Best Car Cover

[MikeR55]

Was already having issues with the huge tree under my driveway leaving sap, leaves, bird poop on my new 3.

Now that I'm not driving anywhere due to Covid-19 probably time to cover the car for the next month or two...or three.. maybe 4?

I've never covered a car before- is it OK to cover for awhile? What covers do you recommend?

 

[Mrcarcrazy]

I’m not a fan of covers. As a rule the car has to be perfectly clean otherwise you’re just going to grind trash into the paint.

sorry I’m not more help, I think you’d be better served washing and waxing it. Or storing it indoors

 

[MikeR55]

I’m not a fan of covers. As a rule the car has to be perfectly clean otherwise you’re just going to grind trash into the paint.

sorry I’m not more help, I think you’d be better served washing and waxing it. Or storing it indoors

Thanks- no where to store it and would rather not wash and wax daily when I'm also trying to stay in. But good to know covers may not be the best idea

 

[Xambler]

I am very happy with the BougeRV Tesla model 3 cover. Think it was around $80 on Amazon. It handles the extreme winds roaring up the 45 degree angle of our mountainside and the 6 inches of rain we got in the last week. Real easy to take off and put on even when wet once I figured out the trick to dealing with covers in wind . I usually spray and wipe down the car quick before putting it on if it is dusty.

The trick I use is as follows. 1) get it fully installed the first time. 2) when you take it off, unlatch the front strap and pull the front back far enough so that the cover is no longer touching the hood, then repeat at the back, unsnapping and pulling the back fully up onto the glass, then fold the windward side of the cover all the way onto the roof and then repeat on the other side. Now you will have the outer part of cover all facing itself and the soft inner part of cover facing up so just roll the cover from front of car back to rear of car and stick the roll in the trunk. If wet it will hold the water inside. 3) when you put it back on just lay the roll on the top rear window and repeat process in reverse. Very easy to do by one person even in wind this way.

 

[MikeR55]

I am very happy with the BougeRV Tesla model 3 cover. Think it was around $80 on Amazon. It handles the extreme winds roaring up the 45 degree angle of our mountainside and the 6 inches of rain we got in the last week. Real easy to take off and put on even when wet once I figured out the trick to dealing with covers in wind . I usually spray and wipe down the car quick before putting it on if it is dusty.

The trick I use is as follows. 1) get it fully installed the first time. 2) when you take it off, unlatch the front strap and pull the front back far enough so that the cover is no longer touching the hood, then repeat at the back, unsnapping and pulling the back fully up onto the glass, then fold the windward side of the cover all the way onto the roof and then repeat on the other side. Now you will have the outer part of cover all facing itself and the soft inner part of cover facing up so just roll the cover from front of car back to rear of car and stick the roll in the trunk. If wet it will hold the water inside. 3) when you put it back on just lay the roll on the top rear window and repeat process in reverse. Very easy to do by one person even in wind this way.
View attachment 526679

Awesome thanks! I'll look into this one!

 

[Mrcarcrazy]

Thanks- no where to store it and would rather not wash and wax daily when I'm also trying to stay in. But good to know covers may not be the best idea

I don’t mean daily wash/wax.

 

[MikeR55]

I don’t mean daily wash/wax.

It would need it. The tree is crazy.

I figure do a good waterless wash and then cover it. Anything will be better than what's going on now

 

[Biscuitman]

It would need it. The tree is crazy.

I figure do a good waterless wash and then cover it. Anything will be better than what's going on now

Just ordered the same BougeRV cover mentioned above.Sap from many coniferous tress at my cottage are a killer on the paint.

 

[Mrcarcrazy]

It would need it. The tree is crazy.

I figure do a good waterless wash and then cover it. Anything will be better than what's going on now

It just came to me, you’re approaching this from the wrong angle. What you need is a chainsaw!

 

[Xambler]

Also, why wouldn’t you drive your Tesla during the covid isolation...one of the most fun things left to do that are safe

 

[Xambler]

Almost forgot. If you ever have the bright idea of climbing into the car with the cover on to check something out, be aware that as soon as you put your foot on the brake the windshield wipers will come on if you left them in auto mode. Not a pretty sight to have them flailing against the cover (quite a racket also).

 

[MrMassTransit]

I have a Covercraft Custom Weathershield HP for mine. Expensive (>$400) but looks great and I'm highly satisfied. It has a flap for the charge port and mesh covers over the front wheel wells and front air intake to ensure the car can operate its cooling system while charging and preconditioning can also be used. The cover is well made and will last for the lifetime of the vehicle. I agree in theory with MrCarCrazy, but I have an assigned outdoor parking space (condo) under a tree and sap and bird waste accumulates daily unless the car is covered. Plus, in an urban environment, I think there's some value in concealing that I have a Tesla parked in my space (although the HPWC is a dead giveaway for anyone who knows what they're looking at). I do wash the cover once or twice a year to mitigate any buildup of debris on the inside of the cover, but picking up swirls is typically unavoidable to some degree.

 

[jbcarioca]

I have used a cover constantly for the last twenty years on all my cars. The naysayers are correct if one uses teh covers carelessly. To use them properly is a PITA, but necessary if you want to avoid paint damage,

1. clean the car prior to putting on cover, every time. Even once without can scratch paint.
2. wipe down the cover before removing it, every time.
3. if you can afford it, pay for protective film for the whole car. That will make cleaning the car easier, help protect against damage from the car cover, sap and almost everything else. That single thing will also make the placement and removal of the cover easier (the film is slippery), and the cleaning becomes nearly trivial.

Those three steps, PITA, though they may be, has made all my cars look new when they were old. My spouse had a BMW for ten years that looked showroom fresh thanks to protective film, although that one had film replacement after the first five years.

When your car must live outside under trees, nothing will help as much as protective film, including the cover.
FWIW, when I drove exotics the covers were invaluable to establish a bit of anonymity. If you need that, ensure you do not buy a logo cover, which defeats that purpose.

 

[Andy7]

I searched for the BougeRV cover on Amazon and coould not find it. The search brought up 7 pages of Tesla accessories and other random items including a lawnmower carburetor!-Maybe Musk is running a side business in ICEs. I found it on the BougeRV site under another site of theirs, Model3part.com where it is $90 with free, but slow, shipping. Anyone have other experiences with this?--Thanks. (I have a terrible tree sap problem at an area I regularly park it).

BTW, I got the Hydrosilex products, Silica Soap, Rewind Prep and Recharge Ceramic coating. They were easy to use and seem good, after a week. But the really good news is that the Rewind was the best (easiest) sap remover I used for the cleaning, and I tried three I had on hand. The downside is that I think I have to reapply the Recharge to the areas I used it, as it can remove the Recharge. But that is wort it, as I find sap removal a pain in several anatomical areas, and very time consuming.

 

[Wennfred]

BougeRV Is a great cover, this is version 2 as they added a mesh in the front to allow air and also a zipper for the charge port. There’s a video on this cover on YouTube and they also give a discount code.

 

[Wennfred]

 

[Itsuo-DC]

I wash it and cover it.

When it comes to whether or not the cover will do enough damage to your paint to discourage you from using the cover, I will say that common sense prevails. Just don't cover the car if it's visibly dirty. You'll get your cover dirty on the inside and it will probably leave visible marks on the car where the cover wiped off the dirt, etc. when you remove it. I've gone weeks driving the car, never letting it get too dirty (because of luck with the weather) and using the cover: the paint/clear-coat still looks great.

The biggest issue for you is how dirty your cover will get over time and how you propose to clean it, etc. You might seriously be better off just trimming a few branches... and this is coming from an arborist!

I have the Tesla branded cover.

 

[Fernand]

We had insane winds in California, so bad they would shut off power for half a day at a time. Not sure exactly how it happened, but I just discovered some nasty fine scratches to deal with now at one spot above the rear fender, and a little on the hood.

I'm guessing that even though the car and cover were initially clean, crap would manage to blow underneath, and the cover would slide around against it. Not knowing the exact mechanism makes using the cover seem like more risk than just letting it get dirty and washing it. Aaaahg!
.

 

[tivoboy]

We had insane winds in California, so bad they would shut off power for half a day at a time. Not sure exactly how it happened, but I just discovered some nasty fine scratches to deal with now at one spot above the rear fender, and a little on the hood.

I'm guessing that even though the car and cover were initially clean, crap would manage to blow underneath, and the cover would slide around against it. Not knowing the exact mechanism makes using the cover seem like more risk than just letting it get dirty and washing it. Aaaahg!
.

it was probably some fine dirt or material that was on the car before putting the cover on, or dirt particulate could come up from UNDER the car, and then do some rubbing. Only positive is, that will probably buff out pretty well, I doubt they are deep enough groves?

 

[Fernand]

I'm not sure how deep they go, I may have to use some of that black wax
Or black shoe polish. Or borrow some spray paint from neighborhood taggers.
Goes to show, you never get "there". If I had PPF, all I'd have to do is peel it off
... and $tart over
.