New expensive car covers - HELP

[Blazerfrazer]

Has anyone had any recent experience with buying a decent car cover for their Dolomite? There are a few on eBay and it is difficult to choose. I really don’t mind paying decent money for a cover that fits perfectly and was made for the car but i am put off by all the listings showing random cars and no snug fitting dolomite pictures. I don’t want a cover that some company just went round a car park stretching covers over random cars with a guy following with a clip board and the bloke shouting back "yep this one fits, bang a listing on for the Astra mate, yer tailored and all that" NEXT and so on. I have had a universal cover before and it was like a trampoline from the top of the wind screen to the front of the bonnet where it was not custom fit, same at the back. This was perfect
for my cat to get his claws into! I thought i would check rimmers out and see their covers and to my amazement they don’t look like they fit round the screens either, they are called "Semi-Tailored" what does this mean? that they sort of fit? For £170 I expect more than sort of fit! That sounds like my bit above where they just try them and either say yes or no for the list of cars they fit. This is so annoying. If available i wish to purchase a "Tailored" outdoor cover for my dolomite. any one help me before my head explodes... ps the description on rimmers website matches the description on the ebay ones…. Who copied who? HELP

[Jon Tilson]

I have a Storm Force one.
I bought 2, 1 for a dollie and one for a Stag. They appear to be the same but are a reasonable fit for either.

Tie underneath too and have elasticated ends...havent blown off yet and keep car nice and dry inside. Appear to be quite hard wearing but only 6 months on.

Jonners

[Blazerfrazer]

Ok cool thanks, where did yours come from? and do they stretch like a trampoline from the top of the screen to the front or kind of folllow the shape? Fraz

[cleverusername]

I would be careful with these, it could be asking for rot. The moisture gets trapped under the cover, has no-where to go and starts working on your bodywork. Better to let the car breath, even if it is exposed to the elements.

[Howard81]

My father bought a fleeced lined tailored indoor cover for his MGA 25 years ago and it's still doing an excellent job today. So much so that a few years back I bought an identical one for my Beetle when I got a garage space! IIRC it cost the best part of £200 but I would have no hesitation to buy another. Unfortunately I forget where it was from so I'll post back once I dig the paperwork out. If its an outdoor cover you need, I had a Beetle one from Airflow UK which was was fully breatheable and also superb. My car lived under it for 3 years while I was at University.

[SprintMWU773V]

Most covers are not waterproof so if you just want to keep some filth off it and want it to fit OK and breathe then I got one from Halfords, it's their premium one (medium). It's sat on my donor car to keep the prying eyes off for several years. It's looking shabby now and once it blew off and got stuck 15 ft in the air on my aerial but I got it down and it is still working. The car underneath still looks good.

I wouldn't usually use a cover TBH as even a breathable cover traps huge amounts of moisture especially in winter. To keep nosey people away then yes but otherwise I wouldn't bother.

If you want dry then get a permabag but they cost £££'s

[Blazerfrazer]

Hi, thanks for the input, its only for a few weeks a year outside but I would like my investment to look cool and last 10 years on and off the car over time, just don’t want to spend ££ on a universal cover. I know the Halfords don’t fit like a glove and don’t fit round the glass which is the bit I hate. Perhaps no covers fit perfectly to the shape anyway? if that’s the case then that’s that. I’m just one of the guys that would be really cross with myself if after buying one that was ok-ish then someone says, why didn’t you get one of the superb ones that fits perfect, its made just for the dolly!!

[Mad Mart]

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=24067

[Blazerfrazer]

Thanks Mart, ok i am understanding it now, Cover-Zone make covers and the Stormforce is the level of protection of the cover for a particular car. I read the other thread and now think i will be getting one of these. can you tell me how well they fit, is there a slope from the windscreen to the front that my cat can bounce on and rip through?

[PAB]

My Stormforce Is fairly baggy on the whole, fits nicely, but not so tight as to be a drum like cat trampoline. You should be fine.

[dmcnicoll]

Ive got a stormforce - not a snug fit, but it does allow breeze to get underneath & so less liable for some of the 'rot' issues mentioned in an earlier post. The under-car clips work well, and it keeps the car clean and protected from the sun. I've been very happy with mine - its not going to be as good as a garage but as a 2nd coice IMHO is well worth having.

[Blazerfrazer]

Thanks chaps, im off to find the best price on a stormforce.

[Reme5969]

If you havn't found a good price try techautos.co.uk they are distributers for stormforce. Make sure you do not go for the winter storage cover which is the one below the stormforce, i had one less than a year old and when that hot sunshine we had hit it it turn like parchment and tore to shreads, got it from tech autos and they were great got me the upgraded stormforce via warrantee no questions asked very helpful man there his name is josh try him their price was the best i could find and cover has 2 year warrantee too.

[Blazerfrazer]

Hi, thought i would report back after 20 months owning a storm force cover... I hate it. To be fair it does the job and has lasted, the tie down straps work well in the wind. My gripe is with the "tailored" fit.. please rebadge these as "general cover" I was looking for something smart as well as functional. I have one for my mini and it fits like a glove. This Dolomite one is no way "tailored" and should not be sold as. I have no idea which is front or back, i would write on it if i knew but its so bad any way round is s##t. Thanks for all the input chaps and to be fair i knew what it was going to be like when i bought it as people here had said, I had no option so took the plunge. Photos taken in the wind prior to fitting the under straps. Purpose of this follow up is to show prospective buyers what the "tailored" stormforce cover looks like and to confirm it is not "tailored" as advertised

[alolympic]

Unless a car is 100% clean, the rubbing and abrasion that these can cause on the paintwork makes them seem too much of a risk to me. They maybe soft lined, but soft lining plus grit, plus movement equals scratches. For long term storage I can see the appeal, but for a regularly used car, they seem a bit pointless?