I did a quick search, but nothing popped up. I was wondering if anyone had a brand of car cover they would recommend. We are in the process of figuring out where in the yard to add something to keep her covered, but I'd like a cover in the meantime (between the pollen, the trees and the birds who have already found her 2 times in the past week, she really needs something now). I figured I'd start here before just trolling the internet for decent reviews since it may take a while if we have to permit since it takes FOREVER to build anything in City of Atlanta. Originally the plan was to have something built before getting the car, but I just couldn't wait.

 

I wouldn't bother with an outdoor cover unless you are going to leave it standing for a long time.

You will cause more damage to the paintwork by taking a cover on and off all the time unless the car is totally spotless with no dirt or contamination.

 

That's what I was afraid of, but all of our driveway is under trees and I was hoping not to have to wash the car every couple of days because of the birds especially (I can't do anything about the pollen this time of year, there's a green/yellow film on the car again before you can finish washing it). And since this is my daily driver, it would be put on every evening and taken off every morning. I didn't know if the newer covers with the soft lining made a difference in not damaging paint on a not spotless car. I'll tell my husband not to waste the money then and get his butt in gear figuring out where my covered spot will be and whether or not we need permits, etc.

 

I would suggest this cover from Cover King.
While it is marketed as an Indoor cover, I have used it as an outdoor cover for over three years now, in the bright sun of Southern California.
Protects the car, even from moderate rain. Moisture only begins to reach the vehicle surface if left on for several hours during a major downpour. So even though it is marketed for indoor applications, it clearly has some degree of moisture barrier.
On a 1 to 10 scale with 10 being the heaviest outdoor all weather cover, the Satin Stretch is about a 3 or 4 in weight. Fleece lined to protect the paint. Super easy to put on and take off. Lightweight, very flexible fabric is easy to roll for storage. Made to fit the F-Type perfectly.

https://www.coverking.com/indoor-sat...-f-type-r.html

 

That looks good. Have you thought about a shade sail? The go up in a few days and can look OK. They only would really stop bird crap and leaves and sun, but that would be better than nothing. Over here whether or not they need local authority approval is a grey area. Grey as in they probably do, but everyone turns a blind eye to it.

 

Take a look at 'Sunbrella' covers, which can withstand many of the items that can destroy a vehicle. The fabric is mainly used for covering boats that are constantly in the sun.

 

I would never use an outdoor cover. Wind will make it brush/rub against the paint, and wind will also blow fine dirt in between the paint and the cover, making fine scratches - no matter how clean the car was when the cover was put on. Clean the bird droppings as soon as you see them. Dust won't harm the paint, even though it does not look good..

 

I tried all kinds of outdoor covers on various trucks I had parked outside. I was interested in UV protection and bird dropping protection, not worried about water and so on. Every one of those outdoor covers was too harsh for a car I would consider a garage queen. I had an indoor flannel-like cover for my Corvette, very gentle on the finish and kept the dust/pollen off.
If your cover is a short term solution get an indoor, soft cover to keep bird dropping and pollen off. Just toss it when you have your storage solution.
These days, I do not use a cover indoors; ceramic coating makes the car slippery enough to make cleaning very easy. My latest truck is a 3/4 ton with off road package and it is just too high and big to cover it, much as I would like to.
Larry

 

Yes, this would be temporary and mostly just to get through the Spring. Unfortunately, I live in a neighborhood of busybodies who like to report things they see going on if it should be permitted and isn't. Not my immediate neighbors, but most of the rest of the neighborhood. We need another slab poured and then something erected as cover. Honestly, I don't care about it being enclosed or anything, but the birds have gotten out of hand lately (rinsed off last night and there's another spot right on the hood today and that's after one almost flew into the car when I opened the door this morning). We think if it's just the slab and something like a pergola with a solid roof we don't need a permit, but as soon as he gets home from California I'm going to remind him to get started on it. That or I'm going to start parking in our front yard and make everyone unhappy, but at least it's not under the trees. Funny thing is, the birds seem to be targeting it since my other car (parked directly behind this one) hasn't gotten hit and his SUV (parked directly in front of this one) hasn't been tagged by them either. In the meantime, I'll look at all of the suggestions and figure out what will work as my temp solution. Thank you all for your help.

Since you mentioned ceramic coating, would you mind telling me about it? I just recently heard about it from someone else and was curious (benefits, how it works, any cons?).

 

Search this thread and the internet for much more about coatings than I can say here. Basically, it provides a hard, shiny bonded coating on your paint that makes the surface more slippery. Easier to wash, less dust. But you must be careful about how you wash your car. It requires periodic maintenance, easy and does not last forever...just a few years. It isn't cheap, but it was worth it for me. In Atlanta you will find a number of places that do it and they will need your car for 2-4 days, depending on which treatment you get.
Larry

 

Your car color is obviously exciting the bird population to the point they have to immediately express themselves. It's natures way of saying you have a gorgeous car......

 

Nature needs to find a nicer way to show appreciation. I already knew she was gorgeous! I didn't think about the color, but I wonder since when my husband's Stinger is also in the drive it doesn't get hit and it's red (the Solstice and Pathfinder are black and cargo van is silver and all three colors have remained relatively unmolested - there's no avoiding the pollen of course).

Also, just starting to really pay attention to signatures and feel like I should add the other cars to mine. If we can't sell the Solstice, there's talk of turning her into a road racer. And jaguny, your signature is the one that caught my eye with the '71 Charger.

 

I do not know whether birds are partial to certain colors or shiny vs. dirty cars. They pretty much crap on anything around here. When my truck was brand new I had to put duct tape reversed with roofing nails through it on my side mirrors because the birds thought they had some great new perches, from which to leave their droppings. After about a month of that the birds went somewhere else. People always used CD's hanging from fishing line around boats, the sun reflections, to chase the birds away. Got some trees around, hang some CD's, your neighbors will love it!
Larry

 

I beat up my dealer and got *SO* much schwag... cups, hats, jackets, and even a bottle of wine. LOL But I also negotiated a car cover as part of the deal. It's the OEM cover, says Jaguar on the bonnet / hood area, and it's fantastic. I am really happy with it. I didn't realize it is possibly $400 - 600 bucks, which seems insane, but truthfully I bought an all weather one for my Jeep, and it immediately ripped during a storm. Agreed with others... all weather is no bueno.

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/SGoAA...YxW/s-l300.jpg

 

Very nice! Yeah, I probably called it the wrong thing - I know there are covers with soft lining to protect (I wasn't thinking just plain canvas as I wouldn't put that on any vehicle). Considering what we paid for the car, I don't mind another $400-600 for something to protect it from the birds for a few months until we get something built.

 

I tried that on my sailboat. It didn’t work, the birds went along the line looking at the CDs going “That one’s crap, that one’s crap, that one’s crap......

 

Maybe playing the CDs instead? My music would apparently drive anyone and anything away if you believe my dad or husband.