Car covers

["Scott Johnson" <scott@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

To Bob Rand, who had a question about car covers...

My evolution 3 cover came with explicit instructions to use only a
special detergent... Ivory snow white or something like that (it was the
only ivory detergent on that shelf). You were supposed to use a very
large commercial washer and then put it on the car to dry. I would
imagine hanging it from a tree or clothesline would also be appropriate.

My current ev 4 cover had the same physical instructions, but did not
have any specific limitations on detergent, except that you should not
use bleach.

A simple way to clean the cover is to put it on the car, then hose it
down. Then, remove the cover, and wash the car off. Put the cover on
inside-out, then hose down again, remove, and wash the car once more.
Place the cover back on the car and allow it to dry. The next day, go
out and clean your car for real and you'll have a clean car and cover. 

You could probably get away with using mild detergent to clean it on the
car, but Kimberly-clarke (the manufacturer) did not explicitly recommend
this.

Please note that this is for evolution covers *only*. Most other car
covers should *never* be left on the car after they are wet, as the
trapped moisture can cause significant and permanent damage to your
paint. See your cover's instructions for specific details.

If you are using your cover while keeping your car garaged, it really
doesn't need to be *that* clean, as all it is doing is keeping the dust
out and off. When used outside, typically the dirt washed through by
rain can be brushed off with a soft, dry towel. 

To keep the cover as clean as possible, never put it on after driving
your car in the rain.

Hope this helps!

Scott Johnson
Alfa Spider FAQ Author

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