Hi guys just looking for your advice on a cover,Ā I am looking for a cover that just protects the hood in preparation for the winter - a pal of mine mentioned ābuzz topsā but I canāt find them anywhere ? Any advice would be greatly appreciatedĀ
Recent thread here.
Brilliant ! Thank you John
Hi, Interested in half covers, tried to link to thread but nothing happens. Cheers
Linkās probably gone wrong with the change of forum. Thereās a thread here that might be the one.
What model have you?
General summary (I have had nearly every type!) -
The Cabrio Shield are good, but dear.
The UK Custom Covers one looked substantial, but didnāt last well - the coating was cracking off the inside surface with a year.
The Mazda one (thin silvered type) I am using for the Mk4 has lasted much better than I expected and Iād buy another.
I donāt like the ones with elastic chin straps, the elastic soon goes slack and they donāt stay on in high winds.
If you can get a āduraventā material one from Moss (they are in and out of stock, usually for Mk1 or Mk3 only) they are a bargain - only c. Ā£30, stay on, and last well. Just donāt put the retaining straps across the boot seal or they will wick water in to the boot.
We got the MX parts one specifically for the Mk4. It is silly money for what it is but it seems to work well. We use it all the time the car is parked up on the drive. However in strong winds it does āblow upā from the front, (should be retained by the windscreen wipers, but obviously not strong enough in high winds). I have therefore added a strap that passes through cable ties fixed to the wing mirror velcro tabs and the ties around the wing mirrors, a bit Heath Robinson but it does work.
Thanks John. Its a 2003 mark 2. It will be in daily use parked outside and as only just bought it wanted some extra protection against the rain. However have seen various comments on half covers causing scratches or wicking water into boot. Had looked at most of them including cabrio shield and UK custom covers. The latter are fairly local to me. Pity Moss arenāt selling them at the moment.
Have a hard top which is stored in garage. Not sure when Iāll use it yet.
Cheers
The ones with the boot tabs will usually trap under the edges of the boot lid without bridging the seal. They look as if they are meant to dangle into the boot proper but they arenāt.
I use a microfibre cloth to clean around the tub before putting the half cover on to prevent scratching. Use a bit of waterless wash with it. My Mk4 lived outside under it for 2 years without getting any scratches.
Thanks John, apart from the PVC cracking was the UK custom covers one a good one? In two minds but unless I go for a cheap option the convenience of getting the latter may edge towards that. Think the rear drain holes are clogged so need to also sort that out. Cheers
Yes, it didnāt tear or anything. Maybe I was unlucky or it was defective. I should have asked for a refund really because I think it was under a year old.
Thanks, theyāve got a 10% offer on them and I think I can pick up fairly easily. A couple of novice questions; Can a half cover be put on a damp soft top if it isnāt left on for any length of time? I also suppose that before putting on hard top the soft top has to be completely dry when folded down otherwise damp and mould will be a problem. Cheers. Simon
I did it, rarely, with my Mk2 as the rain rail was a bit iffy. Although that had a vinyl roof. But when it stops raining Iād take it off and dry it all out espeically on a duck or mohair roof. The cover keeps the rain out of the drains of course - if the car lives outside, the half cover means the drains donāt fill up with muck and leaf litter.
I bought a Mazda half cover from mx parts and have found it very good. Goes on every night as car lives outside. No damage to bodywork and keeps the roof drains clear. Thinking about getting the full cover for this winter.
Related question? The one from UK custom covers recommends bring reproofed every month. In asking about this they said this was the recommendation if used outside fairly frequently. Is this overkill? How often should a ācanvasā soft top be reproofed? And reproofers seem to have dire warnings of damage to windows and bodywork, are there any gentler ones? Cheers
Iāve had a UK Covers one for a year now. It has faded significantly, was black and is now grey, not that matters to be honest. Itās been fine in strong winds. I am however seeing the inside cracking. If I hold it up I can see pin holes forming which I think will get worse this winter when I start to use it again.
Hi, Thanks, is that UK custom covers based in Fareham? Sounds a similar experience to @John_M. Have you raised it with them? Any other recommendations?
Hi, Did you raise the issue and what would you use? Cheers.
@SWalton To be honest I havenāt chased it up with them.
If I were to buy again I might try one of these https://cabrioshield.com/uk/mazda-mx5-nd.html especially as the premium one claims to be breathable.
Also spotted this on my search Mazda (genuine) cover: https://www.nwgparts.com/products/GENUINE-HALF-CAR-COVER-Mazda_NA1RV9880A?
1 Like
ā¦this is the one we have, got it from MX5 parts. Had it for 12 months and use it all the time as it is fairly quick to fit. Seems to keep the roof dry.
NB As per earlier post, in āhighā winds it does pull up from under the windscreen wipers so I have cable tied a couple of loops on the wing mirror velcro strips and I pass a piece of webbing through these that tie around the wing mirror roots, then go around the wiper blades, (sound more comlpex than it is!), and this seems to hold the cover in place. At the back the āthickerā sections ālocks intoā the boot lip so when the boot is closed it is not a problemā¦
ā¦when this wears out (hopefully will last a few years(?), I will buy the same againā¦although I note that the price has gone up somewhatā¦probably with the onset of Winter?