Car Covers

[peteo48]

Just wondered if anybody could recommend a car cover for the Mk2 Jazz. I've been on the Cox Motor Parts website and there doesn't appear to be a custom made one. I've also looked at Halfords and many of their universal covers get mixed reviews.

[pb82gh3]

Cant't say how good this will be , but Lidl are selling a half car cover on Sunday for £4.99
See  http://www.lidl.co.uk/en/our-offers-2491.htm?id=1006

[guest1372]

Had an Argos generic cover for one of our cars a few years back, only lasted one season.  Would probably have been OK as a dustcover in the garage but UV light & wind killed it.

A bit of frost and snow won't harm the Jazz if it's had a polish.
--
TG

[peteo48]

I actually don't need a cover that often but I don't have a garage and the front of our house is north facing so it can take ages for the frost to melt naturally and it's always on the rare occasions when I need the car early. I might take a punt on the Lidl one - at a fiver at least I won't lose much.

Otherwise the invisible garage of Bilt Hamber wax suffices!

[culzean]

I actually don't need a cover that often but I don't have a garage and the front of our house is north facing so it can take ages for the frost to melt naturally and it's always on the rare occasions when I need the car early. I might take a punt on the Lidl one - at a fiver at least I won't lose much.

Otherwise the invisible garage of Bilt Hamber wax suffices!

I found that treating window glass with Rainex or similar will make ice, snow and frost almost fall off (especially on side windows,  it works for a while on windscreen and back screen but scuffing by wiper blades and screenwash solution quickly reduces its effectiveness.

[olduser1]

I keep an old cover from Aldi/Lidl in the boot , spead over the Jazz when out in winter evenings.
By the time I've unclipped the cover with the engine on and front / rear heaters on full our Jazz has clear screens to allow safe drive away

[longlegpete]

I've never been a fan of car covers, putting a cover over paintwork that may have some road grit etc in places is at best bad news, add some wind and possible condensation it can be like using wet and dry paper on your paintwork,   I'd rather leave it exposed to the elements

[culzean]

I've never been a fan of car covers, putting a cover over paintwork that may have some road grit etc in places is at best bad news, add some wind and possible condensation it can be like using wet and dry paper on your paintwork,   I'd rather leave it exposed to the elements

Its only really the sun (and bird sh!t ) that damages paintwork.   As you rightly say the risks of covering the car, which can be scratching, also the reduced airflow results in keeping the humidity high under the cover and this can encourage rust and mould,  and if the cover freezes to the paint it can cause damage when trying to get cover off.

[peteo48]

I've never been a fan of car covers, putting a cover over paintwork that may have some road grit etc in places is at best bad news, add some wind and possible condensation it can be like using wet and dry paper on your paintwork,   I'd rather leave it exposed to the elements

Its only really the sun (and bird sh!t ) that damages paintwork.   As you rightly say the risks of covering the car, which can be scratching, also the reduced airflow results in keeping the humidity high under the cover and this can encourage rust and mould,  and if the cover freezes to the paint it can cause damage when trying to get cover off.

Good points and, for these reasons, I would only use it occasionally. I may actually just go for something to cover the windscreen - for some reason the ice is always harder to get off on the windscreen. I might also give rainex a go - never used it before.

[guest4871]

I would use a cheap cover for the windscreen and possibly Rainex on the side windows only - but not on the windscreen.

I have found from experience that once Rainex is used on the windscreen and wears out that the wipers for ever leave a fine mist on each sweep which is difficult to see through. It is very difficult to remove worn Rainex from the windscreen. Probably the best product to do that is Barkeepers Friend but it can be hard work.

You can, of course, renew the Rainex every couple of months all year long but that also becomes a flog and expensive. Certainly snow slides off if you use Rainex - so it is good on the side windows but not, in my view, sensible on a windscreen although it is sold as such.

A windscreen cover is cheaper, quicker and safer IMHO.

[Defender]

I use a cheap windscreen cover on the Jazz, as I did this morning and hang it up to dry near the boiler at home!
The only issue is that it only covers about 65% of the screen, as the Jazz has a very large raked screen?
It has a couple of 'wings' that help secure it using the doors and I park the wipers vertically to keep it held over the drivers side as in the past I have had 'lift' and ended up with frost under the cover
 

[jazzway]

We too use a cheap windscreen cover (Lidl, Aldi) with wings, and the wipers are resting on wine bottle corks against freezing.