3rd & 4th Generation (1992–1996 & 1997–2001)Toyota Camry Discussion for years: 1992-1996 & 1997-2001
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I tried using a car cover. Big mistake. At first no problem. However, after a while, sand, dirt, and other very hard particles get embedded on the underside of the cover and cause tiny scratches in the windshield. At first these scratches are almost imperceptible. However, the longer you leave the cover on, the more damage to your glass, and maybe to the paint finish too.
... Just my experience... cover purchased from Auto Barn.
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98 Camry LE, 2.2L, automatic
50k miles, drop in K&N A/F recent timing belt, water pump
Last edited by dc_98_cam; 09-07-2011 at 02:58 PM.
The Following User Says Thank You to dc_98_cam For This Useful Post:
make sure you dont cheap out on the cover either. The cheap covers will actually stick to your car and damage the paint. (Literally get stuck to the car)
I tried using a car cover. Big mistake. At first no problem. However, after a while, sand, dirt, and other very hard particles get embedded on the underside of the cover and cause tiny scratches in the windshield. At first these scratches are almost imperceptible. However, the longer you leave the cover on, the more damage to your glass, and maybe to the paint finish too.
... Just my experience... cover purchased from Auto Barn.
Also, I would think the cotton type material on the inside after getting wet from the rain etc would lose whatever protection it had and cause damage too.
But the long and the short of it is this. This car has a cheap single stage new paint job on it and I live in the San Fernando Valley in So Cal. Today it's going to be 107 and this car is in a lot.
So, I just have to except that it's a trade off...the paint job slowly goes to hell, or scratches. Six of one half dozen of another...
btw, where does all that dirt on the inside come from? Were the sides elasticized?
make sure you dont cheap out on the cover either. The cheap covers will actually stick to your car and damage the paint. (Literally get stuck to the car)
So what would a decent one run.. I think they start at 30$ish.
MP here is a little better one... what do you think?
The cover I bought was on the high dollar side ... $200+. There was elastic at each corner and fitted for the car ... The problem is wind gusts. Sometimes you have 30-40-50 mph gusts that apparently can carry sand and dirt. This isn't the desert here ... just a regular neighborhood with grass lawns. The cover just balloons ... and is infiltrated by the scratch causing particles. I don't know how you would fix this. You have to have a certain amount of 'convenience' if you want to remove and install the cover on a daily basis.
If you had some sort of 'large bag' that you could drive into ... fasten up the end ... probably not.
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98 Camry LE, 2.2L, automatic
50k miles, drop in K&N A/F recent timing belt, water pump
The Following User Says Thank You to dc_98_cam For This Useful Post:
I agree with all the comments here. The debris build up, regardless of how soft the fabric is, will create a tiny layer of grit that will be accumulated and agitated on windy days, and scratch the paint and windshield. I bought an expensive custom cover for my honda shortly after it was new, yet never got my money's worth out of it.
Grit was only part of it for me. I bought one that wasn't completely water proof, so on rainy days the [synthetic 'water resistant'] fabric would become wet and act as a thin sponge, trapping water onto the car's surface. Letting it rest as it would slowly dry wouldn't be a good thing imo, so when it stopped raining, I always felt the need to take the cover off to dry it as well as the car.
If you want to protect the car and have to leave it outside, the best way imo is to keep a good coat of wax on it to defend against the sun, and keep it away from bushes scraping on windy days.
Ironically, covers are best for garaged cars driven infrequently.
The Following User Says Thank You to WaxonWaxStillOn For This Useful Post:
If you want to protect the car and have to leave it outside, the best way imo is to keep a good coat of wax on it to defend against the sun, and keep it away from bushes scraping on windy days.
This was my thought too, but it was shot down by someone in the business.
He said, the paint is cheap and the wax won't stop it from oxidizing and within a year the primer will show.
What is your take on this?
I trust this guys judgment so I would like your feedback.
This was my thought too, but it was shot down by someone in the business.
He said, the paint is cheap and the wax won't stop it from oxidizing and within a year the primer will show.
What is your take on this?
I trust this guys judgment so I would like your feedback.
One year sounds a bit dramatic unless its such a crappy paint job that won't last long no matter what you do to it.
I did some reading...meguiars says that most marketing about wax protecting paint from uv rays and fading is mostly bs. They say it actually protects the top layers of paint that the manufacturer's have already put uv protection agents into, and that's where your protection comes from.
Quote:
Some waxes do contain UV-protection agents, but the amount of protection that a microscopically thin layer of wax can provide is limited
The primary goal of a wax is to protect the top layers of paint that contain UV-protection agents from the paint manufacture. If you wash and wax your car regularly, your paint will be protected and you should suffer no major UV damage over the normal course of the life of the car.
Don't be fooled by some companies that lead you to believe that it is the UV protection in a wax that protects your car's finish from fading and failure, this is dishonest and simply not true. Taking care of the paint you presently have will go further to protect your finish than relying on protection supplied by a liquid you pour out of a bottle, or a wax you scoop out of a can. UV protection in a car wax formula is only an extra-dose of preventative maintenance, not the end-all, cure-all that some companies would lead you to believe.
UV protection for paint is much different from UV blocking ingredients for human skin. The two formulas are nothing alike and work in drastically different ways. There is no correlation between the ratings applied to the different levels of sun blocking protection for products intended for use on human skin and the ingredients available for use in an automotive wax formula. Sad to say, much of what you see advertised about the protective qualities of most car care products on the market today is simply over-exaggerated hype used to separate you from your hard earned dollars
Not to say mequiars is the final word, but I do like their straight-forwardness. A decent place to research this more might be the forums at the detailing site autopia, which I found googling.
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recent timing belt, water pump
95 Camry
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