In the eyes of most car owners, car covers may seem like a needless extravagance used mostly by auto collectors or by the enthusiastic young adult male who just spent all of his earnings on a new set of wheels. But, a trunk-load of practical reasons exist for using car covers, and any automobile owner would appreciate the benefits of using them on a daily basis.
Protection from Natural and Human Influences
One of the more obvious reasons for using car covers is to protect a vehicle from environmental damage. Depending on where you live, your car endures a wide range of daily abuses just by sitting on a driveway, along a street, or in a parking lot. Wind blown sand, sea salt, tree sap, bird droppings, dirt, dust, falling twigs or other debris, and weather conditions like rain, ice, and snow can take an expensive toll on a car’s exterior.
Moreover, car covers protect the inside of your car from exposure to sunlight. Interior temperatures never reach sweltering heights on hot, sunny days when a cover is being used, and interior fabrics and materials are protected from damage by the sun’s harmful UV rays. Materials like vinyl, plastics, upholstered fabrics, and leather that are exposed regularly and over lengthy periods of time to ultraviolet rays can become cracked, discolored, and weakened. Environmental conditions quickly age a vehicle’s interior and exterior, and covers are a simple way to significantly slow down that process.
Car covers are also helpful in discouraging theft because they keep expensive interior components out of view. And, covers can prevent the harmless, but curious, passerby from peeking into car windows and leaving fingerprints on your car’s exterior. Thicker covers can even prevent minor dings caused by thoughtless neighbors in the parking lot.
Selecting the Best Car Cover
What is the best kind of car cover to choose? Comparing the available materials is an essential first step. If your vehicle is kept outside for much of the day, look for a cover constructed with breathable material. Breathable covers allow condensation to escape from underneath. Over time, moisture unable to evaporate from under covers can cause mildew or corrosion and discoloration. Look also for a car cover that offers superior weather protection. The best materials are the newer, high-tech, multi-layered materials that are breathable, lightweight, rugged, and can handle extremes in temperature and weather conditions. These materials will protect more successfully than poor quality materials like plastic or vinyl.
A cover that fits properly is an important characteristic to insist upon when it comes to choosing the right one for your vehicle. Covers that are too big for the vehicle can fill with air like a balloon on breezy days. If not secured well, a ballooning cover can rip or blow right off of the car. Even if the cover does not blow off of the car, the extra fabric that thrashes against the car’s finish repeatedly on windy days can damage the finish over time. Car covers that fit snugly and that are equipped with ties, drawstrings, or elastic hems are the best options. Even better are custom car covers that are made to fit your car exactly. Custom car covers tend to cost more, but many automobile owners believe the extra expense is worth it.
In general, taking care of our big investments, like vehicles, is more important than ever now that rough economic times make it difficult to trade in our existing vehicles every few years for shiny new models. Protecting a vehicle with a top quality car cover is an easy and practical way to keep that car’s exterior and interior in like-new condition for as long as the car continues to run.
Trey Collier is co-owner of MightyCovers.com, specializing in high quality, durable Custom Covers and Ready-Made Stock Covers to protect practically everything under the sun, including Car Covers.
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