Best Outdoor Breathable Cover for a 480

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Martin Mc
480 Rookie
Posts: 457
Joined: Tue May 29, 2012 11:57 am

Best Outdoor Breathable Cover for a 480

Post by Martin Mc » Tue Jul 07, 2020 3:51 pm

Hello fellow wedgie folks,

I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts about outdoor covers for the 480 (I seem to remember some debate about their tendency to scratch). The recently departed to pastures new Paris Blue ES had a very easy to use indoor cover to keep her dust free (ish) whilst in the garage, but that went with the car. Now that we are converting the garage into a studio for my work / Gin Palace for Maeve to socialise in, it means that Nilani will have to live outdoors, at least until I can put up some kind of car port.

So, your thoughts / recommendations please - breathable, heavy duty, lined - what are your experiences?

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Lonely, I'm so lonely!

All the best!

Martin
1991 ES White / 1995 ES Red / 1995 ES Red / 1994 S Black / 1995 Celebration Red / 1994 S Paris Blue / 1995 Celebration (again!) Red - Currently free of all extramarital cars, wrench-loose and fancy free :)

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MisterH
480 Is my middle name
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Joined: Sat Nov 24, 2018 6:15 pm
Location: Stockbridge

Re: Best Outdoor Breathable Cover for a 480

Post by MisterH » Tue Jul 07, 2020 4:44 pm

The Halfords ones are alright, a bit hit and miss, but I am not convinced how well they keep the rain off, we use one for the quattro and its not outstanding but it does the job, they now have this strange plastic top on them and I am really not sure that its great for paint
Current Jobs to do (23/1/22):
Fix Central Locking
Fix drivers side speaker
Annoying Scratching Squeak
Water leaks
Complete Front O/S rebuild

Alan 480
480 Is my middle name
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Joined: Sun Aug 28, 2011 9:03 am
Location: Aberdeen

Re: Best Outdoor Breathable Cover for a 480

Post by Alan 480 » Tue Jul 07, 2020 6:37 pm

general thoughts seem to be 'not' but then I have the advantage of a car port and used to leave the sun roof open in all but the worst of weathers.

480 rear light/hatch/window/seal/wiper wires are the source of the leakage and I guess a way to keep weather away from that area would be useful?

maybe an old 'flannelette' sheet(s) thrown over the car before some water-proof cover might be a compromise, I have adopted this for the garage due to amount of debris in the air from my various other projects . . . .

the sheets let the dirt pass through hence the impervious layer :wink:

if only 'short term', but maybe not for daily on/off approach?
Alan

480 ES 2litre 'Celebration' ? , C30 1.8ES, SS1

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dragonflyjewels
480 Is my middle name
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Location: Norfolk

Re: Best Outdoor Breathable Cover for a 480

Post by dragonflyjewels » Tue Jul 07, 2020 8:16 pm

We use breathable fleece-lined covers - as much against the rain as UV damage. However, they are a real pain if you need to use the car when the cover is wet. Without the luxury of somewhere to hang it to drip, it has to be folded wet and then you are likely to get the fleece lining wet. They are also very bulky and quite heavy. We find even with breathable ones we tend to get a bit of condensation on the rear hatch, so once it stops raining I fold the cover onto the roof and let it all dry. Alan's idea of a separate cotton under cover would be the answer - might try that with a non-breathable over-cover when ours need replacing. Unless of course my plan for a new double garage actually happens!
Sylvia

Snazzy - 1993 Paris Blue ES red dipstick 2.0i bought 2001
Lethal Lily - 1991 White Turbo
Paris the Unicorn - 1991 Paris Edition
hubby has
Sven - 1994 Racing Green GT
Evil Eva - 1992 Paris Blue Turbo

no previous 480s - can't bear to sell any

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