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Car cover for Dart, fleece not recommended

Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2018 11:51 am
by John-B
I need a car cover for two to three months next spring or summer while my garage is rebuilt.

A quick look at Halfords shows a basic cover without a fleece lining and an all-weather cover with a fleece lining which should not be used on fibreglass or carbon fibre bodies. Why is this? Is there a reaction between fleece and fibreglass?

This statement would therefore probably apply to any other make with fleece.

If I bought one with a fleece lining would it be OK to put it over cotton dust sheets?

Re: Car cover for Dart, fleece not recommended

Posted: Thu Sep 06, 2018 1:56 pm
by Sydsmith
John. I had to store my SP250 out doors and put a fleece lined cover on it for several months when I first got it. The result was small goose pimple blisters all over the body.

My body paint man at the time said it was because the paint had not cured completely and the exclusion of air had caused a reaction with the paint under the top coat.

But it may be that for some reason the paint on a fibre glass body reacts if a fleece lined cover is used.

The paint on my car is very poor and though the car has been garaged for years I have also had problems with chalking, which I have to cut back with "t" cut from time to time. That may or may not be for the same reason. Syd.

Re: Car cover for Dart, fleece not recommended

Posted: Thu Sep 06, 2018 4:09 pm
by John-B
That's put me off a fleece-lined cover! As I only want a cover for a few months I don't want to spend a lot of money and I can't find someone with an empty garage at the moment.

Since it will be needed in spring or summer I may not need insulation, just a protective and breathable cover that won't sweat underneath.

I think I've found one here
https://www.classicadditions.com/en-GB/ ... prod_10075
which says "These lightweight breathable car covers are ideal for cars in regular use that are kept outside or partially covered. These covers are showerproof and will also help protect the car from other contaminants such as bird droppings and tree sap.

As the car cover is fully breathable the cover may be used inside or outside. The lightweight fabric provides the perfect combination of a weather resistant car cover which allows any existing water on the car to evaporate through the fabric. Each car cover comes with three straps as standard for extra security. May be used with a cable lock (ordered separately) and a DIY permit window if requested.

These Lightweight covers are part of our standard fit range."

It doesn't mention fleece, but the Ultimate Outdoor Cover does recommend using the lightweight cover if the car has been re-sprayed recently so perhaps that is a clue. I'll have to check.

Re: Car cover for Dart, fleece not recommended

Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2018 7:34 am
by Mike0Ryan
Hello John,

You'll remember that I have also been looking into a car cover for my SP250, and having a hard time deciding which one to get. I haven't found any compelling options here in the USA and so have been looking into UK suppliers. Halford's suggestion that fleece shouldn't be used on fiberglass bodies is certainly interesting.

For what it's worth, Classic Additions makes their top-end SP250 custom fit indoor covers with "a soft fleecy inner".

https://www.classicadditions.com/en-GB/ ... 073-167134

And Coverdale uses a "soft fleece lining" in their "luxury indoor" SP250 car cover.

https://www.carcarpets.co.uk/daimler-da ... 4683-p.asp

I'm not sure who to believe.

Re: Car cover for Dart, fleece not recommended

Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2018 7:27 pm
by tjt77
id like to chime in here and add my 2c worth:- As well as having soft surface on the paint side, its critical that the cover can 'breathe' or problems just like the one discussed here will occour in climates like UK.. if moisture is trapped twixt cover and paint for any length of time, moisture can breach through paint and cause the very sort of 'micro blister' action described ... a couple of decades back when shipping cars across the atlantic in standard containers, we had numerous problems with paint micro blistering ( the very best quality meterials along with proper metal prep was strictly adhered to) .. the issue turned out to be heavy condensation within the shipping container.. allowing several gallons of water to build up on the container floor which flooded out when container was opened .. we resolved the issue by covering the whole car in a heavy layer of wax and packing the interior, under bonnet and inside of boot with desiccant to absorb the moisture ..
AT this time, Im actually dealing with damage caused by damp on a car that sat outside a few winters in coastal N America, directly caused by leaving the car out under a NON BREATHABLE car cover.. very frustrating ... far more to restore than meets the eye.. not only blistered paint..things such as MANY hours spent removing wire wheels that had stuck firmly on their splines..stuck door locks and window mechanisms, mould on headliner, peeling wood veneer, disintegrated door cards etc etc... were it not a unique car, I would not have bothered to take it on..