How to safely clean car and its cover?

[MadMerx]

A bit of a newbie on the detailing front and one car which lives outside under a cover is looking in dire need of some shampoo TLC!

The past few days of heavy rain have left the paintwork showing signs of dried water where it has soaked thru the cover, plus dirt splashed up from the ground during the downpours. No idea if we had another bout of the rain with free sahara sanding compound laced into it. I really don't want to remove the cover, wash the car then put the dirty scratchy cover back on.

What is the recommended way to safely clean this rain residue off the bodywork and the cover itself? Nothing in the bag the cover came in to say how to clean it.

Answers greatly appreciated...

 

[Rubyred]

Hi there. I use a cover on my car and before I take it off I use a very soft hand brush to get rid of any debris on the cover them wipe it again with a cloth, that gets rid of any damageing grit etc that may fall onto the paint work when removing the cover.
As for the car body work, I would just hose it off first then wash it properly.
If you have a water butt use that water to rinse the car as rain water doesn't leave water marks on the body work.
Hope this helps.

 

[Alex225]

If it's soaking through the cover and the car is dirty underneath it might be time for a new cover.

I'm quite an advocate for covers but you do need a good one, that fits very snuggly and a breathable one for condensation to evaporate through. You ideally shouldn't get any water through it.

In terms of cleaning the cover, I've never really managed to successfully clean up a cover though. Other than a wipe down with a damp microfibre but ultimately I never kept a cover longer than 18-24 months on average.

 

[optimusprime]

Yes i needs a fully water proof cover . Nothing will get through then . But it is not used for summer use ,winter use only ,and then with a good soft sheets on first,. I use thermal sheets on mine .

 

[MadMerx]

Thanks for the replies and advice

I did leave the cover off earlier in the year, however the problem of bird sh1t became an issue so cover went back on again. This is the second cover I have bought for the car. The first being a truly appaling one that simply did not fit the car - a Stormforce one from carscovers. I do not recommend these.

The current one is apparently a Cielo one which was model specific, fits very well and has four ties underneath which holds it in place in the increasingly windy and wetter UK. I tried buying another one but was told they are no longer produced which is annoying. I might have to look elsewhere, any recommendations?

Not sure anything remains truly waterproof outside for any great length of time.

 

[optimusprime]

The cover i have is Monsoon fited for the W124 from Covercraft .I have used it 3 years and it will be used agin this year in November it will be covered again. My cover is as good as new but a little dirty .

 

[Alex225]

The cover i have is Monsoon fitted for the W124 from Covercraft .I have used it 3 years and it will be used agin this year in November it will be covered again. My cover is as good as new but a little dirty .

I used a Monsoon cover on my RS Twingo for many years and I must commend them as they're very tough covers and fully waterproof. Not as breathable as the Stormforce but definitely water tight. The only issue I found was that they don't like hot temperatures as the seams perish in the summer, my own fault as they're not recommended for summer use. Great winter covers though and seem to last well. Usually just change colour due to the UV.