waterproofing car cover

[merlot4]

My car has to live outside, so a car cover is invaluable. Although it isn't advisable to have a truly waterproof car cover since they don't breathe, I'm considering applying 303 technical fabric protection to the lightweight Tbird cover sold by Aaron; it's water repellent, but not waterproof and it's breathable material. Silicone type waterproofing, such as Thompsons, would appear to be counter-productive, but the 303 appears to have potential to permit the fabric to still breathe. I considered Nikwax since it can be used on GoreTex type materials, but I don't think it would work as well. Anyone have any thoughts on this? Thanks for the help!

[Borla Babe]

Re: waterproofing car cover

Richard, your guess that it might work is probably as good as any of ours. I might suggest you give 303 a call and ask them if they think their product is workable on that particular fabric. You might even call Aaron and ask him if your idea if advisable.
Good luck to you, hope your idea turns out to be a good one.

[Ediron]

Re: waterproofing car cover

My silver Ford lightweight cover is due for replacement.The heat and weather in S.Fl. has just about done it in.I use Gorilla glue to seal the seams were the thread has broken loose and I have to handle it gently as it now tears (gorilla tape ) . The cover is now 2 yrs. old so maybe sealing the seams maybe a help .

[Lonestar]

Re: waterproofing car cover

I do not know what kind of car cover you have or even if you have one at this time. If considering using a product to make a cover more waterproof then you might want to look at fabric protectant products made for outdoor fabric furniture. Additionally, RaggTopp protectant would be something to consider. One other option is to look at California Car Covers. They have covers for outdoor use that take a very long time to become saturated by rain and they still breath. The weave of a light weight cover will not keep the vehicle dry for long even with some form of protectant applied.

[merlot4]

Re: waterproofing car cover

I have an ancient Budge and also a new lightweight one from Aaron. I wasn't certain if anyone had tried this, so was primarily interested in personal experiences if available. Since this doesn't seem to on the radar I'll contact 303 and see what they have to say. I prefer to ask individuals as well as manufacturer, that gives a broader picture.The best cover, of course, would be a garage, but for now that isn't possible.Thanks for the thoughts and suggestions, they're appreciated. Richard

[merlot4]

Re: waterproofing car cover

OK, after some correspondence with the 303 company, I found out that 303 High Tech Fabric Guard can definitely maybe be used with success. I'll paste in information if anyone wishes (long), but to summarize, it cannot be used with polypropylene; it will not affect the breathability of specialty fabric; and it was emphasized that the key word is water repellency, not waterproof. A silicone product will likely end up causing more problems than it solves in the circumstance that we're discussing. The Weatherguard cover by Thunderbird Concepts is polyester, so that would be acceptable use. Unless the water repellent properties of the cover are reduced by age/friction/folding, I don't see a clear advantage with a redundant coating. Interestingly enough, it can be used to treat fabrics such as carpet to make them much easier to clean. It, and its companion product used to treat things like dashboards, appear to be cutting edge with clear advantages with regard to UV light protection and not causing the potential damage that something like ArmorAll is said to be capable of. On the strength of this information, I will be using their product on the dash and related products and the HTFG to renew my Marmot rain gear, but will not use it on the cover at this time, although the Budge would benefit from it.
There, a bit long winded, but I hope useful to someone.

[merlot4]

Re: waterproofing car cover

I finally got both 303 products and after taking care of my Marmot rain gear (I mention this by name since there are different proprietary coatings, such as Goretex, and Marmot has its own ideas) OK, in spite of my previous message, I went crazy and did the Stormguard car cover as well. It was easy to do on the clothes line and dried rapidly, probably due to the thinness of the material. They both shed water like a duck and theoretically still breathe. I should mention that I have never found breathing material to breathe in the sense of not building up a sweat, although perhaps charitably there is less sweat. After all, only so many molecules can crowd through the tiny openings. The 303 for the interior is said to block nearly all UV light, so the dash will benefit, as well as the plastic for the headlights. This is in theory, but is worth a shot. The plastic headlight applications for rock protection and UV are probably the best bet for that issue. DO NOT APPLY THE HTFG IN A CLOSED SPACE! IF YOU CAN SMELL IT, YOU'RE INHALING IT. There, now this really is the last word from me on this!

[CVCashmere]

Re: waterproofing car cover


Any idea where you can buy the 303 product in store? Or where to buy on the internet?
thanks

[Wheats]

Re: waterproofing car cover

Been using both 303 protectant(all interior and exterior trim) and fabric guard for the convertible and love it.
I purchased at the local Ace hardware store and online @ autogeek.com

Ken

[merlot4]

Re: waterproofing car cover

I got mine at a pool supply company because I wanted it now, but it's available at Amazon at a decent price. I strongly suggest you go to the 303 site to see and evaluate for yourself. If you do use the HTFG on a cover, don't apply it while the cover is on the car! Good luck.
http://www.303products.com/

[mike6187]

Re: waterproofing car cover

I'm currently using covercraft car covers, I think I'm now going to try this 303 protectant. I already heard/read so much about it, i think it's now time to have it a try. :)

[merlot4]

Re: waterproofing car cover

Mike, I thought I had updated this, I guess it's in another thread. Waterproofing the cover with this product didn't pan out since the thin cover ended up getting soaked in a good rain. It was highly effective, however, in re-waterproofing my rain gear. It might have worked better with more applications, but I ran out of patience with it. The surface protecting product seems like a good thing, but I'll only know how effective in the years to come. IMHO the best bet for a waterproof cover is to buy one that already is -and that breathes, otherwise you may be in for more problems than you're solving. Good luck.