Chevrolet Corvette Car Cover Guide

It is near impossible to completely protect your beloved Vette while driving, but a car cover can provide shelter from increased wear or damage to the paint and finish when the Chevy is at rest.  Your Chevrolet Corvette probably won’t rust from a scratch, but your car is an investment that should be protected as best as possible – especially if you’re the proud owner of a Classic Corvette.  Which car cover you need for your Corvette depends on a wide range of variables, from where it is stored to where you live, to how often it is driven should all be considered before purchasing your new car cover.

What causes the most damage to my paint and how can a car cover help me?

The Weather
Rain might not seem like a problem, but for those who do drive their
Corvette in the bad weather it can be very harmful.  As rain washes
over the vehicle contaminants from the air are washed along the body,
often finding their way into any small imperfections in the paint. 
Also, “acid rain” contains high levels of acidity that can cause rapid
wear to the paint.  A waterproof outdoor car cover will keep your car
dry, and prevents the paint from coming in contact with the
contaminants in the air.

Not many Corvettes see winter, but if yours does it’s important to keep
the car clean and free of the chemicals used on the road to keep the
ice down.  Even if you do not drive your Corvette in the winter, but it
sits outside, exposing your car to heavy snow and ice can cause
scratches in the paint.  A heavy duty outdoor car cover can keep the
car clean of salt and prevent ice from grinding along the surface of
the paint.  A padded car cover can also provide security against damage
to the fiberglass from light impacts.

Even on a sunny summer day, your paint isn’t safe.  The sun’s rays
beating down on the vehicle cause the paint to fade, often giving the
car a dull look.  A light colored outdoor car cover will prevent the
sun’s harmful UV rays from baking the shine out of your paint, as well
as helping to keep the car cooler in the summer.

Mother Nature
Parking under a tree may provide good shade, but many trees can drip
sap on your Corvette, and even something as simple as a damp leaf
sticking to the body can cause damage to your paint.  Trees also often
have birds in them, and bird droppings can contain high levels of acid
that can eat into the paint.  Even something as simple as a swift
breeze, which lifts and carries dust and dirt, can cause long term
damage as the same contaminants that you are trying to avoid in the
rain can accumulate more gradually from the wind.  A car cover can
protect against all of these, as many waterproof outdoor car covers are
also designed to withstand acid from bird droppings and sap from trees.

Other People
Tight parking garages and narrow public parking spots are harsh
environments for your Corvette, and the scuffs and scratches not only
make the vehicle look worse, but they also let in items that promote
increased paint wear.  A heavy duty outdoor car cover can provide
padding against other pedestrians passing by, as well as offering some
protection from the swinging doors of absent minded drivers.

One other advantage of a car cover that many people do not consider is
theft deterrence.  When someone steals a vehicle, they need to be as
quick as possible, and removing a well-fit car cover is not a quick or
subtle act.  Also, almost every car cover includes reinforced eyelets
to accept a lock and cable, making it almost impossible to get the
cover completely off of the vehicle.

Before buying a new car cover, you should consider a few things

If you drive your Corvette every day, you want a car cover that is the
quickest to remove and easiest to store.  A lightweight cover will be
best for you, and although this doesn’t provide as much protection as
the thicker car covers it will prevent things like weather and animal
damage.  If you are more concerned about protection from other people
and vehicles, then a heavy duty cover will be best for you, although
they’re often larger and more time consuming to fold. 

Even if your Corvette is garage-kept, you may want to consider a car
cover as dust in the garage can have the same effects as dust outside,
and when moving around in the garage, accidents can happen.  If you’re
storing a vehicle long-term, then a thicker indoor cover can help
protect from those accidents, and for daily dust protection a
lightweight indoor cover can help keep your Corvette looking great for
years to come.,