Car Cover - What a waste of money

[PetrolDave]

4 hours ago, Stopeter44 said:

I paid for the shipping I didn't know it was going through Hermes

I think it would be a selling point for online suppliers if customers could choose the courier company (and pay appropriate shipping costs) - there are many regional variations between couriers so a courier that is good at the suppliers location may not be good at the customers location.

[NorthantsRob]

1 hour ago, Hornet3D said:

So here are a few shots of the new cover,  I did a test fit yesterday and then put it back in the bag so this is virtually straight from the bag, creases and all.  The back is a bit baggy and looks as though it would cover a similar car with a more prominent boot.   Then again this is not a custom cover more the recommend cover off the shelf said to cover the Aygo range from 2005 to present day.  Some online reviews suggests the covers appear to fit better after it has been rained on a few times, I am not convinced so will need to wait and see.  The cover does seem to fit height and width wise so it may not billow too much in the wind.  The connection pouches finishing up in front of the front wheel and behind the rear wheel straps to be walked around back and front so it is only the middle strap that you need to try and throw underneath, likewise the the security cable.  The cover is light weight and when placed on the roof to unfold it guide straight off the car if not dead central.  The front of the cover is marked so orienting the cover is easy.

It would be nice if the rear was better fit but I am happy enough as long as it is as described and does not stick to the car on freezing night like the last one.

Your cover looks good! I had a similar one some years ago (from Storm Car Covers) for an old soft-top car I had at the time - it definitely didn't used to stick to the car in any weather. I tended to use it mainly in Winter, the only golden rule I followed was to never put it on a dirty car...consequently I never suffered with scratches or marring. 

[Catlover]

Robin, Couple (or three) of questions. 1) presumably you won’t be using this during the summer, so in the winter you come home from work, or whatever, it’s cold and wet. Will you religiously be putting this cover on?  2)  the next morning you rake the cover off, it’s still raining, you are out in it. How you going to keep the inside of the cover dry before you put it in its bag, the inside is bound to rub on the outside and get wet.  3) the next night you put cover on, still partially wet on the outside, and overnight it freezes. Will the cover stick to the car?

[NorthantsRob]

41 minutes ago, Catlover said:

Robin, Couple (or three) of questions. 1) presumably you won’t be using this during the summer, so in the winter you come home from work, or whatever, it’s cold and wet. Will you religiously be putting this cover on?  2)  the next morning you rake the cover off, it’s still raining, you are out in it. How you going to keep the inside of the cover dry before you put it in its bag, the inside is bound to rub on the outside and get wet.  3) the next night you put cover on, still partially wet on the outside, and overnight it freezes. Will the cover stick to the car?

They're questions for Paul I think @Hornet3D

[Hornet3D]

43 minutes ago, Catlover said:

Robin, Couple (or three) of questions. 1) presumably you won’t be using this during the summer, so in the winter you come home from work, or whatever, it’s cold and wet. Will you religiously be putting this cover on?  2)  the next morning you rake the cover off, it’s still raining, you are out in it. How you going to keep the inside of the cover dry before you put it in its bag, the inside is bound to rub on the outside and get wet.  3) the next night you put cover on, still partially wet on the outside, and overnight it freezes. Will the cover stick to the car?

Some good questions.

For me it is not just winter I am interested in.  In our front garden we have a large weeping miniature pear tree which has small leaves that get everywhere (including thorough the vents at the bottom of the windscreen) and while I like the Aygo, as I did the CRV before it, I am not about to chop the tree down for the sake of the car paintwork.  Also our street sufferers from a recurring problem of unsupervised kids playing football in the street.  While the cover offers limited protection I would rather that than some nice football sized prints on the car.

Also the intention is not to cover the car on a daily basis but there are times when it will not be used for a week or more, depending on the time of year that the time I am more likely to use the cover.   Preventing frost on the car is also not a major intent but if I am covering it for a few days I do not want it to freeze solid to the car if there is a cold spell during that period.  

There is also issue of keeping the car dry after applying a ceramic coat which needs 24 hours of more to fully cure.  The ideal situation would be to garage the car but it is not the option so the cover is the next best thing.  If I start early in the morning on a good day I can get around  ten hours drying time and then by using a cure coat I can shield it to some degree while it continues to cure.  The cover is just a belt and braces approach to try and prevent water creating white spots on the coating.

The old cover for the CRV rarely went back in the bag as it was a pain to get back, I doubt the new one will be any different.   Wet cover is not an issue as it would be pegged out in a line to fully dry before use.  In fact, as the cover is not machine washable the company suggest you wash it on the car using a mild car shampoo and hang it on the line to dry. 

[Hornet3D]

I thought I would add this photo in way of explanation to my comments earlier.  This is the tree in question, photo was taken last year when it was close to being in full bloom, it has a few months to go yet this year.  The leaves are prolific, very small and pointed so when they fall in autumn they do get everywhere.  The worst place on the CRV was under the bonnet on the top of each wing where they found their way through the grill at the bottom of the windscreen.

Most leaves fall on just a few windy days so even managing to cover any car underneath on those days reduces the problem considerably.  Of course the danger of pigeons and other birds adding their mark to the paintwork is ever present so covering the car when left for untied for a week or more helps also.