Gazebo!

[Sandspider]

Hi all.

Thinking about some winter protection for my 944. I live in a damp, still Welsh valley which doesn't see much sun in winter, so the car suffers a bit from condensation and gets a coating of tree debris. (I can't fit it in the garage due to a small tractor! And in any case, the garage is pretty clammy too). So I think that a gazebo with side panels / sealed tent (or car cover) wouldn't work well, as air movement is needed. Would just the roof of a gazebo be a reasonable measure of protection without making condensation worse?

Or what's a cost effective way to protect a 944 outside in winter when I don't tend to drive it much due to road salt and ice? Can anyone recommend a reasonable gazebo, probably 4m x 3m?

Cheers.

 

[IanK]

Mine was under a breathable cover for the first winter I owned it - did the trick but cost £200+

I think its a Stormforce or something like.

Don't need it now its in the garage though.

Ian

 

[vitesse]

Machine Mart sell a range of car tentlike garages & Costco sometimes have a version-I think some can have sides added but most are mainly a strong frame with a roof.

 

[Sandspider]

Thanks chaps.

I think a tight cover (even if breathable) would make condensation worse, not to mention the risk of damage to paint if it flaps in the breeze - my car is generally not that clean!

Will look at Machine Mart & Costco.

 

[Gordon Attar]

A heavy weight breathable cover woild be better. I use the ones from classic additions.

 

[jonnyporsche]

I use two £50 covers one very smooth one with large air vents then over that a breathable cover. I've used them winter and summer now for three years with no problems. During the winter months I do take them off for a couple of hours on very dry days. I also give the car a good waxing in Autumn, they work better than a £150 cover that disintegrated in two years.

 

[PSH]

I have used a breathable all weather cover in the past as my car lives on the drive..never again...at some point in the future I will need to address the damage caused by said cover which can be seen along the front of the roof. I wasn't entirely sure if the cover was the cause although could think of no other reason, however, once I showed the damage to my body shop guy he said straight away that I had used a cover and that the rubbing of the cover had allowed moisture to get in the paint, it's pretty easy to see how this was the cause. So one day I will need to respray the car, if I can afford it that is.. lesson...don't use covers for outside...

Pete

 

[jonnyporsche]

I use two £50 covers one very smooth one with large air vents then over that a breathable cover. I've used them winter and summer now for three years with no problems. During the winter months I do take them off for a couple of hours on very dry days. I also give the car a good waxing in Autumn, they work better than a £150 cover that disintegrated in two years.

This works for me.
I do tie them down well so they don't move in the wind.

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[robwright]

I paid good money and got a breathable heavy duty cover. As long as it is secured correctly with the straps then rubbing should be an issue.

 

[Sandspider]

Thanks chaps. I'm not keen on covers for the above reasons, plus my car is seldom clean enough to have a cover touching the paintwork. My hope is that a gazebo would keep the worst of the weather off it without touching it directly...

 

[Monkeythree]

I have one of these:

http://www.cover-systems.co.uk/car-covers/carfoldinggarages.htm

Expensive to buy new but cheap if you buy mine that I no longer need. It has a couple of holes in it but what I do is put a cheap "water resistant" stretchy cover over the car first then fold the garage over the top to make a double layer of protection and it keeps the wind off the cover that is in contact with the car so it doesn't rub.

 

[Sandspider]

Hi Monkey

Sorry for the delay, didn't see this message.

Well, I wasn't thinking of a folding garage like that, but never say never! Though it does look a bit too sealed, I'd like to keep as much breeze as possible blowing through while just keeping water and tree debris off.

What sort of money are you looking for, and where in the country are you?

 

[Monkeythree]

It isn't sealed. Air can circulate between the cover and frame. £100 if you can come and collect it. It will go in a big estate car with the seats down when it's all in its component parts. I'm about 15 miles South of Cambridge just off the M11.

 

[Sandspider]

Thanks, but a bit far from me and not really what I'm after.