Car cover or no car cover.

[N80]

I have a 2007 Nissan 350Z that is now used almost exclusively as a track car. It has beautiful Daytona Blue Metallic paint and from 10-15 steps away it still looks pretty good. Any closer and it looks like an 11 year old track car. Many tiny paint dings. Rubber smudges all over from thrown up tire clag and a few little dints.

I do not have a garage. So it sits outside 24/7 under oak and pecan trees. It does not get regular attention and only gets washed a few times a year. I do rinse it off pretty frequently and blow the leaves off whenever I have the blower out. I looked at it today....track day coming up next weekend...and it looks terrible. Lots of sap stains, bird poop and a pattern of black moldy looking stuff that is hard to rub off.

So I'm wondering about the pros and cons of a car cover. Interested in opinions and experience.

 

[oosik]

My experience goes back to using a plain old tarp over my Toyota FJ40. Everything was OK except the wind. The wind caused the tarp to flutter - fluttering tarp buffed the paint job. It was just an FJ40 so the buffed areas were touched up with a rattle can. Probably wouldn't be so nice on a cool paint job.

 

[4570Man]

A stand alone cover would help. A cover that lays in the car is awful.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Reminds me of a friend a long time ago with a brand new GM p/u. The brass grommet on a tarp, just peaned the outer corner of his bed terrible!

 

[atsah]

Just buy one of those shelter logic thingy's, when the cover starts leaking replace it with metal roofing.. You don't want a tarp on the car.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

Call these folks. I bought one for my '59 Impala. It stays indoors, so I bought a basic dust cover that also serves as a "bump" cover. They were really helpful, and I bought just exactly what I needed. I have a 2002 Ford F150 that has set out since new; it looks great...but it sits on the drive, not under the trees, no cover,and I wash it maybe twice a month. Paint on the old Impala would have been gone a long time ago.

California Car Cover Co. Official Site | Custom Fit Car Covers & Accessories for New & Classic Cars On Sale

 

[timswi]

Call these folks. I bought one for my '59 Impala. It stays indoors, so I bought a basic dust cover that also serves as a "bump" cover. They were really helpful, and I bought just exactly what I needed. I have a 2002 Ford F150 that has set out since new; it looks great...but it sits on the drive, not under the trees, no cover,and I wash it maybe twice a month. Paint on the old Impala would have been gone a long time ago.

California Car Cover Co. Official Site | Custom Fit Car Covers & Accessories for New & Classic Cars On Sale

I restored a 68 F100 for my FIL about 20 years ago--It has to sit out in the summers and he uses a CA Cover on it...Works great and the truck still looks nice.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

I restored a 68 F100 for my FIL about 20 years ago--It has to sit out in the summers and he uses a CA Cover on it...Works great and the truck still looks nice.

Howzabout a picture?

 

[N80]

I live in town on a street with older homes. Driveway is in front of the house to one side and a shelter logic type thing wouldn't do....probably not even legal, I don't know. I even have reservations about the car sitting in the driveway with a car cover on it. I would not use a tarp. It would have to be a more or less fitted thing. I'll look at the CA Covers. I washed it yesterday and I had to scrub hard to get that black stuff off of it.

 

[bigtiller]

A good way to fake people out with street racing is putting a V8 in a Pinto. But it only works once, then everyone knows about it.

Same with your Nissan, show up at the track with it just as it is. It might be worth a ribbon.