Car cover for snow advice?

When I first lived in Wisconsin I bought a cheap cover to keep snow off the car.

The first time I used it there was condensation on the underside of the cover that then froze the cover to the car overnight. It took a couple of hours in the sun to defrost.

I would look at one of the cheap portable garage units. Basically a tubular steel frame with a plastic canvas top and sides. They sell locally here for around $120.

Not sure my landlord will let me put one up.

is there not any kind of cover that wont freeze to the car?

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where you live ?

4x4 for the winter and lowrider for the summer ? and if your landlord will no let you put up a cheap ass car port i would move

I see

How do I spray the underside with oil? What kind of oil?

I'm in north Missouri near Iowa border

they have snow there?

there are shops which spray oil. they use no-drip additives.

if you're really cheap like me you can buy a white wash brush and save up your used motor oil. put the car up on ramps or stands, dress up in plastic garbage bags, and get messy. I have a garage so can cover the floor with layers of old newspapers and let it drip for a couple of days. :)

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I will qualify my comments on the car cover freezing to the car.

I am in mid north wisconsin. We get days were the temp during the day is below freezing but a vehicle in the sun will go just above freezing. Overnight drops to 10 - 20 below zero.

I would ask at a local auto parts store that carries car covers and see what they say. I know some of the better covers have a foam tube spacer to keep the cover off the car as much as possible.

As for under body protection the used oil method is very messy and illegal in some areas. Get the car washed including under body spray. You can get a new coat of protectant sprayed on if the original is wearing off (stone chipped etc.)

hey now that's a good idea!

I will look for such covers

I just don't want the investment in my car setting out in the snow and ice like a big frozen bock of metal.

I'm a starving student and looking for ANY way I can to save money or to "prevent' future expenses.

And on idea was to get as much "life" out of my car as possible and to use a cover.

IMO, you'd be better off not bothering with a cover. Just let it sit in the snow, it won't be hurt at all. Car covers can actually accelerate rust by trapping moisture.

Understand

I've been outside looking for way to rig up a tarp as a roof over my car.

I cant afford to get a portable garage... nor do I want the hassle of erecting it.

But maybe I can get a 10x10 tarp and stress it between the house and tree somehow?

...which will last until the first good covering of wet snow comes by.

Park the thing outside, uncovered, and don't worry about it.

I lived for years in cold country and didn't have a cover for my car. There were days that I wished very much that I did.

I had, at various times, coupee warmers and block warmers. Some of these were plugged into outside electrical connections and kept both block and interior warm. Another type was a gasoline powered heater that I could set to come on early in the morning before I went to work.

On days I did not turn this on, the car might have a half metre of snow on top, and the doors would be frozen.

My paint and body did not suffer. I did.

On some days if Idid not use the warmers, there was ice inside the car as well as out. Doorlocks had frozen and - if I could get inside - I might not be able to faster the doors when I drove.

A cheap coupee warmer helps if you have electricity available to you.

Look at the J.C. Whitney catalog. They have relatively cheap tarps, some of which are water repellant but still breathe. There are about three levels of quality going in the $30 to $100 dollar range.

You never want to dam up liquid under a tarp. Then you can have problems.

What is a coupee warmer?

It is a small electrical heater, designed to be left inside the car at night. Some of them have 2-3 basic heat settings, and they help keep the car warm, the mats dry from snow slush and rain, and >most importantly to me < they help keep the door lock assemblies and gaskets from freezing solid. They were quite cheap, and safe to use.

My SAAB had a gasoline powered one, fed from the main tank and with a timer on the dash so that the warmer would come on every morning at the time I had chosen. Believe it or not, it was quite safe and made getting to work during the 'long night' periods much better.

By the way, please excuse the spelling of the word 'coupe'. It was an oversight.

That's a good idea above

I will Google them but in meantime are these units something that don't have to be permanent mounted inside a vehicle?

If yes.... this idea may be better than my car cover or tarp idea

Or maybe use both together? To keep car cover from freezing to car since car would be warmer inside?

I Googled these above but not having luck finding any

Do you have a mail order source for them? A link?

I'll see if I can find a source for you. They do not have to be permanently mounted, but can be if a person wants. In fact they can be an integral part of a system which heats the block and the interior.

Will get back with you.