Hi,
I was given a car cover by a relative of mine. It was actually very new. I was told that it was 4 ply or 4 layer-something like that. I know that the cover needs to breathe but it rained the other day and when I took the cover off the car was a little wet. It needed a wash badly as well. I guess this is not normal? Any advice on a good car cover??
Jomo

 

Best advise I can give you is don't put a cover on a dirty car. It raised hell with the paint job. There is a wide selection of covers on Amazon from $80 up to $400.
Buy one the is custom fitted to your XJS. Some are specific to deterring sun fading while others cover the whole spectrum and breathable. Read the reviews. Very helpful.

 

Yeah the car needs to be squeaky clean to use a cover on it, I have been through 3 of them being a student with no garage. Usually there is enough slack for air to flow around the cover when its raining.

If it not water proof fabric but a fabric with waterproofing on it, it will wear out either over time or from lots of sun exposure. You can tell when this happens because the cover will start sticking to the car after a rain because it penetrates the cover, this leaves big water marks on the car, but still protects from the sun, which is worse here in florida.

I recently got a cover that is soft on the inside and a thin plastic/vinyl on the outside so it is truly water proof.

Keep in mind they DO make dust covers that aren't waterproof at all, either way definitely clean it, the cover slides around and will rub scratches into it if there is something to rub.

also don't forget to laugh at yourself the first time you try to put it on by yourself after a fresh wax....

 

Personally, and its just my opinion, I would leave the car cover OFF

You're more likely to do harm than good, if the wind whips up and it flaps about causing untold damage in the form of scratches etc.

I'm part of the NO cover brigade, but each to their own.

 

It depends on where you are. I have used a cover since I got my car, with one year off because my cover went bad. SO much has happened in that one year.

I got my car in 2010 and nothing inside or outside has really changed until I stopped using the cover. I have never had scratches as a result of it because I always keep it clean.

without a cover for 9 months has caused my entire trunk lid to haze over, the stitching to come out of the back seat, the 3rd brake light to fall down, and all the fabric in the glovebox to come unglued.

If you have no other options the cover, properly used, will protect a lot more damage the sun will cause than it can ever cause itself.

 

I only cover my XK8 and XJSC during the winter months, and they're stored indoors. So my covers only go on after I detail them, and only serve to protect the car from dust, etc.

I purchased them both from Coverking, and I must say they're the best covers I've used. They offer a wide range of products depending on your use, but be prepared to pay a premium ($400+). Needless to say, they're custom fit for the car. I've found their patterns to be very accurate.

As to my opinion on the cover/no cover debate for outdoor storage... I can't speak from experience, other than saying the cover should only be used if the car is freshly washed and has some sort of paint protection (wax, sealant, etc.) applied. Otherwise the wind blowing the cover against a dirty car will result in any debris on the car causing abrasion on the paint surface.

 

Dido, on that, I got mine from there, bought one of the pricer one