Daytime parking at work... cover?

[Sharondippity]

Should I get a car cover for daytime parking? My vette is garaged every night, however I am concerned about sun damage. Is it a valid worry or am I being overly cautious? There are a couple of other vettes at work that are never covered, and they have never shown any fading, of course one is black and the other is white, I'd like to know how white would fade ha ha.

But I have the torch red, does the clearcoat protect it from sun fading?

 

[78SilvAnniv]

Hi Sharondippity

...and a late welcome to Corvette Action Center.

I would think that today's paints are hardier than ones used in the past and your vette should not need a cover. I would be more concerned with a cover scratching the paint surface in windy conditions due to abrasives (dust and such) that you picked up on the vette during your drive to work.

Drive your vette and enjoy it, don't worry about the small stuff. My philosophy is that chips happen, but it doesn't affect how my 78 runs.
Heidi

 

[Copdogcorvettes]

The only I would worry about is interior fadding if anything. The dash can really get hot in the sun and well as the rear carpet. A good windsheild shade should protect the dash just fine.

 

[atmmac]

I wouldnt cover it. Some punk may see it and trash it thinking its funny cause you take such good care of it. I dont use a cover.

 

[singledad_9]

When ever I leave my toy out, I cover it. It avoids bird strikes, dust from the parking lot and possibly protects it from people opening their doors on it. Obviously its not covered in the rain and if I am parking for a short period. I also make sure that both the cover and the car both clean before covering it.

A lady came in and was laughing over someone parking their car in the office garage and covering it. There were more birds than cars in there. I told her that it was mine and she shut up really quick.

To me the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. I cover.

 

[Greg C]

It's a $50,000 dollar car.........if I drove mine to work everyday I would keep it covered.........keeps the sun away from the paint along with all the other contaminates in the air and also keeps the interior from drying out........if you don't use a cover you will have to clean the car alot more....any activinty on the paint shortens the time span between polishing & waxing............3-5 minutes to put it on......3-5 minutes to take it off........I think it would be a well spent 10 minutes.........
just my lowly opinion............

 

[ddtman]

Car Cover

I cover mine religously because living in Florida the UV fades anything. It also keeps it cooler (a litttle anyway) but more importantly it keeps the leather from aging so fast. Well worth the thirty seconds it takes to cover it.:cool

 

[tomls1]

mine stays in the garage at night, but i don't cover it at work...just 'cause i'm lazy. my biggest concern about leaving the car in the elements is hail...i still don't know what hail does to vettes (and i don't want to find out first hand).

if you don't mind taking a few extra minutes to protect your investment...i'd go for it (although, atmmac has a good point too).

 

[atmmac]

I wouldnt worry too much about fading. I wax my car almost once a week with color cure turtle wax. So fading is not really an issue!:cool

 

[singledad_9]

I intend to keep my vette for a very long time. Am not going to use color based waxes or polishes. Am not going to subject it to too much sun light and it likes it's terry cloth blankie. It runs better and gives me better gas mileage. Trust me.

 

[RedLdr1]

Sharondippity,

My 03 Torch Red coupe, with a black interior, is a daily driver and gets parked outside 5 days a week. I do not cover the car for multiple reasons. The biggest of which being the hassle..there's way to much rain in Atlanta to flop around a wet car cover...

As far as the interior fading the easy way to prevent that is to get a good window tint job. I have used Formula One on all my vehicles for the last 10 years and never had a fading problem. Their website is www.formulaone.com and it lists several dealer / installers in your area. The key to their tint is it is a metallic film that has a greater than 99% UV rejection. It also keeps my vehicles about 10 degrees cooler. It comes with a lifetime warranty against the cracking / fading / delaminating you see on the cheap plastic tints. Plus it is street legal and comes with a nice certificate stating that if the local police want to check.

To protect the dash I bought a fitted cover, from Ecklers I believe, and it will keep the dash looking new. I have read recently that the steering wheel tends to discolor so I keep a small dish towel to toss over it. It helps keep the wheel cooler as well. That is the only action I need to do as the rest is always in place...

Other than that it gets washed weekly and waxed with Meguiar's every other month...

Hope this helps..

 

[atmmac]

Whats wrong with color cure wax it gives it a nice shine and covers up pits?

 

[vettegirl]

I am wayyyy too lazy to put a cover on every day..

so I did the next best thing and claimed the previous owner of the company's parking "shed" when she retired. It has caused a little friction with the other employees, but me and my car are happy, and that's what matters - right???

:L :L :L

 

[Blade]

Drive and enjoy your Corvette. Do give it tender loving care. However, normal wear and tear is expected. You can’t always shield your car, otherwise you would put them in a car condom just to protect them from rocks, dirt, etc while driving.

Our indoor cats and several neighborhood cats come through the trap door in our garage to eat, drink, sleep and safe place. During cold months, they like to sleep on warm hoods. Therefore, I always keep the vette covered in the garage.

 

[Z51 Coupe]

I cover all my cars all the time, inside the garage and outside. Call me a fanatic but I believe in doing all I can to protect my investments.

Picking up my '04 roadster at the NCM this Tuesday and had a cover sent to Gary at the museum to hold for me when I get there so I have one after I leave the confines of the museum nursery. I always buy the best cover available too, Nevada/Calif sun is murder on paint and upholstery.