Porsche Boxster outdoor car cover

[nickdavias]

Hi. I have a 2002 Porsche Boxster, which unfortunately is out in the Australian elements almost all the time (no undercover parking at home or at work!). I am thinking of buying a Porsche outdoor car cover, but before I spend $$$ wondered whether anyone out there has any experience with them - do they effectively protect without scratching, how quick & easy are they to put on and take off, etc.? Any advice would be GREATLY appreciated.

Nick

[Spinnaker]

I've been using a cover for almost two years. It isn't hard to take off, and once you develope a routine for taking it off and folding it in a certain way each time, it is not hard to put back on. The only frustration is when you screw up and don't lay it on the car properly. Figuring out which end is which, in the dark, can be a pain when you have to turn the whole thing around to get the proper orientation. I took a marking pen and labeled the area next to the grommets to mark the left and right side on the inside surface, to make sure I have it layed out properly. No problems with scratching of the paint, but I NEVER put the cover on when the car is dirty. If the cover gets dirt on the insides of it, I figure it will scratch the paint anytime it touches the car. If the car is dirty, I wash it before the cover goes on. I am getting pretty good at washing the car in the dark. Use a chamois to dry the car or you will get water spots that look like the weave of the fabric.
I wash the cover once a year and treat it with 303 fabric guard whenever it starts to look like the rain is begining to soak in to the weave, and it rains a lot here.

[jmatta]

Putting on and taking off shouldn't be an issue. For a while, we had too many cars and one of my 911s needed to live outside. I purchased a nice four layer Covercraft Weatherguard cover and didn't have issues, though the car was white (don't think the results would have been as good on a dark car).

As Spinnaker mentioned, keeping the underside clean is very important to the health of your paint. I still have the cover, but use it on one of my cars in the garage.

[Pinarelloman]

Hey mate, I am also in Aus & the local auto accessory shop has a great selection of car covers.
Try Supercheap Auto.
Might save you the expense of a genuine Porsche cover.
Dave
2001 Boxster S