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Looks like the XKR's going to be stored outside over the winter. I won't be driving it and will have blocks under the control arms and will only need access to inside every other week or so to fire it up. Any recommends on what'd be a good cover to have on that won't flap too much in the wind? Thanks!
I gave up using any type of cover during winters when I lived in Minnesota. They hold moisture IN as well as keeping it OFF. My whole shiny polished aluminum engine and accessories were all corroded in the spring due to the moisture below the car being trapped under the cover. It made a dastardly mess. Never will I ever, again. A really good wax/whatever paint sealant and some sun shields in the windows is all I do now.
@Mandrake Save your money on an outdoor cover, unless you don't care about your paint. All car covers, regardless of what the seller claims, move around and that friction will take its toll on the paint.
A better solution is to store your XKR in something like this:
@Mandrake Save your money on an outdoor cover, unless you don't care about your paint. All car covers, regardless of what the seller claims, move around and that friction will take its toll on the paint.
A better solution is to store your XKR in something like this:
Search "outdoor car storage" on Amazon.
Stuart
I set one of these up for my not-yet wife many years ago for her Cherokee. It worked well for two years until we got married. It bolted to the driveway.
Mine's been outside since I bought the car in dec 2015. Snow, rain, hard sun - paint still like it was when I bought the car. I did buy a cover but never used it - same concerns as other have expressed. In the depth of summer I have all the windows/glass covered with modified and cut up windshield sun shades.. Leather has stayed, good dash leather good. Only thing I lost was the roof liner after 9 years. Replaced it with a new 'un.
When snow is happening I do put a small heater on low in the car, melts the snow off the roof down to the bottom of the windows. I have used dry-z-air containers to keep the moisture content low - they are cheap if the car is not used for some time.
Free air is good as Cee_Jay said. I have a boat docked in the sea all year. I let lots of air flow freely through the boat and it remains dry, I never put heat on the boat in winter.
I have had my XK outside in NJ under a cover for almost 10 years. The paint is not "ruined" by the cover, and I am sure the paint on my car would be in much worse shape if left outside under trees and birds for the past 10 years. I currently have a Covercraft beige "evolution" material cover (part number C16962TK) that looks like it might be discontinued. I got it on close-out, but it has been the best cover yet, mostly due to it's durability. previous covers were "Noah" material which worked fine, but all of them got tears around the mirror pockets. Looking around online, the market seems to have changed a lot, with many of the old fabric brands like Noah and Evolution are no longer being marketed. Cover in the background
To lower the risk of paint damage, I use a California dust brush on the car before I put the cover on, and I take it to the local laundromat once a year and wash it with simple green (don't use regular detergent).
The cover *will* let fine dust get to the car since it is a breathable material... but it brushes off easily with the duster.
Winter cover recommendations.
