And I’ve looked at various threads on this site too. But nothing really sticks out.
Talking of which… What happens with my car aerial? and the mirrors too.
Do these things have pockets to accommodate, or is it dependent upon the specific cover?
On another MX-5 forum, (based in the USA) I came upon a post which said:
“There is no hole in the cover as it comes from the factory, you have to unscrew the antenna to install the cover or cut a hole yourself. My experience with other car covers is without a grommet or stitching it will eventually tear where the hole is cut and I didn’t want to take the chance.”
If I was to do this, how do I fit a grommet? Would it be a ‘Push-fit’ or require a special tool.
Also how heavy are these things? I expect there is a huge variation to this, based
on the product. Ideally I want lightness, ease of use (as I’ll be removing/refitting
the cover most days) and protection from the elements inc. bird droppings.
I feel as though I’m heading down an ever expanding Matrix-like rabbit hole. ᴹᵃᵗʳᶦˣ ᴺᵉᵒ ˢᵘⁿᵍˡᵃˢˢᵉˢ ᵉⁿᵒʲᶦ
eg. Google “Car covers, good or bad?”
Now I’m utterly confused.
IL Motorsport make a very good outdoor cover. It has vents each side at the top of the hood area, a clear panel on the rear for the number plate (don’t know if that’s a good thing or not), a zip on the near side rear corner plus drawstrings to tighten it all up around the bottom. The mirror pockets are elasticated to help hold themselves over said mirrors and The whole thing folds up into its own bag which is permanently attached and sits on the windscreen area. It’s a pretty heavy duty material and just over £100.
The one in Davy_F picture is the genuine mazda one which is the same as the one on MX5 parts. I have been using one of these for three winters so far (outside) and its been better than others i have used in the past that have disintegrated or ripped etc in bad winds. I have added a couple more underbody bungees with clamps to secure it even better but its probably overkill on my part as the existing combined with the elasticated bottom is quite good.
Its quite light and comes connected to its own storage bag that sits on the windscreen when in use. The aerial needs to be removed though.
I bought a Classic Additions one, it’s the in top of the range v expensive £195 but very well made from a neoprene type material and allegedly can be fitted to a wet car it has 3 underbody straps, it’s very soft and quite tight fitting so I don’t think it can blow around and scratch the body, it’s a little baggy around the rear screen as I believe it’s capable of fitting a car with a hard top fitted, as I say it’s expensive but as I have no garage it’s worth it to me.
I’m on my second prestige half cover and it’s superb. The first one lasted 8 years before it started to disintegrate inside and therefore leak. It discoloured from black to grey in around 3 months though, presumably from the effects of UV. The new (ish, got it second hand from another member!) one was black and is now turning grey, but still 100% waterproof. I’ve just bought an “Ultimate outdoor car cover” from classic additions for £195 so I’ll report back on how effective it is when it turns up.
My mate has just bought that cover for his 25th Anniversary 5. He actually got the medium on recommendation from a staff member, but it was far too big and exchanged it for the small. It’s still nearly a foot too long overall, but otherwise fits well. There’s 4 straps that tie the cover down and it has a kinda fleecy coating on the underside, so hopefully kind to the paint. Overall, he’s very pleased.
I have the outdoor vented and waterproof fitted cover. Very happy with it. Vents work well to keep condensation out and it is waterproof. Fits like a glove. Got mine from local Mazda dealer £70 if I remember or there about.
I bought the Stormforce ultimate from MX5parts 4 years ago. Excellent fit on our NC which lives outside all year, elasticated front and rear and 2 straps which go right under the car and tighten up so it stays secure in the wind. I only tend to use it from December to March when the car gets little just to keep any frost and snow off the car. However, as you use your car regularly I wouldn’t bother with a cover unless you have time to wash,dry, clay bar and wax the car before covering up as any dirt under the cover will turn it into sandpaper rubbing against the paintwork.
[quote=“TigerD58, post:12, topic:116796”] However, as you use your car regularly I wouldn’t bother with a cover
unless you have time to wash,dry, clay bar and wax the car before
covering up as any dirt under the cover will turn it into sandpaper rubbing
against the paintwork.[/quote]
You mean do this stuff every time I use the car? Which I do most days.
I don’t even know what a clay bar is. And prob don’t even want to!
I wash the car once a week, autoglyn polish twice a year, but that is all.
Washing & drying my car every day before a cover is not realistic for me.
Also, if it’s raining, I can’t dry the car before covering it.
I used to have a motorbike which I commuted on. I covered it up every day
after use. Often in the rain. I thought I could use a car cover the same way.
ie. wait 20 minutes for the exhaust to cool down, then put the cover on.
The big deal for me is bird droppings which damages the paint. (This
happened on my last MX5)
Also a cover hides the car, which stops car thieves. They rarely lift up a
cover to see what’s underneath. Unless they are targeting your car.
As you will obviously know having already owned an MX, Mazda paint is very soft and scratches easily. If you put a car cover over a dirty car you are basically covering it with a large sheet of sandpaper, which is why I suggested not bothering with a car cover if you use your MX every day. Best I can suggest for the bird poo is a trigger bottle of water and a microfibre cloth to soak and wipe away when they appear, Autoglym also do bird poo wipes which I am told by those who have used them are highly effective.
As for the clay bar, try it next time before you wax your car, you’ll be amazed at the difference. It is basically as it says, a piece of clay ( Bilt Hamber from Amazon) gently rubbed over the paintwork using, in the case of the Bilt Hamber, water applied as a lubricant. It will pick up and remove all the ingrained dirt from the paintwork that never gets removed by washing alone leaving the surface super smooth ready for waxing. Really easy to do, no need to apply pressure, just gently slide back and forth with finger tips a patch at a time, you can feel the resistance to movement lessen as the dirt is lifted. Only needs doing once or twice a year.
I have used a cheaper Halfords cover on a Scirocco if my in memory serves me well it was hardish material and moved around in the wind, I ended up with micro blister and scuffing, that’s why I spent the £195 on th the Classic Additions cover, a lot of money I know however it fits so snug (first time it seems too tight) that It can’t move around, it’s also a very soft material that in my opinion will not cause scuffing however I would not fit it to a dirty car obviously. In my opinion the full cover will be for long term cover of the clean car and I will probably get a good quality half cover to project the soft top and keep debris and water from finding its way to the rain rail and drain tubes probably a Classic Additions one (I’m investigating how easy/secure it is to use).
I purchased a Sealey SCCM All Seasons Car Cover 3-Layer - In Medium.
This was from their specs perfect on length but borderline on the width.
Sourced from DW tool’s ebay shop. £52.43 + Postage £2.99 Total £55.42
The cover was fitted today and the length and width are perfect.
Cover pulled up to show one of the three underside securing straps.
Loft ladder pole was used to push the underside securing straps, to the far side of the car.
I pushed the mirrors in. This was after fitting the cover and it’s certainly not necessary.
My reasoning is that this gives less area for the cover to billow in the wind. (I’m probably
overthinking this ) The cover comes with a storage bag which is zip expandable.
This is to facilitate easy cover repacking.
[quote=“TigerD58, post:12, topic:116796”] However, as you use your car regularly I wouldn’t bother with a cover
unless you have time to wash,dry, clay bar and wax the car before
covering up as any dirt under the cover will turn it into sandpaper rubbing
against the paintwork.[/quote]
After several weeks of car cover use, here are my findings.
I washed my car with Autoglym shampoo and dried the car with their
chamois leather. Then I carefully fitted the cover. I’ve repeated this on
five or six occasions. There have been periods of up to 5 days at a time
where the car was not used but it was covered.
I am noticing faint scratches appearing. Also, where the cover is tighter
against the body, a white powder appeared. This has the consistency of
talc. I suspect that this is paint varnish, as the paintwork in those areas
is substantially dulled. The whole point of the cover was to protect the car
finish, and slow down the inevitable effects of ownership.
The use of this car cover is accelerating wear on the paintwork.
I am now returning the cover.
Very disappointed.
[quote=“TigerD58, post:12, topic:116796”] …clay bar…[/quote]
Yes, my next purchase.
Thank you for your help.