Looking for a cover for my 16v 2.0l 1992 Corrado

[16vLuc 0]

Hello everyone, 

 

My first post in here, I recently picked up a beautiful 1992 16v corrado after lusting after one for the best part of 25 years!

 

I'm now looking for a cover to protect her through winter here in the UK - I don't have access to a garage sadly. I would appreciate any advice or tips on good covers/sellers and anythign to avoid.

 

Thanks!

[g0ldf1ng3r 15]

hi & welcome to the corrado world

covers are a little double edged sword in my opinion - i say this after having used covers for both of my rado's a couple of years ago

yes they do protect from the rain, hail, snow etc but sadly at a cost

i found that no matter how strapped down i managed to get the cover there was still lots of movement due to the wind, all of the rubbing sadly had a very negative effect on the paintwork on both the VR6 & the 16v

i tried 2 different makes of cover, a halfords medium all weather & another branded all weather, both being fleece lined, breathable & as snug a fit as possible but after several months of use the damage they had done was clearly visible

personally i think that as long as you dont have any water ingress then it is better to just leave the cars in the elements, after all they are designed to be outdoors

i dont have a garage either sadly & my drive is sloping both front to back & side to side, if it was flat i would be investing in one of those semi permanent tent like garages

[_Matt_ 32]

I'm with Gold on this - covers are not good no matter how clean you get the car prior to putting it on or how "padded" or "soft lined" the cover itself is. It will rub on the paint in the wind and cause damage of time. 

If you have a garage then an indoor cover is good as you're not getting the wind moving it about.

I would either invest in a Carcoon (~£600) or leave the car out in the elements and keep it washed and protected. Unfortuantely rather than the rain and snow it's actually the Sun that causes the most damage in my opinion, hail stones aside, although I'm not sure a car cover would protect against that either.

The other downside of covers is that they deter you from using the car. Washing and thoroughly drying the car after every single trip gets tiresome quickly.

Can you build a car port? 

 

[Cressa 44]

As above. 👍👍. Is there space for a lean-to, or get some scaffold poles and wrap it in polythene. Not pretty but keeps the weather off it

Good luck

[16vLuc 0]

18 hours ago, g0ldf1ng3r said:

hi & welcome to the corrado world

covers are a little double edged sword in my opinion - i say this after having used covers for both of my rado's a couple of years ago

yes they do protect from the rain, hail, snow etc but sadly at a cost

i found that no matter how strapped down i managed to get the cover there was still lots of movement due to the wind, all of the rubbing sadly had a very negative effect on the paintwork on both the VR6 & the 16v

i tried 2 different makes of cover, a halfords medium all weather & another branded all weather, both being fleece lined, breathable & as snug a fit as possible but after several months of use the damage they had done was clearly visible

personally i think that as long as you dont have any water ingress then it is better to just leave the cars in the elements, after all they are designed to be outdoors

i dont have a garage either sadly & my drive is sloping both front to back & side to side, if it was flat i would be investing in one of those semi permanent tent like garages

Hey Gold, 

Thanks for your reply and I appreciate the guidance! I think along with everyone elses feedback here the best course will be to avoid a cover. Have you every used or have any experience of custom covers to the vehicle or are these a 'sounds too good to be true' snake oil pitch? 

My drive is also on a pretty steady slope so tent is off the cards as is a car port as I'm in a rental right now. 

In terms of water ingress, I think we're all good headliner is in great shape sunroof seals look good, I did notice a wee bit of water in the drivers side door well/Sill (where the corrado branding is) so may have to replace the seals. 

It's off for a health check next week, I've done just under 200 miles since I picked her up last friday and can't stop grinning with every journey I take in it! I think my major upgrades will be a Cat-back stainless exhaust from aa wizard near me in Buckinghamshire (ARO Exhausts) and I'd love to get a stock big spline wheel back in there - has a Momo one in at the moment that handles nicely but feels a it boy racery. 

Thanks

[16vLuc 0]

16 hours ago, MJA said:

I'm with Gold on this - covers are not good no matter how clean you get the car prior to putting it on or how "padded" or "soft lined" the cover itself is. It will rub on the paint in the wind and cause damage of time. 

If you have a garage then an indoor cover is good as you're not getting the wind moving it about.

I would either invest in a Carcoon (~£600) or leave the car out in the elements and keep it washed and protected. Unfortuantely rather than the rain and snow it's actually the Sun that causes the most damage in my opinion, hail stones aside, although I'm not sure a car cover would protect against that either.

The other downside of covers is that they deter you from using the car. Washing and thoroughly drying the car after every single trip gets tiresome quickly.

Can you build a car port? 

 

Hey MJA!

 

Thanks for your advice, really useful for me as a first time owner of a car I actually treasure. unfortunately I have neither a garage or really the space for a Carcoon - a shared drive with 3 other cars thats on a slope 😞   - so will just keep it washed and protected outside. 

In a rental at the moment so car port is one for the future! 

Thanks for your advice

[_Matt_ 32]

You should be fine with it outside. Many garages are damp without airflow and that is far worse than being outside! 

My Corrado was garaged for 15 years of it's life but I still had some rust repairs to do recently. I have a garage but my other car is in there at the moment and the Corrado lives under a car port now. 

As long as the plastic door membranes behind the door cars, scuttle panel is clear of debris and sunroof drains clear you should have no problems. Think about some cavity wax protection  over time to keep things nice and layer some of the wax over the underside and anywhere water may sit - battery tray for example.