come with a bag.

They are a consumable, but still last over a year or even two depending on weather.

[C40_guy]

The 'burban is parked on the street. The cover might last two nights, unless you're in a *really* upscale section of town. Then I give it three nights.

Solve the water incursion problem; you won't need a cover.

[gasman]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

I think no matter what, the first thing to do is spend a little time carefully examining all the weather stripping and seals. Replace what's broken, cracked or missing.

Step to is the drains, most of the seals on a car to deal with having to be driven down the road at 80 miles an hour are double sealed in some way and the water needs to drain. ditto on the sun roof if he has one. over time, drains can get clogged with debris and not pass water and you get interior leaks.

I think the drains were plugged. The weatherstripping was in good shape last I checked. I’d clean it and wipe it with silicone spray yearly. I’ll check it again today .