hey ya'll. my Mini's currently parked under the sun the WHOLE day, being exposed to mid 30's (celsius) heat. would it be advisable to use a car cover with a breathable kind of fabric AND reflects UV rays (if it exists) to protect my Mini?

 

Couldn't hurt, as long as you have a good cover, and you don't put it on a dirty car or a wet car.

I have two car covers. One I would highly recommend and the other I would sell you for half the price I bought it. No... I wouldn't because I have nothing against you. Read: it sucks.

If you want a good one, get it from Bavarian Autosport.

 

Definitely would help keep your car cooler and in the long run keep the rubber seals and wipers in better shape. It's not on my Mini but I use a Silvertech cover on another vehicle.

http://store.sevensaturdays.com/sicarwaco.html

It reflects heat like no other car cover I've used. I have a couple Noah 4 layer type covers I use too.

If you're rather not get a universal Silvertech cover, any cover will be better than nothing.

 

any feedback from the numerious Mini-specific car covers? (OEM and the like)

 

Stay away from the MINI-specific covers at MINI Mania. That's the one I was referring to in my earlier post that sucks.

The one I recommend from Bavarian AutoSport is custom made to fit the MINI.

http://www.bavauto.com/shop.asp

 

what about an ezup shelter.. keep everything off the car..
i like covers in garages.. dust cover.. '
people put covers on dirty cars.. that has to be a bad thing

google.

ez up car cover
see what you find

 

http://www.avidoutdoors.com/carshelter.html

check that out

 

A cover is a great idea for sun. I lived in Phoenix for a number of years and I would use a cover whenever possible. It made a huge difference in keeping the car clean and looking new.
The only down side is the UV will eat up a cover in a few years. But this is much better than the damage being done to your car.

 

The downside to an ez-up or a car shelter like wvphoto mentioned is how secure can you make it? Are you in a place where you can stake it down? A big gust of wind and those poles are denting your Mini. I'd stick with a cover if you can't permenantly mount an EZup or other shelter.

 

I think the EZ-up things are eye-sores anyway. Put one of those up and your neighbors might form a lynch party.

 

true.. not pretty.
but if you have property ?
and yes.. stake them down !!!!

but not a pretty thing

 

Update for anyone who finds this thread while researching car covers:

My Bavarian Autosport car cover has started allowing water through when it rains. It's about two years old now and I'm not sure why it lost it's waterproofing properties, but it has.

 

Nothing that's waterproof, stays waterproof forever. In the military, we get issued Gortex jackets and clothing articles. After a few years and washes, you have to buy a waterproof spary for them. It's just the nature of the beast.

 

Yeah, I wore that Gortex jacket in the Air Force for many years.

I had higher hopes for a car cover though. But you're probably right... my expectations were too high.

 

I had a car cover yearssssss ago, and it did the same thing yours did. You would think they'd be able to come up with something that would stay waterproff a little longer. Oh well !!

 

CR&PW&JB wat the heck? cross posting about the starch again?


if your car's parked out doors 100% of the time and is a dd, i would
just wash it frequently and keep a nice coat of wax on it.

 

Every outdoor water proof cover I've used hasn't really been waterproof material. It's been a multilayer breathable material that is coated with a waterproofing agent. When the cover was new, did water bead on it like it was waxed? If it did, then the water proof coating has worn away.

 

Yeah, it did bead and didn't allow a DROP of water to get through... I loved that about it.

I guess two years is its shelf life in this environment.

 

i would definitely get a cover on it if its in the sun. I was replacing all of my speakers recently and the rear grills (plastic) were so sun beaten that they snapped instead of simply unclipping. Prolonged UV light makes plastics brittle, not to mention the fade you can get on your car's interior and exterior.

 

The OP's post was from a year ago. I hope he's covered his MINI since then.

I resurrected the thread from the dead earlier today.

 

whoops... sorry!

 

Sort of like the 'ol blue tarp. Waterproof material until sun/heat wear it out. 2 years isn't bad unless it was an expensive custom cover.

 

Nah, not too expensive. Pretty much in line with most other outdoor covers.