I need to free up some space in my garage to get some work done so I am going to have to store one of my cars on my covered patio for a couple of months. I would like to get an outdoor car cover though as rain and snow occasionally blow under the awning when it gets windy. I don't want to spend a lot of money on a high dollar cover though since this will just be a temporary situation and I won't likely have any use for the cover afterwards. Recommendations on a cover are appreciated.

You can probably put one of these up cheaper than a good outdoor cover, plus it won't be riding on the paint.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/produc...jAaAivnEALw_wcB

Those things suck and he already has a awning/patio to put it under.
A day like today with 30kts gusts will wreck that cheap cover in a hurry and damage your car.

Been there and done that at work. We tried one of those, a heavy duty commercial one. It wore out in 6 months and came apart numerous times and even after I bolted it together instead of pins. I used good concrete anchors to bolt it to concrete. The plastic bases that I anchored down cracked allowing the frame to move. The white material was blown to shreds in 6 months. Ours cost like 350 bucks, it was not a cheap one. It was made by shelter logic. Cool name.


I stored my car under a awning for 5 years or more, I have gone through numerous covers and California car covers are the way to go. Spend the big bucks the first time, it is cheaper and better for your car in the short run not to mention the long run.


Now I store that car in my airplane hangar. It is getting new California cover for inside the hangar.

My wife's GT mustang is under our back porch awning under a California Car Cover. It is the best cover I ever owned and is a deal compared to the 3 I bought before it for my cars.

This is our rear awning where my black challenger was parked. I have a scissors lift that I stored the car up on, it got it off the ground and offered more protection from the rain and snow. I always had a cover on it.

This what happens when you get drunk and forget to put the cover on the car.


And
forget to close the hood...LOL

It is running in this picture melting the snow off the engine^^^^^^^

Those cheap grey covers are just that, cheap. They fall apart rather quickly and leave lot's of dust all over your car. Almost best without one of those cheap grey covers. There are some better grey covers, the price will tell you the difference.

I said this too, just for a few months to get some work done in my 2 car garage. I got some work done but my car stayed outside for years when it was only gonna be one winter. You can use the good outdoor cover inside after you bring the car back inside. All my cars are under cover inside. Protects against dings and chips.

How about a disposable plastic cover over your regular cover to keep any rain/snow off the car.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2-PACK-Clear-Pl...e/190817884902?

[quote=steve70]How about a disposable plastic cover over your regular cover to keep any rain/snow off the car.

I've done that with a project car and it worked fine.

What ever you do make sure the car cover is snug and won't slide around in the wind as it can rub thru the tops of fenders on cars with old or thin paint. You could always put some strips of the blue painters tape on the top edges to help protect it and then remove them later.

Just bought a California car cover I will tell you how it works out . .

I have a California car cover for the Charger, and it is a good cover. Had the Charger stored outside for over a year with the cover on it.
If storing where it is windy, mine did get blown partly off and rubbed the paint when I only used the center tie-down holes. A few extra straps or ropes around the trunk and hood should help keep the cover from rubbing and blowing around.

I also bought one of those 7-layer car covers off E-bay for the Jensen, and it is actually pretty nice, but I haven't used it outdoor for more than a few days.

Can not answer what is the best car cover but I will be the first to say.

Best thing for your car is no cover. This is the best defense against moisture.

Very true...plastic would be a bad idea for long term storage. More than 3-4 daysat a time.

A good car cover breathes and beads water like magic, That red cover above in my pictures does both really well. The water runs off of it like it was plastic and it breaths really well. It fits so good I would be surprised to see it blown off. After 2 years of use the wife's GT is still flawless paint wise.

Following as well. I'm not overly concerned about my paint, but I would like to keep some UV rays off of the interior as well. [Warlock and Dart]

For several Winters, we left one of my Fiancé’s cars out in the driveway for the Winter; no awning or anything. We put a cheap car cover on it and then covered it with two overlapping tarps that were attached with bungy cords under the car.

The car was a convertible and had a bad leak which is why we tarped it. We cleaned the car each Fall before doing this and in the Spring, when we uncovered it, the car looked as clean as the day we covered it up the previous Fall.

Just an option to think about.

a couple of days ago, i saw an outdoor "bubble" cover deal by someone, whom i forgot almost as soon as i read the add. it was [if i remember] in the new issue of either "street rodder" or "street scene" magazine. it made me think of this topic. i don't think i would like to try one of those in the winters around here.

I have a California Car Cover on my Road Runner for about 2 years now that I used to throw on my Charger for the winter in the garage for over 25 years. It has still held up well even outdoors. I don't really use it to protect the car. I mainly use it to hide it as an eye sore from the neighbors. (Yeah, it is that rough of a project car). I did notice the other day the cover was starting to turn a little green in a few spots, has moss or algae starting to grow on it from the tree above. It will probably need a good power washing once spring comes back around.

I had a waterproof California Car Cover and after enough time in the rain water will go thru it. I ended up putting a tarp over the car cover to keep the water out.

If it was under the awning I wouldn't put a cover on it. Every cover I have seen traps moisture to some extent. Yeah, a good breathable one would work, inside where there's little moisture to contend with. Outside, I would rather a little rain or snow get on it that can dry off and get some air flow.

Canopy frame and cover sold separately.