The Cover Company Frequently Asked Questions

Q. I am not sure what I need, is there someone I can chat through my needs with?

A. Definitely, our team of experts are available to talk you through the whole process, to help guide you to the best solution for you. Call us now on 01432 379357.

Q. Are your outdoor covers waterproof?

A. When we are asked this question we think of Gore-Tex. It still commands a price level 4 or 5 times that of a decent outdoor jacket. Why? Because it's breathability still makes it superior to most other fabrics. It uses body-generated heat to speed up the evaporation out. In extreme conditions moisture can pass through from the outside but it's breathability will allow that moisture to evaporate again.

Our outdoor car covers are highly breathable in a similar fashion. Gore-Tex for the car if you like, although the fabrics are different. It must be remembered that a thoroughly cold car cannot duplicate the body heat conditions to speed up evaporation. Condensation will form on all covered vehicles due to the thermal barrier created by the cover. In damp atmospherics, high humidity, if the vehicle is very cold or has been exposed to heavy rain moisture will be encouraged. Breathability is the ability for condensation to evaporate and pass through the material.

The nature of the fabrics allows moisture out slowly. Removing the cover before all moisture has evaporated leads many to believe that the moisture has leaked through the cover. Being breathable the fabrics used in our covers are between 92 - 96% waterproof.

During recent winters frost and snow have given way to frequent extremely heavy and prolonged rainstorms. Summer rainstorms are now 'tropical' in nature with a couple of inches falling in a few hours. In such conditions it is inevitable that some moisture will pass through the cover. It will evaporate out but for reasons stated earlier, it will take time.

A fully waterproof cover would never allow moisture trapped underneath to escape. This is potentially much more damaging to the vehicles finish and condition, particularly with today's water based paints.

There is a curious 1970's hangover regarding Car Covers and the British. Those of us old enough will remember the rust buckets that populated our roads then. Many wanted to preserve their treasured Viva or Morris 1100. Car Covers were purchased in many, many thousands in vain attempts to keep the inevitable rust at bay. The covers were made from very poor quality plastic based fabrics that were sold as being totally waterproof. They were crudely made and fitted poorly. Being fully waterproof, the covers caused more damage than they prevented. Moisture trapped underneath could and did lead to serious paintwork damage. Re-sprays were commonplace. This philosophy has been passed down the generations. We get regular requests for totally waterproof car covers from those much too young to remember those awful covers. You will find no fully waterproof Car Covers amongst any quality range.

On the other side of the Atlantic a totally different philosophy was growing. That philosophy has led to a massively more sophisticated and developed market than the UK. CAD-CAM design and manufacture has been an everyday reality for more than 20 years. From the early 60's the Americans developed a strategy of producing custom, fully tailored covers from high quality breathable fabrics. Breathability was recognised as an essential feature to give optimum protection to the vehicles finish. They have long recognised that rainwater is the least harmful pollutant that can fall on a car. When the cover fabric filters that rainwater it is even less harmful. They happily accept that some water will get through the cover because being breathable it will evaporate out. Their market has to cope with a much wider range of conditions from the deserts of Nevada to the harsh climate of Canada and Alaska. The result, most of the best Car Covers originate in the USA. All our custom made covers are made for us in the USA.

But what about the Rust? Rust has not been a problem since the mid 80's. Ford Sierras did not rust. 20 year anti-corrosion warranties are in place now. Metal and paint finishes are vastly superior to those of the 1970's together with the fact that huge amounts of the bodywork are plastic now. Tree sap, bird droppings, ultra violet light and airborne chemical pollutants are the major causes of damage to modern vehicles. The very sophisticated fabrics and stitching methods used in all our cover ranges offer very high levels of protection. A cover used with care and cleaned regularly will give many years of service.

Q. Do your outdoor covers stay in place in all conditions?

A. In all but the most extreme conditions the covers will stay in place. The fully tailored covers are cut to fit the vehicle like a second skin. They have an elasticated hem and are fitted with eyelets to allow the fitting of a security cable and lock. The closeness of the fit resists ballooning. The generic fit cover also has an elasticated hem and is fitted with a strong underbody strap.

Extreme conditions:

Our winters get wetter and warmer. Icy and snowy conditions lessen and are replaced by many more hours of continuous driving rain and heavily gusting gale force winds. Gusting, twisting gale force winds of 80 or 100mph ripping mature trees out of the ground are commonplace. The twisting motion of the wind twists the tree tearing the roots out of the ground. The force exerted can only be imagined. Electrical power is lost, sometimes for days at a time. In addition, Motorways and major bridges are closed because a 44 tonne truck cannot stay upright. Roads are being closed to cars fitted with a Roofbox. After such a night one or two calls will be received asking why their car cover has lifted or come off during the night. If domestic washing were left out overnight in the same conditions, it would guarantee that not a stitch would be left on the line. It would be miles away. If it is absolutely essential that if a cover must be used in such conditions then extra attention needs to be paid to its fixings. Extra eyelets can be fitted to the hem to allow extra strapping to be used. Alternatively large elastic straps can be added to hold the cover more firmly in place. Without extra precautions it is totally unreasonable to expect a car cover to stay in place when Electricity Pylons are being blown over. A lightweight fabric car cover is no substitute for a bricks and mortar garage though quite a few think it is.

Common sense prevails here. Not sure when it's not advisable to use your car cover? If you would not feel safe to camp out in such conditions then don't expect your car to. That is, after all, what your car will be doing under its cover.

Q. What is the difference between a fully tailored and semi-tailored/generic covers?

A. We think of it like a made-to-measure or an off the peg suit.

A fully tailored cover requires someone very experienced to measure the vehicle accurately and to produce a full pattern. That pattern is much more complex and has to be stored for potential future orders. The current library is 55,000 different patterns. Add a spoiler and a new pattern has to be created. When the cover is cut out, it is a one-off exercise. The whole exercise is very labour intensive but the end result is similarly satisfying to a very good quality made-to-measure suit.

The semi-tailored / generic cover is made to fit a series of similar shaped vehicles. An example is the Toyota Celica and the Hyundai Coupe. The outline is very close allowing one cover to fit both. Detail differences would prevent a fully tailored cover fitting both. The generic nature of these covers means that a large batch of covers can be laid on the cutting table and produced at the same time. The labour cost per cover is spread.

Q. Will the covers cause damage to the bodywork?

A. Most customers remember the totally waterproof nylon car covers of the 1980's. They sold at about £14.99 and were likely to cause more damage than they could prevent. The bodywork was often damaged by the fixing straps. If used for more than a few hours it was advised that a cotton sheet was placed on the vehicle to absorb the condensation that was trapped underneath. The sheet also helped protect the paintwork from being scuffed by the harsh nylon material. When used for a few days, the cotton absorbed so much condensation, the desire to keep the vehicle dry was truly defeated. Given a very windy night, many of the covers turned into bunting.

The covers we supply are 90 - 96% waterproof but more importantly, breathable. This allows condensation to escape. All the outdoor covers will protect against the most harmful air borne industrial pollutants, natural pollutants like bird droppings and tree sap, snow, ice, rain, and are resistant to ultraviolet light which damages paintwork (particularly reds) so much. The covers come with elasticated hems and fixing straps to ensure a snug fit and to minimise movement. The fully tailored range come with a cable and lock. Extra elasticated straps or even a transit net are available to fit over the cover if continually exposed to very windy conditions or if the vehicle is being trailored.

The indoor covers are specifically made for protecting the vehicle in an enclosed environment and will protect the vehicle from dust, scratches and knocks.

Q. Are your covers a good fit?

A. The main reason for this question is the perception that all car covers come in small, medium or large. Enter a Car Accessory store and that is your choice.

It goes without saying that a fully tailored cover will fit like a made to measure suit.

The semi-tailored / generic ranges are made up of series of cover designs to fit a similar range of vehicles. A Peugeot 406, Ford Mondeo and Volkswagen Passat have a very similar profile. The same cover fits all three. Covers are made for similar ranges of vehicles and fit very well indeed. You won't be left with a great overhang to try and tuck up somewhere or trying to stretch the cover like a drum skin to get it over the boot.

Q. Will your cover fit a convertible or open topped car?

A. Yes, there are many patterns in the fully tailored range. Many convertibles have a similar profile to their tin topped brethren when the roof is up so in the majority of cases the tin top semi-tailored/generic cover fits the convertible.

It is important that the roof is up when the cover if fitted to prevent the cover forming into a bowl and collecting rainwater. The same is true of the open top. The cover will need to be supported in some way for the same reason.

Q. Can I get into the car when the cover is on?

A. The Alpine and Dakar ranges have a door zip to allow entry. The zip has a protective flap inside to protect the vehicle.